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	Title: Plundered Hearts
	Author: William E. Carte
	Source: QuestBusters, v4(12)
	Date: December 1987
	Transcription by Steve Derby
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If that dungeon air is getting stale, climb aboard the *Helena Louise* and set sail for
the high seas of the 17th Century in Amy Brigg's all-text tale, which casts you as a
young lady whose father has been captured by an evil pirate in the Caribbean.
A good (?) pirate offers to help, and together you sail off to the rescue.

The game actually revolves around two settings. The first is on the "good"
pirate's ship. He leaves you locked in his quarters while he goes to a nearby island
to search for your father. You've got to get out of the cabin and eventually off the
*Helena*, avoiding being recognized by any of the other pirates in the process.

Once out of the cabin you'll be free to roam the ship, where a bounty of truly
clever puzzles await. How do you prevent the vessel from being destroyed in
the surf? What can you do with the empty casks that are tied together on the deck?
How—and here's the goodie—do you extinguish the lit fuse on that keg of
explosives you discover below decks? It's in a wire cage that can't be cut or
climbed. The cage is locked and there's no key, so don't bother looking. But
ignore this conundrum and you won't live long enough to find your father.

After solving the ship's puzzles and making off with the proper items, you'll
move to the second setting, a pirate mansion in the Caribbean. Before
plunging inside, explore the outdoors thoroughly. You may find more than one
entrance to the house, where a trove of good puzzles are in store.

My favorite was getting by the hungry crocodile in the basement. (Hint On the
second trip past him, you'll need help from someone mentioned earlier in the
story.) Then in the upstairs bedroom, which glass do you put the sleeping drops
in? The evil pirate always seems to avoid drinking from it. Maybe there's a way to
get rid of him and the butler at the same time? And then there's the chandelier
hanging high over the ballroom floor. On the balcony you'll find the rope that holds
the great light. Perhaps you can have a swinging good time here. As you can see,
*Hearts* is rich in puzzles.

One thing worth noting is that many solutions must be worked out at the
proper time or in the right setting. I tried two actions that promptly led to my death.
But performed at the right time, the same actions resulted in puzzles being solved.
Difficulty level is somewhere between introductory and intermediate—let's call
it novice level.

<img class="float-right" src="/public/img/articles/questbusters-plundered-hearts-review/plundered-hearts-box.jpg" alt="Plundered Hearts box">

Take note that this is the first Infocom game in which your character must be a
woman. You can be either sex in most, and *Leather Goddesses* lets you choose.
But written somewhat along the lines of a romantic novel, this one was designed
specifically for women, whom Infocom says make up 25% of their audience.

How will men like it? Being a traditionalist and quite conservative as well, I must
admit it bothered me a bit at first—my character being hugged and kissed by a
man. After the initial scenes, however, I quickly got lost in the plot, and soon my
character's sex honestly didn't matter. One female *QB* reader wrote me that she
enjoyed the game and gave it to a male friend who also liked it. He particularly
liked changing clothes repeatedly (no more hints).

The documentation is also good, as usual, with a letter from your father and a
bank note that deserves close attention. There comes a time when you'll need to
examine it, though this isn't obvious. You also get a coupon that enables you to
buy Michael Berlyn's *Cutthroats* for $14.95, a deal otherwise unavailable.<br>
**Conclusions:** A very good game filled with challenging puzzles that are certainly
not impossible. Experienced gamers who want many entertaining hours/weeks of
adventuring for their money may be a little disappointed, but I expect the
majority will thoroughly enjoy it. It is a good interactive read and highly recommended,
especially for new adventurers or those with limited time to play games.
Infocom's last experiment, *Nord and What's his Name*, was a bust, but this
one is going to be well received-and I hope to see more of the same in the future.

<hr style="border-top: 4px double;">

**System:** Apple, Atari 8-bit (64), ST, C 64, Amiga, Mac, IBM<br>
**Skill Level:** Novice<br>
**Price:** C, Atari 8, $34.95; others, $39.95<br>
**Company:** Infocom