Adventures on the Spectrum

C&VG (Computer & Video Games)

Keith Campbell

It's adventure time again, as Keith Campbell once more looks at the wild 'n' wacky world of games that don't require joysticks. Written and Published by Mike Gerrard. Price: £4.95 + 5p postage and packing (UK) £4.94 + £1.05 postage and packing (elsewhere). From: Mike Gerrard, [redacted] For the Spectrum adventure fan, this book is a must. Mike is a well-respected and much loved adventure columnist, who as well as writing a regular monthly column in another magazine, has in the past written in numerous different, computer monthlies, as well as occasional articles in the Times and Guardian. That on top of several other books on adventure, plus a couple of games. Written in Mike's easy going and lightly humorous style, Adventures on the Spectrum is a 126 page paperback book that gives a brief introduction on the art for the complete newcomer. It follows on with the history of adventure gaming, the lowdown on writing and publishing your own adventure games, and a guide to the clubs and fanzines currently available. However, the bulk of the book consists of solutions to over forty Spectrum adventures, ranging from recent mega-games like Corruption, to golden oldies like Sorcerer of Claymorgue Castle, Hobbit, and Circus. The format of the solutions varies from game to game, depending upon the most effective form for each particular game. Mike produced the whole thing himself, reducing his printer output from A4 to A5 size, sending the whole lot off to the printers, and keeping his fingers crossed he had got the margin size correct! He had, and the result is a handy 128-page reference book for hardened adventurers, and the sort of companion with which anyone taking up adventuring for the first time could be confident that they wouldn't end up stranded half way through a game.