<!--
	Title: (product reviews) Spellbreaker
	Author: Harvey Bernstein
	Source: Antic, v5(2)
	Date: June 1986
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

Infocom, Inc.<br>
125 Cambridge Park Drive<br>
Cambridge, MA 02140<br>
(617) 492-6000<br>
48K disk (also available for ST)<br>
$49.95

Calling all Infocom freaks ... Did you zip through Zork? Were you able
to hurry through the Hitchhikers' Guide? Was Planetfall a mere
problem-solving pitstop? Have I got a challenge for you! **Spellbreaker**,
the third game in the Enchanter/Sorcerer Trilogy, has been released.
And I found it to be the toughest, most frustrating Infocom game yet.
Three weeks of (practically) sleepless nights and I'm still little more than
one-third of the way through. The problem is, not only is the game damn
hard, it is also as well-written and as much fun as any previous Infocom
text adventure.

Starting where Sorcerer left off, you are once again a full-fledged member
of the Circle of Enchanters. But there is a crisis in the land! Everything is going
to pieces (literally and figuratively) and now magic itself is starting to fail.
During an emergency meeting of the Circle, you notice your comrades
starting to turn a little green about the gills. In fact, a couple even croak
(sorry). Anyway, only you are left to follow a mysterious stranger who
promptly vanishes, leaving a strange white cube behind. Learning what to
do with the cube is essential, as it is the key to the heart of Spellbreaker.
In fact, along the way you will find a number of like cubes, each of which
takes you to a "mini-adventure" that must be solved -- much the same as
the Infinite Improbability Drive in Hitchhiker.

In fact, untangling the gordian knot of cubes-within-cubes-within-cubes is
what makes Spellbreaker such a challenge. All the cubes contain *very* difficult
problems, most of which require objects found in other cubes!
The game was written by Dave Lebling, co-creator of the original Zork,
and in many ways is reminiscent of the original Infocom style. The problems
are of the old-fashioned locked-door variety, which are solved by object
manipulation or (as in the other games in this series) the use of magic.
Character interaction is minimal. I've lately come to think of Spellbreaker
as Zork IV. The only think I miss is Infocom's sometimes wry sense of humor.

The one aspect of the game I disliked had to do with the sub-plot of
failing magic. Often, when casting a spell, it doesn't work. That doesn't
mean that it was the wrong spell. Instead, you have to try again.
And again. Since failure seemed to be a random event, there were times that I
had to learn and cast the same spell as many as seven times in a row. That
can get a little tedious. Owners of early versions should be aware of a
bug in the program. At one point you will be in a room, the only exit being
a hole plugged with a piece of alabaster. Don't rezrov the hole (even
though you can). You still won't be able to use the exit. You must rezrov
the *plug* in order to leave. Supposedly, later versions have corrected this.

Spellbreaker is rated Expert, and that is one of the greatest understatements
of the year. It is an excellent game, with plot and developments
that rank with Infocom's best. It will no doubt be much too difficult for
most adventurers, and it may be worth your while to send for the hintbook
as soon as you buy this game.
