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File Name: riag_009_06_Disk_Review_Dale_King/06_Disk_Review_Dale_King.dsk
Disk Name: DISK VOLUME #254
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Disk directory for 06_Disk_Review_Dale_King.dsk:

riag_009_06_Disk_Review_Dale_King/06_Disk_Review_Dale_King.dsk DISK VOLUME #254
T 027 EAMON REVIEW #4.C
DOS 3.3 format; 128,256 bytes free; 15,104 bytes used.

Text found in 06_Disk_Review_Dale_King.dsk/EAMON REVIEW #4.C.txt:



THE WORLD OF EAMON ADVENTURING



This month we will be taking a look at a few of the Eamon Adventure games that we have in our library. The rating system used is made up of a set of two numbers. The first number is the overall rating including settings, descriptions, and plot; the second number is the difficulty in both problem solving and survivability. Range is from 1 to 10 with 10 the highest. The following is the breakdown of the numbers.

Rating - any rating 5 or above is recommended.

0 - 2 Poor or tasteless, would not recommend.
3 - 4 Casual, non-descriptive, unintriging
5 - 6 Average, somewhat interesting
7 - 8 Interesting, descriptive, exciting
9 - 10 Excellent! Entertaining - a must.

Difficulty - any rating above 5 is recommended.

0 - 2 Easily survived, little problem solving.
3 - 4 Some injuries, maybe secret passages.
5 - 6 Some problem solving, a few tough guys.
7 - 8 Multiple/intricate complexities, some death.
9 - 10 Heavy hitters, time/move problems.


The above rating system and the reviews that follows are reprinted with permission from "The National Eamon User's Club"; 2701 Arnold Road; Des Moines, IA 50310; and are taken from their newsletter called "Eamon Adventurer's Log"

#76 - Search for Yourself (8:6) by Don Doumakes

Reviewed by Bob Davis

Extra Commands: SWITCH, SAVE

Playing Time: 4 - 6 hours (If you don't know what you're doing - 4 to 6 weeks.)


I believe the author does an excellent job of describing this adventure; so as not to do him or his adventure any injustice, here's Don...

You were drinking too much. You know that now. If you hadn't been drinking too much, you wouldn't have made that foolish bet. Now it's too late.

The fellow looked so young, so inexperienced. He looked drunk, too. So when he bet you 500 gold pieces that he had a magic spell you couldn't get yourself out of, you naturally assumed he was bluffing.

He wasn't bluffing, and he wasn't drunk. You have awakened in an underground labyrinth. You feel tired znd drawn. It's more than a hangover, though you certainly have one of those. No, it's as if a part of yourself were missing.

A part of yourself IS missing!

You have been split into two selves, and what is worse, your other self is somewhere else in this maze. You cannot survive outside this magical maze unless you merge back with your other self.

The barroom prankster was not completely merciless, however. You find that by exerting a little concentrated thought, you can transport your mind to your other self. (Type 'SWITCH' whenever you want to do this.) Unfortunately, if one self gets wounded, the other is injured simultaneously.

Remember, you must not try to leave the dungeon unless you have merged with your other self.


Bob again. Two big plusses this adventure has is 1) a very original idea and 2) the most complex maze in Eamon. It is very survivable (if you're careful), the room descriptions are generic (helping to make the maze confusing), the monsters and artifacts are interesting and the theme is refreshing, warranting special consideration.


#73 - The Deep Canyon (6:4) - by Kenn Blincoe

Reviewed by Bob Davis

Extra Commands: DIG, SET, WAIT, SAVE

Playing Time: 1 - 2 hours


While walking along a plateau, you meet a man who professes to help you find your way and then promptly pushes you off a cliff into a deep canyon. Luckily, a magic spell saves you from being crushed on the hard, rocky ground below. After determining your physical state, you find yourself in a hot dry environment with no idea how to get out of the deep canyon.

A basic escape adventure, the Deep Canyon is excellent for beginning and/or young adventurers with a small puzzle to solve before being able to leave. The descriptions are good, with some interesting effects and the designer did keep with the theme throughout the entire scenario.

I found the adventure to be easily survived using test character ALDO CELLA - hardiness 15, chain armor and 55% sword ability - so go ahead and put any character through this adventure with little fear of losing him/her.

I think one hint is deserved here; the secret passages cannot be detected by the look command, so the adventurer must stumble upon them. But afterall, what's a secret passage if it isn't secret?



#71 - Operation Crab Key - rating (0:3) by Joe Vercellone

Reviewed by Bob Davis

Extra Commands: None

Playing Time: Seems like forever.


You are in a charming double bedroom in modern Miami style, with dark green walls and a polished oak floor." Room after room, they're all the same. Another description the author painstakingly mulled over to set the proper mood, "Too normal to bother describing." The writer, obviously short on ideas after the first room or two, persevered to create 100 rooms of boredom (quantity vs. quality). One actual warning sums up this 'adventure': "Don't waste your time, just leave".



ADVENTURE WORDS OF WISDOM

By John Nelson


There is an age old proverb of the ancient adventurer that goes like this:

What isn't nailed down is mine.

--- Anything I can pry loose isn't nailed down.

That seems to sum up the attitude of most of your local barbarian adventurers. But the modern adventurer must be a bit careful. The following is some advice on looting and making off with the booty.

Avoid taking food from an 8 foot troll while he's eating.

Never steal a hat from a wizard while he's awake, wearing the hat, and knows a disintegration spell.

Never argue with a 90 foot dragon while bound to a sacrificial altar.

Never take advantage of a princess that owns a pet that likes to eat men in armour 'cause they're crunchy.

Never take jeweled locks from cell doors that are restraining hundreds of crazed metal-eating kzorks.

Pop Quiz:

When you've broken your last weapon, find yourself at death's door (knocking loudly), have exhausted all your spells, and are faced with twelve imperial guards and a nineteen foot hill giant, do you:

a) Pretend to be one of them and hope they don't notice
b) Ignore them and hope they'll go away
c) Kill the hill giant to impress the guards
d) Go into an epileptic seizure, hoping to confuse and frighten them
e) Organize a Swat Team with the guards and attack the giant.

Of course, there is no one single solution to that one, you could try them all and none of them would probably work.