The One
1st October 1990"Oh dear, oh dear, I shall be late," said the white rabbit. No matter. His computer incarnation was well worth the wait. Paul Presley drops in for tea.
Wonderland (Virgin Games)
A Cheshire car, a Mad Hatter's tea party, a hookah-smoking caterpillar, playing-card courtiers, and babies turning to pigs... This is the stuff of which dreams are made. But for Alice the dream is all but over unless you can stop her waking up. Wonderland is an innovative variation on the text adventure theme, which uses Magnetic Scrolls' WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus and Pointers) system. It's based on Lewis Carroll's classic novel Alice In Wonderland and recreates Alice's eventful capers in the land of nod.
Your task, as Alice, is to complete the dream without coming to prematurely. Help and hindrance come from all the familiar faces, such as the March Hare and the sleepy dormouse, along with one or two essential objects like the infamous 'Drink Me' bottle.
PC
Even if you have never played a text adventure before, you can jump. into Wonderland, feet first, without worry. It's one of the most user friendly adventures yet seen. Manipulating objects and traveling between locations is a doddle, leaving you to apply your brainpower to puzzles rather than mechanics. Of course, the storyline is what makes or breaks most adventures, but with Lewis Carroll you can't really go far wrong.
The plot has been well worked to incorporate all the major characters, objects and events, putting them together to provide a story which is both challenging and entertaining. Over three years of work has gone into Wonderland, and it shows - from the near-perfect operating system to the excellent illustrations and music score. What's more, all graphics cards are supported, along with Roland and AdLib sound boards. The text adventure is back with a vengeance.
Amiga
There are no discernible differences, other than a slightly higher resolution than what's seen here. Owners of a 1Mb machine and an external disk drive will benefit from minimal disk swapping.
ST
The ST version will look identical to this one, so there's no reason why it should be any less absorbing.