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Statusline-Fall87 Three classic VisiClues: No titles revisited marker needed See poge6 The Status Line See page 10 Volume VI Number 3 Formerly The New Zork Times Fall 1987 Peril & passion in Plundered Hearts "lnfocom' s first romance does the genre proud. a nobleman. You receive news of your beloved Playing Plundered Hearts was like opening a ro­ father from M. Jean Lafond, who claims to be his mance novel and walking inside." dearest friend. Lafond is the governor of St. Sinistra, -Judith C. the tiny tropical isle where your father moved after the death of your mother. Lafond sends the tidings "The main character may be a woman, but I found that spur you across the Atlantic: Papa is deathly ill, Plundered Hearts every bit as challenging and ex­ and needs your loving care to keep him alive. You set hilarating as other lnfocom stories. I can't think of out aboard the Lafond Deux, one of the governor's a better way to exercise my imagination." ships that just happens to be in port. -Andrew I. "/ love this! This is the most vivid and evocative Falcon, captain of the pirates lnfocom game I've seen yet." As Plundered Hearts begins, just two nights from -Mrs. Thomas E. the end of the hitherto uneventful voyage, the thun­ der and lightning of cannon fire disturb your slum­ "/was a little afraid that I wouldn't like the game at ber-pirates! Within minutes you are face to face first, being male and playing it as a female , but once with the notorious Falcon, captain of the pirates. you got started it was NO PROBLEM! I enjoyed it!!!" Under the impact of his gaze, the hard masculinity of his broad shoulders, the implied power in the scar -RonT. that etches his jaw, you discover yburself blind to the These are just some of the rave reviews showered dangers of this infamous pirate, aware only of the upon Plundered Hearts, lnfocom's new release that tremors that course your veins, of that flutter deep in breaks stereotypes about computer games and the Boy meets girl and adventure meets romance in our your stomach as he draws near you. In this most people who play them. Plundered Hearts is a tale of latest release Plundered Hearts. unlikely of places, you have met the man you have adventure as gripping as any previous Infocom been waiting for all these years. story, filled with challenging puzzles and scenes of Set in the late l 7th century, when ladies were But things are not all as they seem. With the derring-do. But it is also a torrid romance, the first delicate and gentlemen virile, when vapid kings introduction of Falcon and the message he carries, lnfocom story in which you, the main character, are ruled the land and lusty pirates ruled the seas, Plun­ you find all your expectations turned topsy-turvy. a woman. In its dark and passionate world, you not dered Hearts plunges you into adventure on the high No longer can you be the staid and innocent miss only test your courage and prowess at every tum­ seas. from town. You must don the attitude with the you may fall in love. You are a beautiful young woman, the daughter of Please turn to page 8 l Nord and Bert: Pick a peck of pickled puzzles There's panic in Punster and only you can stop it. and you. To survive you'll have to be rock steady, Punster, the strangely besieged town at the center and perhaps have your stock ready. of Infocom' s witty new release, needs help and it Or how about a trip to the wacked-out Punster TV needs it fast. Because, you see, Punster is infected by station where you ' II have to "Play the Part" to escape a strange malady that has affected language itself. the zany sit-corn insanity of your brother-in-law Yes, language, the thing we all depend on to carry us Bob. Then there's the town eatery, The Teapot Cafe, through our daily routine, has virtually come alive in where even the simplest actions, like trying to buy twisted verse and forced the good people of Punster lunch, will bring you face to face with the ugly into hilarious submission. situation engulfing Punster. Waitresses no longer But don't go into Punster expecting to wield an respond in the normal manner, even to your simplest elvish sword as you might in Zork, or even a palm requests. The only hope you have of getting service tree swizzle stick as you do in Hollywood Hijinx. To is by using idioms like "give the waitress the evil cure all ills here, what you'll need is a rapier sharp eye." And when your food finally comes? Well, wit, a velvet smooth tongue, and a mind like a steel you ' II have a hard time "eating a collection of lion 's trap, not to mention just a little time and maybe even meat" until you can figure out just the right thing to a bunch of friends. say to tum it into something edible. Not one but eight stories Eating a pair of pears When you venture into Nord and Bert Couldn't Figuring out just the "right" thing to say is one of Make Head or Tail ofIt, you'll find not one but eight the trickier parts of Nord and Bert. And even if (count ' em: eight!) stories to tum your attention to. you're trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, or Each of these vignettes takes you to one of Punster's Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail oflt, but eating a pair of pears, you'll be rewarded for your most disastrously affected areas. To restore each area maybe you can unravel these eight heady tales. effort. Because as you solve each one of the first to relative sanity, you'll need to solve a peck of seven stories, you will win the passwords that will pickled puzzles. The puzzles in each story involve a and surreal. This time around he's pulled out all the eventually let you enter the eighth story-"Meet the different type of wordplay, including cliches, idi­ stops. Mayor." In that story you will have to bring all your oms, spoonerisms, homonym replacements, and There's the mysterious forest region of"Shake A wordplay expertise to bear in order to restore Punster other verbal witticisms. If you're fami liar with Tower," where your quest to rescue a lovely lass will to tranquility. And when you do, you'll sample the Ballyhoo, Jeff O'Neill's first Infocom game, you lead you into a strange land in which only the twist of sweet taste of victory. know that his prose and puzzles can be both clever a phrase can solve the puzzles that will save both her Please turn to page 10 age The Status Line New editors take l>Read the letters the helm of TSL Dear Infocom, Cam_bridge (WZIL)-Today, Mike Dornbrook, understand the Navy' s financial system, I need to I'm only thirteen but I'm an avid fan oflnfocom. The publisher of The Status Line, held a press conference relax with something not quite as challenging. Hey, to announce his new selections for the editors' chairs game I most recently got was Leather Goddesses of there's an idea for a game-Tom Starboard: Naval at TSL. Mike introduced Stuart "Stella" Kirsch to the Phobos. I loved it so much I got the T-shirt for it. I A_uditor! Nah, that may be beyond even your capa­ wore it to school thinking my friends would think it gathered throngs, saying, "Stella brings integrity and b1ht1es to brmg mass confusion and utter frustra- verve to the challenging position of editor-in-chief." was hilarious. They did. It was so comfortable I wore tion. .. · To guarantee continuity and technical excellence it to bed. When I woke up, it didn't smell, and it was Keep Up The Great Work, on TSL, Dornbrook followed Kirsch's announce­ so comfortable I wore it that day too. Everything was Jude T. Keyer going fine until fifth hour swung around and my ment with the formal appointment of Hollywood Louisville, KY social studies teacher read the back. She got upset Dave Anderson as the publication's chief technician [Mass confusion? Utterji·ustration? Masochists of and tactician. Impressing the crowd with a list of and c_alled the assistant principal! Even though I wore 1t the day before and everybody who was going the world unite! Get in line to play Bureaucracy by Anderson's accomplishments, Dornbrook was Douglas Adams-ed.] quoted as saying: "Hollywood brings integrity and to see It did, the assistant principal made me wear it verve to the challenging position of managing editor inside-out! All the kids thought the shirt was funny . Even the coach thought it was funny. There were no Dear Infocom, of thi s prestigious publication." vulgar words on it. That's censorship at its worst! I I have a bone to pick with you guys. I have been Kirsch and Anderson (Stellawood and Holly­ just thought you ought to know about this. playing your games now for about 4 years. With the wood) took the podium from their boss to announce P.S. It's so easy to get into lewd mode. I don't aid of my friend, I played them before I even had a their multi-pronged program forTSL.
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