<!--
	Title: (SOFTWARE REVIEWS) Lane Mastodon vs. The Blubbermen
	Author: Adam Sherwin
	Source: Family Computing, v6(7)
	Date: July 1988
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

<img class="float-right" src="/public/img/articles/family-computing-lane-mastodon-review/lane-mastodon-screen-shot.jpg" alt="Lane Mastodon Infocomic screen shot">

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: 128K Apple, C 64/128, 256K IBM PC<br>
PUBLISHER: Infocom, (617) 492-6000<br>
PRICE: $12<br>
OVERALL RATING: Very Good

*ZZZap!* A flash of light enters Earth's atmosphere, and instantly,
thousands of household pets become gigantic chaos-causing monsters. So
begins *Lane Mastodon vs. The Blubbermen*, the first of Infocom's
new form of computer entertainment called "Infocomics," which are really
computerized comic books.

With Infocomics, the story — through animation and text —
unfolds before your eyes. Unlike other types of computer entertainment,
you don't control a character with a joystick or mouse: you watch and
you read. But unlike ordinary print comics, these programs let you follow
the story through different characters' perspectives. At certain
points during the story, you can choose to either stay with your current
character or follow another character's story line.

*Lane Mastodon* pits the blue-eyed, blond-haired superhero Lane Mastodon
against the Blubbermen of Jupiter, a race whose only activity
(besides eating!) is trying to eradicate all human life on Earth. Lane
Mastodon is a good, enjoyable form of entertainment, particularly for
preteens who read sci-fi comic books. Although this might surprise
you, I think that the one drawback about Infocomics is the price. While
$12 is a great price for a computer game, it's pretty expensive for a
comic book.
