<!--
	Title: (Panak strikes!)
	Author: Steve Panak
	Source: Analog Computing, #59
	Date: April 1988
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

**<span class="larger">Stationfall</span><br>
by Steve Meretzky<br>
INFOCOM<br>
125 Cambridge Park Drive<br>
Cambridge, MA 02140<br>
48K Disk $34.95**

Infocom has a long history of innovation. Okay, so the company has only been
around for about eight years. But in those years, as the first (and foremost) producers
of interactive fiction, they have defined and refined this medium to perfection.
And they've done so without resorting to sequels. Oh, there were the Zork and Enchanter
trilogies, as well as the interactive version of Hitchhiker's Guide, but no
true sequels. Until now.

<figure class="float-left">
	<img src="/public/img/articles/analog-stationfall-review/stationfall-cover.jpg" alt="Stationfall cover">
	<figcaption style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;">Stationfall.</figcaption>
</figure>

**Stationfall** is the latest work by Steve Meretzky, whose twisted mind has given
us such visions as Leather Goddesses of Phobos and Planetfall. **Stationfall** continues
the adventure begun in the latter, promoting you to the rank of Lieutenant
First Class and thrusting you headlong into an exciting life of paperpushing. In
fact, your first mission requires you to travel to Space Station Gamma Delta
Gamma 777-G 59/59 Sector Alpha-Mu-79 to pick up a load of Request for Stellar Patrol
Issue Regulation Black Form Binders Request Form Forms. To lighten up this
mission, you find yourself reunited with your old friend Floyd, a robot whose antics
have made it one of Infocom's all-time favorite characters.

After solving (and surviving) the first in a series of entertaining and logical puzzles,
you leave in a spacecraft with your loyal pal. Upon arriving at your destination --
a space station with a seedy colony attached -- you find the entire place
deserted, except for a strange alien spacecraft and the mummified remains of one
of its crew members. Upon further exploration, you discover another robot named
Plato, and he and Floyd become what will probably be known as the greatest comedy
team ever in interactive fiction. After hours of careful exploration and clever
problem solving, you will (if you're lucky) discover the secret of the strange saucer.

The prose in this game is up to Infocom's high standards. Detailed descriptions
of the various locations bring the story to life, while the interaction of the
robots keeps the game lively. Floyd darts in and out of your screen, stealing scenes
left and right. Plato is the perfect foil for his mischievous antics. The irrepressible
Floyd is scrawling his name on a bulkhead one minute, staring out of the computer
screen the next, defying infringement of the copyright notice.

Plato offers up his own brand of wisdom, commenting that the stubbed-toe-induced
whimpering of Floyd is "...a reaction \[which\] will not reduce the level
of pain." After tickling Floyd, the mishap is forgotten. But it's unlikely these
characters will soon disappear from your memory -- or your computer's.

I found the space station and attached colony great fun to explore. The colony,
a strange amalgamation of "Gunsmoke" and Star Wars, contains a large variety of
small rooms, with many gadgets and devices. Some of the bad points are the
unavailability of the *X* abbreviation for examine (I've grown accustomed to that abbreviation)
and the repetitive nature of a lot of Floyd's activities. These are, of
course, due to the limited memory of the machine. While it may seem lame when
Floyd plays with his paddle ball for the umpteenth time, you can be sure that he
will ultimately entertain you -- and possibly save your life.

The packaging continues the use of Infocom's new book-box. Included within
the nested container are a technical manual (containing information on program
operation), three forms, a Stellar Patrol Patch and blueprints of the space station.
I found this latter packet to be most helpful, as I'm lazy and hate to draw maps.
Unfortunately for me, the prints didn't contain a layout of the parasitic colony attached
to the station. You'll have to carefully chart out its many dirty and winding
alleys and corridors if you want any chance of escaping from them. Finally, a
mail-in coupon allows you to experience Planetfall for a special price, if you've not
already had the pleasure.

Generally, I don't like sequels. This is because, by their very nature, they cash
in on (and ultimately degrade) the good name of their predecessors -- usually
without delivering anything new. But **Stationfall** delivers a lot of "new," in the form
of a great plot, setting and chaxacters. The main similarity between the two games
is Floyd, your robot helper, and he ends up providing more than his share of entertainment.
Fall into **Stationfall** and you'll have trouble climbing back out.

