Rays

C&VG (Computer & Video Games)

Vocabulary 5/10

Atmosphere 4/10

Personal 2/10

Value 5/10

Keith Campbell 2/10

SUPPLIER: Tartan Software MACHINE: Spectrum 48K PRICE: £4.99 Mail Order only from: Tartan Software, [redacted] Four of the sun's eight rays have been stolen by the Moon Raydiator. It seems that the MR is acting in retaliation against the proposed marriage of his daughter Diana, to the Sun God. But by dawn tomorrow, if the rays have not been found and restored, the sun will not shine, and all living things on earth will perish. Your job is to find them. Well, despite the sickly scenario, if the rays are treated as treasures, there's no reason why the adventure shouldn't be enjoyable, I thought. So I pressed on. This is a Quilled adventure of the primitive sort, that is to say, white on blue text, with Spectrum character set, and square cursor. True, there are a few illustrations, although I found none on my pre-production copy. But it is the text and the logic that lets the game down. I examined a carton I came across, and apparently it contained a toy, for the screen was redisplayed with the new object listed, but with no message to tell me I had found something. I examined the toy, and the same thing happened. This time, a battery appeared. I picked up the lot, and then every time I examined either carton or toy, the toy or the battery, respectively, was dropped, and removed from my inventory. Trying to insert the battery in the toy brought the killer: "Try something else." But the worst part for me, was a rusted bolt problem. Having found some toast and butter in the kitchen. I suspected the butter might ease the bolt. Trying to pick it up, I was told: "It's not here." I couldn't believe my eyes! The program was lying: the butter WAS there - it was listed plainly on the screen! The toast wouldn't let me pick it up either, complaining that it was too dry without butter spread on it. SPREAD BUTTER resulted in a new object. BUTTERED TOAST. The final straw was trying to GET TOAST. You've guessed - still too dry without butter spread on it! All this goes to prove that, with The Quill, anyone can write an adventure without knowledge of a programming language. But to have credibility, it must behave logically. All the logical steps that a real programmer would have had to write into his code, must be properly thought out, and supplied to The Quill. They are manifestly absent in Rays. I feel a bit rotten about giving this game a poor review. Author Audrey Meredith, of Dublin, has dedicated the game to me, on account of the enjoyment and help she has received from the Helpline. However, I would be failing in my duty to readers, the prospective purchasers, were I to recommend it - sorry Audrey. On the reverse side of the finished cassette (which I haven't seen) comes some instructions on adventure playing, and a three-part adventure called Doors, aimed at the novice adventurer. "Friendly and ongoing," is how Audrey describes them. Green Door takes you into a world of fantasy about a green witch: Black Door is set in an Egyptian Tomb; and Blue Door is about Bluebeard. Save your pennies for a better game.