Games Computing


West

Publisher: Talent
Machine: Commodore 64

 
Published in Games Computing #12

West (Talent)

This is basically a text adventure in the classic mould, consisting of a series of puzzles to be solved. However there are a number of additional features which make it feel rather different from the traditional game. Some features enhance the game, others reduce it.

On the plus side there are excellent full screen graphics. Occasionally. They appear instantaneously, so presumably are paged and therefore must consume a fair whack of RAM. They are worth the wait but there are not really enough of them to justify calling this a graphic adventure.

A second good feature is the command parser. It is basically a two word parser but it can ignore redundant words and so apparently interpret complex sentences. But this can lead to errors, and when the program cannot find a word it sometimes takes a very long time to tell you so.

The feature I disliked most but which the designers presumably regard as a plus in the huge random element is the game. Your trusty steed can wander in (despite being killed in a previous move), tumbleweed rolls by, snakes appear and bite you (or don't) and bank robbers shoot at you for no good reason. This might be a good feature if it was more controlled but it happens too often. Particularly irritating is the way than random events can interrupt your typing so instructions get mistyped or repeated.

The game is well constructed and thought out but rather quirky. Still adventurers are a quirky bunch.