Previous Next

Described as an educational adventure, Jericho Road was written by a church minister. It is set in biblical times, in the middle of the first century AD, in and around Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Jericho.

The game has two levels of play - junior and full. I tried the junior version first, in which the aim is to get to Jericho. Wandering around in the hot sun nearly sent me to sleep, as there seemed nothing to do, the only light relief being when I got stripped, beaten and robbed. Along came a priest (trot trot trot), a lawyer (trip trip trip) and of course - you've guessed it!

Child's play, and I learnt little. But then, of course, this was the junior version, and I'm sure children will enjoy the sound effects as there various visitors arrive and depart.

Not expecting much better, I tried the full game option - easy enough as it's all there in memory, and doesn't require a separate load.

This version was in the same setting, but I was immediately impressed about how cleverly the full plot had been abridged in the version I had just finished. For the mission was quite different this time, and not nearly so easy.

Thus I was forced to type HELP on a number of occasions and, when there was help on offer, it came in the form of referring me to a chapter and verse in the Bible. This, I found, added a completely new dimension to the game, and suddenly made Bible reading quite interesting. Reading the text gave information vital to the game, both in terms of knowing what actions to take, and getting the answers right when asked questions.

The plot being inextricably tied up with the biblical narration relating to the scenario proved to be a winning formula as far as I was concerned. One thing to watch, though, is your typing, should you get frustrated. This game doesn't understand bad language!

Jericho Road is from Shards Software for 48K Spectrum, priced £5.75.