- Not sold in stores Might & .Magic: Clouds of Xeen Drawing on the rules of its three prede­ high as the 15th level until one of the optional quests. cessors, Jon van Caneghem's latest game's mini-quests, the construction of You may play in Warrior mode, Might and Magic introduces some minor Newcastle, is accomplished. Then you which is combat intensive, or Adventurer yet surprising changes. Lord Xeen, the can go as high as 20th level. This limita­ mode, in which you won't have to spend undead general of the Darkside's evil tion of levels was disturbing. as much time bashing bad guys. The ruler, has stolen the sixth mirror and has Specials, such as the well in Shangri choice betwe~ the two is responsive to obsessed Lord Burlock with the quest to La and completing the Golem dungeon, the criticisms that many role-playing find the mirror. This sidetracks Burlock endow characters with one additional games depend too heavily on violence while Xeen takes over the land for his permanent level. One area in the game rather than exploration and intelligence. sinister master. grants a 10-level advance that is tempo­ The simultaneous display of the over­ The road to finding and slaying rary. Attributes may also be increased head automap and first-person 3-D Xeen is a tortuous one. First there is a permanently and temporarily in various perspectives make getting around in treasure hunt for artifacts special events. The Xeen most enjoyable, and enhances your that increase skills and choices between the awareness of the environment. enable you to enter vari­ combinations of The interface, animation, back­ ous towers, dungeons, permanent and ground art, digitized speech, music, and and castles that contain temporary attribute sound effects are first rate. Graphics are items needed to complete and level increases the most vivid and intense of any role­ the main quest. Xeen's . will prove to be more playing game, almost on the level of pop castle rests on the clouds. satisfying to many art. Production values were superb, with After getting there, you players. no discemable bugs to limit play. This is must obtain another item quite an accomplishment, considering before you can fight the final battle. No anagrams the extent of pest infestation in the latest When you slay Xeen, his evil master, Puzzles are mainly of the treasure hunt round of entertainment software. The who claims ownership of the Darkside, variety, with one artifact at the end of a intervenes. This sets the stage for the dungeon providing admission to the next Continued on page 14 quest in the Darkside of Xeen, the next dungeon. This made the game more installment in the series. The two games linear than I would have liked. There are Contents will interlock, forming a continual, numerous delightful and entertaining seamless world that gives you twice as side plots, many of which can be much territory to explore. completed after Xeen's defeat. There were no anagrams, word puzzles, spell Character creation puzzles, riddles, or other types of puzzles Tavern-based character creation has in the game - another difference changed little. After "rolling up" seven between this and previous M & Ms. attributes, you choose one of up to ten The automatic note-taker made professions for which the character is keeping track of hints and special events qualified. Skills - eighteen of them - convenient, and eliminated the necessity again play a role, and are purchased or of keeping extensive notes. The "quest earned as you progress. Your party may item listing" saved space in the inventory contain up to six members. But unlike M and provided a list of items that could be to list & M II, there are no Hirelings or other used fulfill quests. This keeps NPCs to join the group. accurate track of the quests you accumu­ A character may advance only as late, and allows the game player to have multiple quests going on simultaneously. by Al C. Giovetti The result is more freedom to pursue the Shay Addams' Dark 714 252-2822 and tune into their Savant most new bulletin board. It's 300-14.4K The Mail Maze popular baud, 8Nl, and supports v.32bis and Adventure RPG in the v.42bis. It's open 24 hours a day. ~ ~~n Road QB Guild U....__--=====~____.ltffl1~'!" =~ Each month we Rex Nebular Dear QuestBusters: give away games MicroProse's first venture into From the bottom of my heart I want to Keys to the animated adventures is tantamount to to say thanks for all the solutions and Kingdoms and other Larry Laffer in a Space Quest. Here's clues you have published over the contest winners. For a quote from Fred Philipps' review in years. They have saved me from the first time, everyone the next issue: " ... a puzzle-intensive, going out of my mind on more than requested the same game: Bob humourous, interactive brain-teasing one occasion. And your reviews are Schreur, Norman Hughes, Charles series of linear adventures." Don Hall and Greg Zeshuk all asked the most objective I have ever seen. for Sir-Tech's Crusaders of the Dark They have saved me a lot of money Savant. Thanks to everyone for all the Humongous Entertainment on games I would not have enjoyed, clues and to Sir-Tech for providing Ron Gilbert, designer of LucasArt's and pointed out many that I would ' the games for SCUMM system, otherwise have not purchased and, in everyone. has left the some""cases, even known about. company to found Larry Laffer Humongous Lure of the Entertainment Larry, you ignorant slut! This is Temptress with Shelley Day. supposed to be an obiective newslet­ I planned to review They're starting off ter - not one that publishes fake Lure in this issue, with a line called letters obviously written by the editor but was still stuck Junior Adventures in hopes of attracting new subscrib­ as the deadline - puzzle-solving approached. It's a Accolade's Waxworks ers. In the future, please send your games for children glowing testimonials to Nuclear fascinating animated adventure with ages three - seven. They're for IBM Waste News (available for $19 from an original interface, tricky puzzles and color Macs. and in-depth secondary characters Eldritch, LTD, PO Box 85143, whose actions unfold in what Virgin Tucson AZ 85754). calls "Virtual Theatre." Sound Source & Windows The advanced artificial intelli­ Disney's Sound Source unit now gence of the secondary characters supports Windows 3.1 and 3.0 with makes this an unusual adventuring Multimedia Extensions. Contrary to experience. Some puzzles take place recent rumors, Disney is not buying in real-time and with a time limit. Microsoft. While it's an animated quest, it's more than just a Sierra clone - Editor: Shay Addams . Crusaders cluebook Managing Editor: Dora McCormick certainly something to play after Crusaders of the Dark Savant proved Editorial Consultant: Edgar Schrock King's Quest VI. too difficult to solve in time for the News Editor: Murphy Brown next Quest for Clues, but help is on Contributing Editors: Al Giovetti, Sierra update the way in a clue book from Sir-Tech. Bernie Yee, Fred J. Philipp, Clancy Shaffer, Rich Heimlich, Ken St. Space Quest V now looks like a We hope to have them in stock in Andre, Brian Smith, Russ Ceccola, spring release. Sierra has decided not January for $19.95. Bruce E. Wiley, This Reviewer · to publish a johnny CAstaway clue­ book, so I am personally devoting the Quest for typos QuestBusters, the journal of the next few weeks writing a walk­ world's largest group of adventure Lately we've had more than our share through (the hardest part is getting gamers, is published monthly by of typos and other editorial fiascos. George Bush and Dan Quayle. him off the island; unless you do it So, after only eight years (November Annual dues: 3rd Class, $19; lst right, it the display reverts to was our eighth anniversary, by the Class, $25, Canada, $26, Int'l, $36. Windows when you touch the way) we have finally brought in an Contents Copyright Eldritch, LTD., keyboard or mouse!). editorial consultant, Edgar Schrock, 1992, All Rights Reserved. Copying without express permission is prohib­ to handle copy editing, proofreading ited & punishable by what's left of Interplay's bulletin board and general typo extermination. In the Republican Party. For hints, upgrades, technical support another eight years, we may even get and more on Interplay games, call an art director! D Member: South American Explorers Club Spellcasting 301: Spring Break nyone who has played one of the Spring Break is a great setting for are back from the past, but all the Cl previous Spe/lcasting games, or any a Spellcasting game. The many other spells are new. There are some of Steve Meretzky's other games, contests and quests come together transformation spells in 301, as well knows how challenging and humor­ well and combine to make this an as a spell mutation spell that effec­ ous they are, and that- with the adventure with more fun elements, tively doubles the number of spells. possible exception of Leather variety and laughs than either of Once again, it is important to take Goddesses 2 - Meretzky always Ernie's previous adventures. Fort the spells' descriptions literally. The delivers the goods. The Spellcasting . Naughtytail is an interesting town, uses of some in puzzle solutions are series perfectly blends puzzles, and you must take advantage of all real tricky. humor, plot and variety (in the form the places in and 301 is graphically of magic spells with unlimited use).