C&VG
1st May 1985
Publisher: Nemesis
Machine: Dragon 32
Published in Computer & Video Games #43
The Trial Of Arnold Blackwood
Another game for adventure-starved Dragon owners this month, and this time it's from a small company called Nemesis. The game revolves around Arnold Blackwood, a private eye who has been hired by Lord Erebus, but the problem is that he has lost his memory and cannot remember what he was hired for! It is your task to help him regain his memory.
From waking up dazed on the Erebus Estate, you progress round and round and round, and not very easily forward! This game is very difficult to get into, even with a hintsheet! After a few hours hard slog, I managed to amass a fine collection of objects, ranging from a blowlamp to a half-eaten kipper.
On my journeys I met up with a rampaging Triffid, who was no blow over, and the cat Bonzo, who was also a pain. Regular readers will know that The Pink Fairy laughs out loud at such things and sure as taxes I ended up finishing the game with a score of 48%.
It is not necessary to score 100% to complete the adventure, but if you do you will have had a very hard game. You will have had many more tasks to perform than just the main one which is to return the Gold Amulet to Lord Erebus.
The Dragon has been used to almost its full capabilities, with the character set having been redefined and sound used extensively. If you get to the piano, play it and listen to what makes the Dragon's sound functions so good - it's enough to turn Spectrum owners green with envy!
The Trial Of Arnold Blackwood is for Dragon and Amstrad computers, price £4.50 inc P&P from Nemesis, 10 Carlow Road, Ringstead, Kettering, Northants. I look forward to more Dragon releases from Nemesis!