Dragon User


Trekboer

Categories: Review: Software
Author: Mike Gerrard
Publisher: Microdeal
Machine: Dragon 32/64 or Tandy Color 32/64

 
Published in Dragon User #032

A new graphics quest to gladden the hearts of Dragon adventurers, coming as it does from the same stable which produced Shenanigans, Sea Quest, Black Sanctum and Calixto Island, and just in case you'd forgotten those you'll be reminded should you find the advertising leaflet hidden somewhere in the first few locations.

The screen layout is identical to those earlier titles, as is the style of the graphics with their occasional moving sections and flickering lights - flickering in this case because you're aboard the hi-tech Trekboer, a starship from the 21st century when life on earth is threatened by a deadly virus. All you have to do is search the known universe till you've found a cure. No problem.

First location is the control room, with a couple of buttons to press, a plaque and a view screen to look at, and a ladder to climb up. Moving around, there's a teleporter room, dusty storage room, communications room and environmental control room. There's also a pitch black room, which I haven't yet figured out how to illuminate, and a few possibly useful objects. After a certain number of moves a message comes through Irom Boer Control telling you that plague is still rampant, Xendos is the only known cure, there's been no contact with the Veldboer starship for three months and their last known co-ordinates were 8350.

Setting the controls for 8350 brings up a planet on the view screen. Next step was a little tricky, but after being ejected into space a few times I finally worked out how to get down onto the planet's surface, and if nothing else then the graphics here are even more interesting. Your view of the planet scrolls across the graphic window, and after a little searching I found the wrecked Veldboer, a virtual copy of the ship I'd just left, except that everything is dead and empty - though that wretched pitch black room is still there.

I don't want to give too much away, but something here should show you a way of visiting a frozen planet, and there you might learn something to help you find your way to a beautiful garden planet, though not as beautiful as it might sound as I plunged to my death here trying to cross a bridge that wouldn't bear my weight. Nasty, but not as nasty as returning to earth, I imagine, which I haven't yet tried to do.

The Trekboer adventure unfolds nicely, opening up well yet you somehow always have to leave something behind that you're sure you'll need to go back to. A convincing story and some nice effects, and I think an even better effort than its enjoyable predecessors. I can see the questions in the adventure column already!

Mike Gerrard

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