<!--
	Title: (REVIEWS) Enchanter
	Author: Marc Berman
	Source: COMPUTE!, v6(12)
	Date: December 1984
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

*Requirements: Apple Macintosh; Apple II-family computer with at
least 32K RAM and a disk drive; Commodore 64 with a disk drive;
or an Atari with at least 48K RAM and a disk drive. The version
reviewed was for the Macintosh; other versions are identical.*

<hr>

The adventure game wizards at Infocom have just unleashed a
new challenge — *Enchanter*, which the package blurb claims
"is in the *Zork* tradition." That's quite a tradition to live up to,
because as practically all adventure-game addicts know,
Infocom's best-selling *Zork* trilogy set new standards for
adventure game sophistication. Yet *Enchanter* upholds those high
standards. And it even includes some of the characters from
*Zork*.

*Enchanter* is strictly a text adventure — no pictures. Again,
this is an Infocom tradition. Infocom maintains that personal
computer graphics are not yet advanced enough to match the
picture in your mind's eye. If you enjoy reading novels as
much as watching TV, you'll probably agree.

*Enchanter* should be especially welcomed by Macintosh
users. Until now, they haven't had many games to choose
from, except for *Transylvania*, *Millionaire*, and the simple
puzzle game that comes with the Mac.

## A Well-Woven Tale

This is a remarkably well-planned game which encourages
you to make logical or instinctive decisions. There's nothing
strikingly original about it, but you'll appreciate its high level
of challenge and meticulously maintained continuity.

The premise is that Krill, an evil sorcerer, has control of the
land. The Circle of Enchanters sends you, a novice enchanter,
to stop him. You might ask, "Why don't they go themselves?"
Well, they claim Krill might recognize one of them — a
likely story. Anyhow, along the way, you must find scrolls
which reveal the magic you will need to seek out and vanquish
Krill. Some of the scrolls are hidden along the roads around
Krill's castle and some are in the rambling castle itself. Other
spells are revealed by friendly animals, and at least one spell
requires another spell to unlock it.

Keeping a map as you find your way through this complex
game is absolutely essential. The bigger the paper, the better.
Your starting point is at the western extreme, so you might
want to start your map at the left edge of the paper.

You begin at a fork in a road. Explore both forks before
you approach the castle. There are supplies you will need along
each trail. Be practical. One of the strengths of this game is its
tether to reality. The sun comes up and goes down at regular
intervals. You get hungry, thirsty, and sleepy in cycles. And
characters you meet respond in predictable ways. For example, an
adventurer you meet in Krill's castle is suspicious of you, even
if you offer him lunch. With so much evil lurking, it makes
sense to be suspicious.

Likewise, a dog may show interest in you only when you
have something it wants. On the other hand, you may learn
something valuable with an off-the-wall command. For instance,
by commanding, "Take all," you will find out what is portable
in a room. But be careful — don't do something you wouldn't
do in real life, such as extinguishing your lantern to learn
the spell you need to light it again.

## Mastering Magic Spells

Using the spells can be a chore. You must initially write the
spells in your spell book. Then, each time you need to use one,
you must memorize it. You may find that by the time you're
finished memorizing, the creature you wanted to cast the spell on
has wandered away.

But the spells are the key to *Enchanter*. At the outset you're
given four: Gnusto, Frontz, Blorb, and Nitfol. Gnusto writes
magic in your spell book. Frontz illuminates. Blorb protects your
belongings. And Nitfol lets you talk to the animals. These four
spells won't get you very far. Some of the first spells you'll
find when you explore are a spell to open locked objects, a
spell to repair damaged items, and a one-time-only spell that
dispels evil magic.

Among the things that go bump in the night are a turtle, a
dog, an adventurer, and some mean hairy guys who want to
plunge a knife into you. There are other friendly and
threatening creatures, but these are some that can move from room
to room. You can summon certain creatures, like Belboz, your
mentor, but he won't always be pleased to see you. Fortunately,
there aren't so many moving creatures that you can't always
find safe havens to sleep or otherwise regroup.

You can become stalemated, but entering "Wait" may
change the situation. You can also return to rooms you already
visited and find them altered. Or you can go to sleep — are
those dreams you're having, or are they clues? Even an
inexperienced player can discover or create new possibilities, though
they may lead to his demise.

## Exceptional Documentation

No expense was spared on the documentation, which is complete
and flashy. For instance, the map-making advice is prepared
by The Guild of Cartographers and the advice on
entering commands comes from The Guild of Scriveners. You'll
have to review the instructions carefully at least once before
you'll get the hang of playing. It takes a while to remember all
the idiosyncrasies of *Enchanter*, such as rules for talking to
animals. Animals answer only "Who" and "Where" questions.
For instance, you might say, "Frog, where is a scroll?" But
don't ask "Frog, where are scrolls?" because *Enchanter*
doesn't know the word are.

Most adventure gamers enjoy a good joke now and then,
or at least a worthy attempt. Some of the old Adventure
International games and other Infocom games are pretty witty.
*Enchanter* has intelligent gameplay, but some of the humor
lacks, well, subtlety. One character's name is Lord Dimwit
Flathead. If you enter too many off-the-wall commands, the
game will comment that you must be under a silliness spell.

The narrative won't win any literary awards, either. The
package copy was obviously very carefully written, but the
text in the program is sometimes vague. For instance: "A
more incongruous place than this would be difficult to believe";
or "a door surpassing anything you could have imagined."
I don't want to nitpick, but considering the overall
excellence of this game, the writing ought to be better.

At least you don't have to worry about the kids getting
funny ideas from *Enchanter*. There's very little violence in
this game, for all its drama. As an enchanter, you have no use
for knives or other weapons. Outwitting your opponents is
more effective than killing them.

## An Advanced Adventure

*Enchanter* is a huge program. The Macintosh version of the
game takes up 122K on the disk. By comparison, the
*MacWrite* word processor takes up only 55K. The system folder
on the Macintosh *Enchanter* disk accounts for another 139K,
leaving roughly 140K for storage. Saving a game in progress
requires 13K, so some quick division tells you there is disk space
for ten games.

Crashing the system is possible with the Macintosh, I
discovered, when I accidentally hit the option key. The message
SYSTEM ERROR appeared and the only recourse was to restart
the disk, losing the game. *Enchanter* is an excellent
game for adventure freaks. However, you wouldn't want to
use it to introduce your Aunt Fanny to computers — it's pretty
advanced, even for seasoned adventurers.

With its large vocabulary, you won't tire too quickly of
*Enchanter*. Even when you stop playing, you'll find yourself
thinking about possible solutions for hours afterward. The
challenge will preoccupy you for a long time.

*Enchanter<br>
Infocom, Inc.<br>
55 Wheeler Street<br>
Cambridge, MA 02138<br>
$49.95*
