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In April this year Beyond released a 'revolutionary'
new concept in adventure games. Developed by Denton
Designs, it involved no text input whatsoever, being
purely icon driven, and was called Shadowfire.
Due to its unusual nature, it soon became a big hit
with games-players and adventures alike. So what is
the Shadowfire tuner?
The
tuner is, quite simply, a piece of software that allows
you to create or amend your own saved games. If that
doesn't sound particularly inspiring, then consider
this: With the aid of the tuner you can virtually rewrite
the original Shadowfire game to your own specifications!
The
program makes full use of icon driven commands and follows
a very similar format to the original game. The method
of input is determined as before by selecting from keys,
joystick (digital or analog) and light pen on the title
screen. You are then free to use the tuner to its potential.
There
are three main 'menu' screens, the first of which allows
you to determine the length of the mission and load
and save games. The second, and probably most important
screen, presents you with a plan of Zoff V, very handy
for making a map. Each of the rooms in the ship can
be 'edited' and both objects and characters can be placed
within them. The various attributes of a character,
such as speed and strength, may be altered to suit your
tastes. One could have faster, stronger enemies or,
better still, a more powerful Enigma team! This is done
via the third menu screen, where you find a large list
of characters and objects are readily to hand. There
are even a few new weapons not previously encountered
in Shadowfire.
CONCLUSIONS
This proves a very useful utility for the Shadowfire
fan and injects new life into what is probably now a
dead or dying game. My only real gripes are that the
program isn't that easy to use initially, since some
of the new icons are not easily recognisable. It also
takes some considerable time to construct a new game.
The tuner could be cheaper, but it still represents
good value for money all the same.
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