The Crystal of Chantie (G.A.C.)

Your Sinclair

Mike Gerrard

THE LAST ROUND-UP (yee-har!)* Yes folks, it's time for another round-up of all the adventures that have crossed my path over the last few months but haven't quite made it to the status of a full review. * Till the next one. Reviewer: Mike Gerrard Keeping up the high standard of home-grown adventures, and confirming that there are better games to be had through the post than at your average software shop, is Pelagon Software's The Crystal Of Chantie. This is a GAC'd game, and well worth the price of admission for its many imaginative touches. When you begin you're told that you look north across the enchanted land of Senavie, its beauty being beyond description. Suddenly an image of the King's daughter holding the Crystal of Chantie appears before you. She asks you to bring the Crystal back to this place, as only its power can return to the land the beauty that you see before you. So is the beauty just an illusion? Yes, for her image fades and then you're looking north across a barren ice plain. And do you hear an evil laugh in the wind? And is that small devilish creature who scampers away, the Puck that the Princess warned you about? The author has gone to a lot of trouble with these extra little touches, and the graphics too are beautifully done. I especially like the violent storm that rages, where you can see nothing - what you do see I leave for you to discover! At the start you only have ten moves before you freeze to death, and if you explore all the available directions you discover a nice fur coat guarded by a not-so-nice wolf. The answer to this one is rather sneaky if you take your time about it, as is the way in which you'll have to deal with one of the mazes you come across. No good dropping objects, as Puck only steals them, you'll just have to use your eyes carefully. Marred only by the inevitable spelling mistakes (it's, bowel's and plateau I spotted) and a few missing full-stops in the text, this is still a cut above your average game, and GAC fans especially should be keen to see some unusual and effective programming.

Read it at Your Sinclair Rock'n'Roll Years