<!--
	Title: (The Lab Report) Journey
	Source: Zzap!64, #41
	Date: September 1988
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

<p class="larger">Infocom, Amiga £29.99</p>

What's this? Arguably the world's greatest rock group on your Amiga?
No, in fact it's another prime American export -- an
Infocom adventure set in a mythical, Tolkienesque land,
populated by dwarves, elves and even stranger creatures than
those found in ZZAP! Towers.

As eve, this is a time of crisis; the land's once prosperous
people have suffered the ravages of disease and famine for five
long years. The cause of this misery is known as the Evil One,
or Dread Lord. And the only chance of vanquishing him is to
find the last of the great wizards, Astrix (sounds familiar). But he
lives in solitude in a tower on the summit of the distant Sunrise
mountain. So four brave villagers are set to take on this most
difficult of journeys through unknown lands: Praxix the
wizard, Bergon the carpenter, Esher the physician, and last but
not least apprentice food merchant and the narrator of this
table, Tag. Minar, the optional fifth member of the party may be
recruited at the local pub.

<figure class="float-right-half">
<figcaption><strong>Better buy some provisions for the journey.</strong></figcaption>
<img src="/public/img/articles/zzap64-journey-review/journey-screen-shot-1.jpg" alt="A screen shot from Journey">
<p></p>
<figcaption><strong>Dare you recruit the bearded stranger?</strong></figcaption>
<img src="/public/img/articles/zzap64-journey-review/journey-screen-shot-2.jpg" alt="Another Journey screen shot">
</figure>

In yet another adventure requiring no typed input,
commands are issued by using the mouse to point to them. Each
character has up to three options depending on the location. Some
of these are duplicated by other characters but the result of, say,
Esher (the physician) examining an injured person is more useful
than if Bergon carries out the examination. Therefore, each
character's particular skills are needed for different tasks. In
addition to the usual adventuring commands, characters will
occasionally be willing to tell a legend or story, giving a detailed
history of a currently relevant place or people. Praxix (the
wizard also has the unique ability to cast spells, using the
magical essences inside his leather pouch (more of these
essences can be found during the journey). Among the numerous
spells available are levitation, tremor and wind.

As well as individual actions the whole party may be directed
to follow the current route, turn left or right at a junction, or enter
buildings. If hostile creatures are encountered, a simple combat
routine comes into operation. Just before fighting takes place,
the option is given to send one or two characters down the flanks to
get behind the enemy. From then on, combat is automatic, the only
options being to continue fighting or retreat (if possible). Praxix can
also cast a spell at the enemy, although it takes him some time
to prepare. There are no hit points as such -- characters can
either be wounded or killed.

Screen layout is neat, consisting of three windows for
commands (along the bottom), detailed text (on the right), and
beautifully-drawn pictures (on the left), although there isn't
always a new picture for each location.

The story itself takes much inspiration from Tolkien's Lord
of the Rings -- here, instead of nine magic rings, there are seven
coloured stones to find in order to defeat The Evil One. But there
is a wealth of interesting background information built
into the game, especially in the legends and stories. In fact, the
sheer volume and quality of text soon has you totally absorbed in
a marvellous, magical tale.

The input system works so well that the only problems
encountered are intentional ones in this challenging quest. With
persistence (especially at finding the only route up Sunrise
Mountain from 64 possible ones), reaching Astrix doesn't
prove that difficult. However, finding the seven magical stones
is a considerably more difficult task, requiring many hours of
thoughtful play. The fact that progress becomes harder the
further you get makes it that much more compelling -- you're
hardly likely to give up after travelling such a long way. And if
you get completely stuck, the musings feature (where Tag
looks back at possible mistakes along the journey) is a useful last
resort.

The only real flax in the game is the lack of exploratory
freedom due to the somewhat fixed storyline from which you
can't stray too far. But if you're a fan of Infocom's 'interactive
fiction' style, this is a highly polished and engrossing example.

<table class="larger" style="font-weight: bold; border-top: 4px solid; border-bottom: 4px solid; font-family: var(--article-sidebar), Arial, sans-serif;"><tbody>
<tr><td>ATMOSPHERE</td><td>93%</td></tr>
<tr><td>PUZZLE FACTOR</td><td>87%</td></tr>
<tr><td>INTERACTION</td><td>84%</td></tr>
<tr><td>LASTABILITY</td><td>92%</td></tr>
<tr><td>OVERALL</td><td>90%</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
