The Micro User


Shrinking Professor
By A 'n F
BBC Model B

 
Published in The Micro User 2.02

Tiny Problem

I must admit I've always had a habit of rooting for the underdog, so it's nice to come across a game that takes the side of the little man.

And in A & F's Shrinking Professor, a text-only adventure game, that is exactly what you are, a very little man. Working away in the lab one night, a potion slips from your grasp, and choking green fumes envelop you.

Waking some time later, you find that you have shrunk to an inch in height, and have slipped through a crack in the floorboards.

Shrinking Professor

You know there are some crystals on top of the lab table which will restore you to your former height, but getting there could be a pretty tall order.

And so begins a tricky quest. There's nothing so obvious as a magic wand or a horde of gold in this one. I mean, what do you do with a darning needle the size of a javelin, or an enormous fingernail?

Dragons and trolls may be a piece of cake for an experienced adventurer, but how on earth do you get past a hungry frog or a very cross vole?

Shrinking Professor

This for me is what changes Shrinking Professor from an average adventure into quite a good one. The locations and objects are novel, and there are sound effects to grab the attention.

The game doesn't reach the heights of, say, Level 9 or Acornsoft - it's quite a bit smaller for starters - but it is fun, and difficult enough to cause even an expert a few problems.

I haven't even managed to cross the main road yet. Every time I try, along comes a car and splat! Now I know how a hedgehog feels.

James Bibby

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