Not sold in stores ncredible as it sounds, one of my "new fish," as newcomers to Gateway I've been playing a lot of flight simu­ favorite adventure game designers are called. lators recently, and found it encouraging I just adapted one of my favorite These and other elements of the that I was still able to solve the first few science fiction novels as his latest tour de adventure are faithful to the concept and missions without referring to the due force. After reading Gateway several setting of Pohl's nove~ but the game uses book that is included with the game. years back, I bought each sequel in this them as a jumping off point to tell an (One thoughtful feature of the book: in story of a galactic prospector sent out to original story with a different ending. some cases it not only provides the unknown destinations on ships whose Bates still captures the mood of the answer, but explains why the answer courses were plotted by the mysterious novels in every scene: . makes sense.) Heechee millennia ago. Now rm the sense of apprehen­ Bates' adventures, "living" the story and enjoying it as sion, for instance, as · stocked with challeng­ much as Pohl's novel - which won the you prepare to push ing puzzles, are Hugo and Nebula awards for science the "go" button on designed as a series of fiction writing. the Heechee ship's self-contained puzzle The action revolves around control panel, not areas. Each consists of Gateway, having the slightest a half-dozen or fewer Type: Graphic an ancient idea where you might locations, and most of adventure Heechee arrive moments later Headed for the unknown the things needed to Systems: MSDOS (640K base on the far side of the solve the central puzzle & hard disk required, circling sky. there are found nearby. This makes the · mouse optional; CGA; Earth in As in the Spellcasting games and most demanding puzzle more accessible EGA, 256-color VGA, the year Timequest, this is a smooth blend of all­ than if you had to race back and forth SVGA & MCGA, TGA 2012. text and graphic adventure. The full­ across the universe (which you still must (hi-res black & white); Dozens of sentence parser is the most refined in use do in some situations, of course). RealSound (PC speaker), Heechee today; lazy types can still click on word And while you'll spend a lot of time Sound Blaster, Ad Lib, craft lists to assemble commands. You may Roland) discover­ also switch to an all-text screen, or view Continued on page 14 Planned ports: none ed here the one with the small picture ·and a text are being window below it. Contents used by And with this game Legend daring explorers to visit new galaxies Entertainment has warped far beyond and planets in hopes of finding riches, the realm of "illustrated text.adven­ new civilizations and - most signifi­ tures" by incorporating full-screen cantly - more about the Heechee and SVGA graphics and animation through­ their fantastic scientific knowledge. out the quest. (The game looks almost as good in regular VGA, so don't feel left New fish in town - and out if you haven't got SVGA.) it•s not a Babel fish You are monetarily rewarded for each Clue book included! discovery. And after completing the The puzzle types will be familiar to requirements, you can advance to "green anyone who played Bob Bates' badge status" and obtain information on Timequest. Object manipulation, timing, previous missions that isn't available to clever but not-too-maddening mazes, and a sense of imagination play key roles in a solid mix of logical puzzles. Several by Shay Addams features alternative solutions. Shay Addams' As midsummer Reruns at CES arrived, so did The Mail Maze One reason I don't attend CES twice several long­ a year is to avoid seeing the sam'e Adventure await.ed quests. games over and over. These are the Sierra's Dagger ~ ~~n Road games Russ Ceccola saw at summer of AmonRa and u_-===~-~ ~ CES and the previous winter CES - LucasArts' Dear QuestBusters: and which have still not been Indiana Jones and What is happening with CD-ROM released. the Fate of Atlantis games? I still haven't got a CD drive were the most notable Accolade: Star Control II because I'm afraid it will be obsolete new releases. SSl's ASCII Entertainment: SpellCraft two weeks later. Prophecy of the Shadow also showed Capstone: The Dark Half R. Young up. Interplay's Lord of the Rings: Electronic Arts: The Lost Files of Th~ Two Towers is shipping and Sherlock CD-ROM games for MSDOS and should be on the Interplay: Buzz Mac are actually about to take off - shelves by now. Aldrin's Race into or at least get their chance to. These and more Egghead and Software Etc. are stock­ ~ Space new quests - in ing them in specific sections, while Konami: Plan 9 their released record and video retailers and even from Outer Space version, not the Kroger (yes, the supermarket chain) (Gremlin), betas - will be are planning to test market Cb games Champions (Hero) covered next and other entertainment software. · month. MicroProse: Softkat, a ma;or distributor, recently Look for Dagger of Amon Ra Darklands put out a CD-only catalog, and by Crusaders of the Dark Savant in Origin: Strike Commander Christmas there will be twice as many September. And Accolade is bringing Paragon: Mega1ravel/er3, Challenge CD games from which to choose. over another European horror adven- of the Five Realms When picking out a drive, be sure it's ture from Horrorsoft in the fall. The US Gold: Cruise for a Corpse got at least a 500 ms access time (380 working title is Waxworks. Virgin: Fables & Fiends: Legend of is even better) and a continuous Kyrandia, 7th Guest throughput rate of at least 150 KB TSN goes flat rat:e per second. The Sierra Network is now much Five more years! more affordable since they established While some folks are shouting "four flat rat.e charges across the country. more years," QB members have been You can play 30 hours a month for asking about special rates for five $12.95. For hard-core modem mani­ more years of the Journal. So we acs, additional time beyond the 30 finally instituted this option, which is hours is also available. not only cheaper but also ensures you Editor: Shay Addams won't be affected if rates rise due to Managing Editor: Dora McCormick Lost Treasures the inevitable hikes in postal rates. News Editor: Zippy the Pinhead EA lost their-distribution rights for Contributing Editors: Bernie Yee, Al USA, 3rd class: $75 Giovetti, Russ Ceccola, Rich New World Computing in the USA To USA, Adventure Express: $100 Heimlich, Fred G. Brooks, Ken St. (Broderbund is doing it now) but To Canada/Mexico: $115 Andre, Stephen King, Steven Payne, continues to market the games in Bruce E. Wiley, Duffy, This Europe. EA is also no longer distrib­ Overseas airmail: $160 Reviewer™ uting LucasArts products or Prima (This offer applies through 1992, Books. after which rat.es may go up.) QuestBusters, the journal of the world's largest group of adventure gamers, is published monthly by Orbs Book of Orbs in orbit Simulations! R Us. Annual dues: 3rd Class, $19; Everyone who advance ordered Quest If you are already receiving 1st Class, $25, Canada, $26, Int'l, for Clues: The Book of Orbs from QuestBusters, you can get our $36. Contents Copyright Eldritch, LTD., 1992. QuestBusters is a trade­ QB should have received it by now. If bimonthly newsletter on flight and mark of Eldritch, LTD. Copying SimCity-type simulators at a special you ordered one before AugU&t 1 and without permission is prohibited & haven't got it yet, please let us know low rate. To USA addresses, punishable by one-way teleportation right away. Simulations/ costs only $10. To to Sarjevo. Canada: $14. Overseas: $18. For a free sample, send $3. Member: South American Explorers Club Ultima VII: Ye Black Gate ontrary to comparisons with engines will be combined for a real glowing, ominous face - the C Spinal Tap's first album cover RPG knockout.) And following the Guardian - who tells you that he l!::::::=:::::!I on '"Smell The Glove," Origin trend set by companies like Sierra, soon will take his rightful place as the Systems' SoHo-hip black, tech-noire Ultima VII sports a whole new inter­ ruler of Britannia. This is accom­ cover shows that they take themselves face - completely point and click, plished through an impressive seriously ... perhaps a bit too seriously. with no icons on: the screen. multimedia introduction, complete Origin must have a deal going with Everything is controlled by clicking with digitized voice and stunning Austin Computers or something: once on characters, items and objects. graphics. Then you take that tradi­ again the "creators of worlds" have Is a "realistic., tional leap upped the hardware ante for playing fantasy universe - through the their games. To play Ultima VII you an oxymoron? . Moongate and will need - at the very least - a Origin doesn't think materialize in 386125, 21 megabytes of free hard so. All objects front of Iolo. drive space for the ·game, and another possess physical As in Ultima SOOK for each saved game. So plan to properties: you can VI, issues of good delete some games, files and utilities churn milk into and evil are omni­ off your hard drive. butter or watch present. The But don't worry about buying a castle servants do documentation better memory manager - Ultima the same as they go The ultimate Interface? introduces the VII actually provides its own, called about their lives.