C&VG


Ghost Town

Author: Steven Donoghue
Publisher: Adventure International
Machine: Acorn Electron

 
Published in Computer & Video Games #35

Ghost Town

Scott Adams sends you on the Wild West trail in Ghost Town, soon to be available for the BBC, Commodore and Spectrum computers, in addition to the current range.

So here is an appetiser for those who have not yet enjoyed or cursed its cursor!

"I'm in a ghost town. Visible items: Jail, Barbershop. Tell me what to do?"

Ghost Town

Thus the opening display greets you. No help on this one, pardner, you're on Scott's Adventure all alone.

The object of the game is to find the 13 treasures hidden in various locations and there are plenty of places to explore. Don't take too long, however, because the sun's going down and you need to find somewhere warm to spend the night. Fail and you won't live to see another day.

As may be expected in any good cowboy town, even if it is populated entirely by ghosts, plenty of action takes place in the saloon. Ghostly comings and goings occur at different times as the game progresses – that's if you hang around long enough to see.

Ghost Town

Other places of interest are a jail you have to break IN to and a visit to “Boot Hill”. Beware though, that you don't become one of its more recent occupants.

The stables are another place worthy of note, with lots to offer the prospective treasure hunter in pursuit of his riches. Of course, you can end up in a smelly pile of manure, should you be on the wrong end of an argument with a horse. Such humiliation is not, however, without its own rewards. As for the horse, get him moving and you'll ride to pastures new.

What else is needed? Some knowledge of basic chemistry, a touch of morse code, and hope that your hands don't blister too easily – there's lots of digging to be done! Also, make sure you're in prime physical condition, (you need to jump around a lot!) and use all five senses.

Ghost Town

Probably the most intricate of Scott's original 12 Adventures, Ghost Town, just sits there and challenges you to solve it. You'll end up dead in a number of ingenious ways, but don't lose heart — all the information needed is there for you to come out a winner.

Certainly this is one Adventure you won't put down. Now, how do I open this safe ...?

Ghost Town is from Adventure International and is available for a variety of micros, some with graphics version.

Steven Donoghue