Previous Next

With so many graphic adventures coming onto the market, text-only games must have something special to offer if they're going to be worth buying. What's special about this one?

For a start, the text is well-written and the locations are carefully thought-out. Add to that a dry sense of humour and you'll soon find yourself forgetting about the lack of graphics and appreciating the almost forgotten powers of your own imagination. More importantly, you don't have to wait for ages while the machine draws pictures.

The program has a good vocabulary, but annoyingly it will not tell you which words it doesn't understand. This means you have to spend a lot of time trying different commands and wondering exactly which word it is that the machine is objecting to.

Abbreviated commands are accepted, with the inexplicable exception of N, S, E and W where you have to say 'Go N' rather than just 'N' etc.

Whatever its shortcomings, Quest Of Merravid is an enjoyable adventure. You can quaff ale in the local pub, chat up the barmaid, and investigate some unusual locations as you collect your weapons in preparation for a fight to the death with an angry dragon.

It is one of the better text adventures on the market, and if I have to choose between pretty pictures and exciting locations I'll choose the excitement every time.