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ISSUE #3 - October 26, 1994

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      The  \__/ociety for the |_|reservation of ||  ||dventure \___/ames
    				ISSUE # 3
            Edited by G. Kevin Wilson (whizzard SP@G uclink.berkeley.edu)
    			      Oct 26, 1994

    All email addresses are spamblocked -- replace the name of our magazine
    with the traditional 'at' sign.

    EDITORIAL--------------------------------------------------------------------

    	Here's SPAG3, late but present nonetheless.  This issue includes a
    couple of articles from devoted readers that I think you'll enjoy.  One's a
    very informative piece on Level 9, and the other is a nostalgia-ware bit that
    brings to mind Norman Rockwell prints and hot cocoa. :)
    	Since last issue, a couple of exciting events have occurred in the
    world of text adventures.  First and foremost, in my mind, is the release of
    TADS 2.2.  This version adds many of the features IF writers have been
    screaming for.  We've all settled down into a contented purr now, thanks very
    much, Mike.
    	Also, a new IF magazine, called XYZZYnews, after one of the magic
    words from Advent aka Adventure aka Collosal Cave, has been announced.
    The editor can be reached at XYZZYnews SP@G aol.com for more info.  Good luck,
    Eileen!

    	And lastly, on to my topic of the day, the future of SPAG.  So far,
    we've gotten along fairly okay just as we have been.  I badger you for
    reviews, you send them in.  No biggie.  Still, things have got to change.  I
    had to scramble for stuff to print this issue, and even then this issue is
    several weeks late.  So, here's the deal:

      1. First off, SPAG is no longer accepting reviews of Infocom games that
         have already been reviewed.  I would prefer to read about the huge
         number of other games available.  Other repeat reviews may be accepted
         if and only if they add something new to the previous review, and in
         general, voice a different opinion about the game.

      2. If you send me anything using the older forms of reviews and scores, it
         will have to be returned to you for reformatting.  I don't have time.

      3. I desperately need more scores for the scores section of the magazine.
         Take 30 minutes, and go down the list, and send me a score for each of
         the games on it you've played, and send me in scores for some other
         games.  Why are there over 150 subscribers, and yet an average of 1
         score per game?  Is it REALLY all that hard to take 30 minutes out of
         your life in exchange for all the work I do on SPAG?  SPAG has to be
         worth my while too, you know.  I see a very disturbing tendency here,
         just as on rec.arts.int-fiction, to lurk.  But those of you who lurk are
         robbing the rest of us of your experiences and opinions.  It's like
         shouting into some vast, empty space.  We have no idea how many people
         read r.a.i-f.  Myself, I'm convinced that there are only 6 people in the
         world that read it.  Talk about your dead arts.  Participation is my
         main concern here folks.  I don't want to set up some bizarre
         distribution method that only goes to contributors, or some other
         cockeyed scheme like that.  I hate to sound like PBS, but there it is.
         YOU are SPAG.  If there is no YOU, there is no SPAG.  Molley the Mage
         and a few other very generous folks have been carrying this magazine.
         I refuse to believe that anyone is too busy to ever play text adventures
         or do a review on them.  You have time to read SPAG, don't you?  You
         have time for e-mail, newsgroups, sleep, and a great deal of other
         things.  I'm juggling a full college load, a part-time job, SPAG,
         Avalon, several other writings that I'm working on, Magic:The Gathering,
         video games, sleep, and a variety of other interests.  If YOU can't take
         time out of your busy schedule for SPAG, then I SURE AS HELL can't.
         Darn tootin' I'm upset.  The magazine is going under, and we haven't
         even hit issue #5 yet.  To those of you who have been contributing, my
         undying thanks.  To those who don't have time, are you sure you don't?

      4. Finally, there has been some interest in making available a compressed
         format of SPAG for those who pay for email.  I'll okay this on the
         condition that someone else deals with it.  Send me email if you are
         interested in either managing this list or receiving SPAG from it.  I
         will give a list of those who want it to the person who wants to run it.
         Then I'll remove those who want it compressed from the normal list and
         leave the other person to run it.  It'll have to be this way, or a
         similar no-hassle form, or I won't do it.  Currently SPAG is relatively
         small, and goes out to a large number of people who may or may not
         understand and have access to uudecode, etc.  Accessibility of the
         many is more important to me.  Still, if someone will do it, I have no
         problem with an alternate distribution method.

    				G. Kevin Wilson
    				"Whizzard"

    LETTERS TO THE EDITOR--------------------------------------------------------

    	[Technically, this is an article.  But what the hey, it goes where I
    say it goes. :) ]

                      THAT OTHER GREAT ADVENTURE COMPANY
                               by Brendon Wyber
                         b.wyber SP@G csc.canterbury.ac.nz
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    	I have fond memories of the company that introduced me to the art of
    text adventures. Hundreds of hours perched in front of my keyboard
    exploring vast underground labyrinths, searching lost planets,
    delving through the deserts, and learning new spells.
    	Many of you are probably thinking about Infocom. I'm not. To me the
    company that started it all was a humble little English company
    called Level 9.
    	Level 9 started in 1982 when three brothers got together and
    converted the original adventure game into a format that could be
    used in the little 8 bit computers that dominated the English home
    market. Those brothers where Nick, Mike, and Pete Austin. Over the
    next decade they produced over a dozen adventure games until they
    folded in 1991. They, where a victim of the fall of Robert Maxwell
    (an English businessman who was a giant in the publishing industry,
    who died under mysterious circumstances, and who had dubious
    business practices resulting in a lot of bankruptcies).
    	In many ways Level 9 were the English version of Infocom. While
    Infocom ruled over the American 16 bit market, Level 9 dominated the
    English 8 bit market. The English 8 bit computers (the 32K BBC
    family, and the Sinclair Spectrum 48K) where too small to run the
    Infocom games, but they where just the right size for sophisticated
    verb/noun style games that made the Scott Adams style games seem
    trashy.
    	By using a sophisticated adventure engine, Level 9 managed to
    compressed the text and the process tables of games in the style of
    the original adventure to just 32K. A typical level 9 adventure game
    consisted of 210 locations, and about 70 objects that where
    manipulable, and oodles of text. The engine seemed to come in five
    major versions. The description of each is given (note that this is
    for the spectrum versions).

    The first version (Basic Text): Black text displayed rather slowly
    on a white screen. Had a basic verb/noun parser.

    The nicer version (Advanced Text): A much quicker displaying yellow
    text on a black background.

    The first graphics version (Basic Graphics): This had a simple
    picture for every location. They picture was formed by lines,
    circles, squares, and fills.

    The much nicer graphics version (Advanced Graphics): This is them at
    their prime. Lots of text, a line picture for each location, and an
    improved parser that, while it was still basically a verb noun
    parser, allowed inputs like TAKE ALL EXCEPT THE BOOTS AND GO SOUTH
    THEN DROP THE ROD AND STAFF. For the spectrum, each game came in
    three versions; a 48K all text version, a 48K graphics version with
    reduced text descriptions, and the bigger 128K version for the
    advanced spectrums that had the verbose text, graphics and extra
    features like multiple UNDO and RAM SAVE/RESTORE.

    The yucky interactive character engine (16 bit Engine): The last
    engine used by level 9 was very powerful, but it had square grid
    like maps which detracted from the game play (IMHO). In this one,
    which was aimed at the immerging 16 bit market at this time, had
    digitised graphics loaded from disk, and more improved parser
    allowing adjectives and prepositional clauses. The big feature was
    that it had characters who you could order about, and who acted
    independently, in a way much better than Infocom's Suspended. Also
    it had features like GO TO and FIND so that you could just say GO TO
    THE FIREHOUSE and you would traverse through the locations to the
    area. Unfortunately due to the way they did this the maps tended to
    be giant square grids (which I really hated).

    	Another thing about the 16 bit games was that level 9 called them
    trilogies and broke them up into three bit. Although there were
    probably valid programming reasons to do this, what you ended up
    with was three little square games instead of one large irregular
    one.
    	For those of you who have a MS-Dos computer you can actually get
    these little Gems via ftp. The ftp site is ftp.ijs.si and in there
    are the games and an IBM spectrum emulator. Below is a description
    of each of the games.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    COLOSSAL ADVENTURE

    This is the game that started it all. In fact it is just a version
    of Crowther and Woods adventure with a slightly different starting
    location and an expanded end game.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    ADVENTURE QUEST

    This is the first level 9 game I ever played. It is slightly linear
    but it is very large. It just went on and on for me. Basically it is
    the standard defeat the evil demon lord with the magic item type
    plot. It is set in the area of colossal adventure hundreds of years
    later.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    DUNGEON ADVENTURE

    This is set immediately after adventure quest. The demon lord it
    dead. You play a mercenary who then loots its tower. In this game
    they really did pack in the puzzles, making it a very complex game
    to complete.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    MIDDLE EARTH TRILOGY / COLOSSAL TRILOGY

    Colossal Adventure, Adventure Quest, and Dungeon Adventure were
    written as a trilogy and were initially called the Middle Earth
    trilogy. Later on the trilogy was renamed the Colossal Trilogy,
    probably for legal reasons.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    THE JEWELS OF DARKNESS

    Colossal Adventure, Adventure Quest, and Dungeon Adventure were
    rewritten later on and given graphics and a nicer parser and some
    minor text changes were done and text was added.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    SNOWBALL

    A very atmospheric game set aboard a gigantic star ship. Terrorists
    have taken over the star ship and set the control to crash it into a
    star. You have been awoken by the ships computer to stop them. (The
    rest of the crew and colonists are is suspended animation). This
    game was hampered by the fact it starts off in a giant maze.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    RETURN TO EDEN

    The follow on to Snowball our unisex hero, called Kim Kimberly (Kim
    being used as both a boys and girls name in England), finds
    his/herself stranded the planet Eden. You must basic battle through
    the very dangerous wildlife to find the Robot-built city which was
    prepared for the snowball colony.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    A WORM IN PARADISE

    Set hundred of years after the first two games you play a citizen in
    a Orwellian computer controlled city. Very unusual game where you
    deal with political corruption and defying the system more that
    killing trolls and the like.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    THE SILICON DREAM TRILOGY

    Level 9 later packaged Snowball, Return To Eden, and A Worm in
    Paradise into a single trilogy.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    EMERALD ISLE

    The first graphic adventure this one suffered in that lack of
    atmospheric text. Basically you play a pilot stranded on a
    mysterious isle after falling through the Bermuda triangle.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    LORDS OF TIME

    Wow, another biggie spanning from prehistoric times to the far
    future, you play a ordinary person sent on a great quest the 9
    different time zones to retrieve artefacts to stop the evil Time
    Lords from corrupt the space/time continuum.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    RED MOON

    Sort of Level 9's version of Enchanter. You are sent to recover the
    moon rock crystal. In this game you cast spells, but before you can
    cast the spells you must gain a focus for each spell.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    THE PRICE OF MAGIC

    The last of the great level 9 games. A Gothic horror in which you
    are transported into a old mansion to defeat a corrupted sorcerer
    called Myglar from draining all the magic from the Red moon crystal.
    This game was the sequel to Red Moon. This game had shades of
    computer role playing in it as some of the monsters had hit points.
    In this one you learn more spells as you go but you must keep a
    careful balance as casting magic aged you and dropped your sanity.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    TIME INTO MAGIC

    Lords of Time, Red Moon, and The Price of Magic were combined into a
    single trilogy and sold as a trilogy.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    ERIC THE VIKING & THE SECRET DIARY OF ANDRIAN MOLE

    Level 9 in association did two games in conjunction with another
    company. From my understanding they were a type of pick you own path
    type games using the Level 9 compression and screen display code.
    The less said about these the better.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    KNIGHT ORC

    The first and hardest of the new 16 bit games. Actually a sequel to
    both the Silicon Dream Trilogy (the sci-fi) and The Jewels of
    Darkness (the original fantasy) due to a clever plot. According to
    Pete Austin, their new distributed at this time (called Rainbow
    Arts) wanted certain changes to the program before it was released
    which lessened the game to Level 9's view. As a result they changed
    their distributor to Manderin and the following games were better as
    a result.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    GNOME RANGER

    The second of the powerful 16 games was very successful. Based on
    the adventures of a little female gnome busybody, called Ingrid,
    which interferes so much in everybody else's life that the trick her
    into leaving via a magical teleport scroll. You job is to guide
    Ingrid back. Quite humorous in places.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    LANCELOT

    Pete Austin has always been fascinated in the Arthurian Legend and as
    a result this game came about. This story is closely based on the
    myths as presented in "The Once and Future King".

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    GNOME RANGER II: INGRID'S BACK

    The popular gnome Ingrid returns in another game where she must save
    the local village hall from being bulldozed over for some sort of
    shopping mall. Kind of like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy meets
    The Hobbit. Actually a third Gnome Ranger game was prepared on paper
    but sadly they died before it was written.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    SCAPE GHOST

    The final game of level, you play the ghost of a police officer
    killed in the line of duty. You must revenge yourself on you killers
    as well as rescue another police officer who was captured. I cannot
    comment much on this game because I really haven't played it.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    	As I said before you can download these games and play them yourself.
    Here is the ftp information on where they are. Fortunately all of the
    good early ones are ftp-able.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    MIDDLE EARTH TRILOGY / COLOSSAL TRILOGY / JEWELS OF DARKNESS

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/c/colladv128k.zip
    Colossal Adventure, from The Jewels of Darkness.
    Spectrum 128K Advanced Graphics Version with Pictures and Full Text.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/c/colladv48k.zip
    Colossal Adventure, from The Jewels of Darkness.
    Spectrum 48K Advanced Graphics Version with No Pictures and Full Text.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/a/adquest128k.zip
    Adventure Quest, from The Jewels of Darkness.
    Spectrum 128K Advanced Graphics Version with Pictures and Full Text.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/a/adquest48k.zip
    Adventure Quest, from The Jewels of Darkness.
    Spectrum 48K Advanced Graphics Version with No Pictures and Full Text.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/a/dunadv128k.zip
    Dungeon Adventure, from The Jewels of Darkness.
    Spectrum 128K Advanced Graphics Version with Pictures and Full Text.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/a/dunadv48k.zip
    Dungeon Adventure, from The Jewels of Darkness.
    Spectrum 48K Advanced Graphics Version with No Pictures and Full Text.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    SILICON DREAMS TRILOGY

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/s/snowball128k.zip
    Snowball, from The Silicon Dreams Trilogy
    Spectrum 128K Advanced Graphics Version with Pictures and Full Text.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/s/snowball48k.zip
    Snowball, from The Silicon Dreams Trilogy
    Spectrum 48K Advanced Graphics Version with No Pictures and Full Text.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/s/snowball.zip
    Snowball, the original stand alone version.
    Spectrum 32K Basic Text Version.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/r/reteden128k.zip
    Return to Eden, from The Silicon Dreams Trilogy
    Spectrum 128K Advanced Graphics Version with Pictures and Full Text.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/r/reteden48k.zip
    Return to Eden, from The Silicon Dreams Trilogy
    Spectrum 48K Advanced Graphics Version with No Pictures and Full Text.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    TIME INTO MAGIC TRILOGY

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/l/lordsti128k.zip
    Lords of Time, from the Time into Magic Trilogy.
    Spectrum 128K Advanced Graphics Version with No Pictures and Full Text.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/l/lordsti48k.zip
    Lords of Time, from the Time into Magic Trilogy.
    Spectrum 48K Advanced Graphics Version with No Pictures and Reduced Text.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/l/lordtime.zip
    Lords of Time, the original stand alone version.
    Spectrum 32K Basic Text Version.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/r/redmoon128k.zip
    Red Moon, from the Time into Magic Trilogy.
    Spectrum 128K Advanced Graphics Version with No Pictures and Full Text.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/r/redmoon48k.zip
    Red Moon, from the Time into Magic Trilogy.
    Spectrum 48K Advanced Graphics Version with No Pictures and Reduced Text.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/r/redmoon.zip
    Red Moon, the original stand alone version.
    Spectrum 48K Basic Graphics Version.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/p/prmagik128k.zip
    The Price of Magic, from the Time into Magic Trilogy.
    Spectrum 128K Advanced Graphics Version with No Pictures and Full Text.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/m/magick.zip
    The Price of Magic, the original stand alone version.
    Spectrum 48K Advanced Graphics Version with Pictures and Reduced Text.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    OTHERS

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/e/esmerald.zip
    Emerald Isle, (note press Shift to scroll text).
    Spectrum 48K Basic Graphics Version.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/a/a_mole1.zip
    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/a/a_mole2.zip
    The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, In two parts.
    Uses (and abuses) the Basic Graphics Engine.

    ftp.ijs.si   /pub/zx/snapshots/z/z80-201.zip
    An emulator for the MS-Dos computers.

    If you are keen for a sample of their work I would recommend that
    you play the 128K version from the Jewels of Darkness. I thoroughly
    enjoyed this trilogy!

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    	[Heheh, we seem to have a lot of article-like letters this issue.  Oh
    well.]

    -------------------- cut with elven sword here -------------------------

    The Joy of IF, or Why I Love Text Adventures
                       by S.P. Harvey (sharvey SP@G interaccess.com)

    Come with me now, gentle SPAG reader, to a time that has vanished into memory.

    The time: the early and mid-1980's, the place: in front of an archaic
    8-bit personal computer.  Ronald Reagan was President, junk bonds were
    everywhere, and Infocom reigned the computer gaming world.

    There are probably few, if any, readers of this magazine who cannot recall
    the first work of Interactive Fiction that captured their imaginations and
    drained untold hours of their free time.  For me, it was Zork II.  Don't
    ask why it wasn't Zork I, I don' t remember.  Eighth grade.  Nathan Hale
    Elementary School, Chicago.  Mrs. Sheehy's class.  I don't know how many
    history and algebra lessons I spent redrawing my careful map of the Great
    Underground Empire.  All I knew was that it was worth every minute.

    There's still a certain nostalgic wave that crashes over me each time I
    start a new IF game.  Something about that blue screen with the white
    status line, and the ubiquitous ">" prompt that has earned an indelible
    place in computer folklore and history.  Unfortunately, some of the
    "features" of early IF have passed into memory, along with the 6502
    microprocessor.  Who out there cannot recall the sweaty-palms impatience
    of waiting for a reply while your 5 1/4" floppy drive whirred and ground
    for the answer?  Or, having reached a new point in the game, only to
    realize you don't have a formatted diskette to save your progress?  I know
    I can never forget the joyous frustration of continually seeing the
    messages "Insert STORY disk into drive 1", followed by "Insert SAVE disk
    into drive 1".  Advances in hard drive technology have eliminated most of
    these unfortunate side effects, but I, for one, miss the solid "clack" of
    my Atari 810 diskette drive.

    Playing an IF game is a uniquely solitary enterprise, but it's never a
    lonely one.  In good interactive fiction, the personality of the
    Implementors is infused into every description, every object, every
    off-handed response.  You can hear them cheering you on towards the
    finish, feel their fingers gently poking you in the ribs, even picture
    them lovingly building their houses of cards in the hope you'll knock them
    down.

    The geniuses who ran Infocom have become our Founding Fathers, our King
    Arthurs, indeed, even our Olympians.  Every work of interactive fiction
    that has been written since Zork I burst onto the scene owes a debt of
    gratitude to Dave Lebling, Marc Blank, Steve Meretzky, and the rest.  If
    it weren't for these giants, the rest of us would still be playing the
    latest Space Invaders variant.  And some of us would have gotten better
    grades in algebra and history.

    	[Very moving.  *sniff*  Still, I probably miss the software a lot
    more than the hardware.  I rather imagine that skeletons were found in
    front of Commodore 64's, still waiting for Ultima 4 to boot....]

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    KEY TO SCORES AND REVIEWS----------------------------------------------------

    Consider the following review header:

     NAME: Cutthroats                                PARSER: Infocom Standard
     AUTHOR: Infocom                                 PLOT: Two Seperate Paths
     EMAIL: ???                                      ATMOSPHERE: Well Done
     AVAILABILITY: LTOI 2                            WRITING: Good
     PUZZLES: Good                                   SUPPORTS: Infocom Ports
     CHARACTERS: Not Bad                             DIFFICULTY: Medium

    	First, you'll notice that the score has been removed, and replaced
    by one or two word ratings.  These are pretty arbitrary, and should allow
    more freedom to the reviewers.  The EMAIL section is for the e-mail address
    of the game author, not the reviewer.  AVAILABILITY will usually have either
    Commercial ($price), Shareware ($price), or Freeware.  If the commercial
    price varies in stores, then it will just say Commercial.  If it has been
    released in the LTOI collection, this line should say so.  Lastly, if it is
    available on ftp.gmd.de, the line should add GMD.  (Demo) if it's a demo
    version.  The body of the review hasn't changed.

    When submitting reviews:  Try to fill in as much of this info as you can.
    Also, scores are still desired along with the reviews, so send those along.
    The scores will be used in the ratings section.  Authors may not rate or
    review their own games.

    SPAG accepts reviews of any length, letters to the editor, the occasional
    interesting article on text adventures (no reprints please), and even just
    ratings for your favorite game, if you don't have the time to do a full
    review.  Please though, at least send me info for each game you have rated
    equivalent to the review header for Cutthroats, above.  All accepted
    materials will be headed by the submitter's name and e-mail address, unless
    you request that they be withheld, in which case the header will read as
    "Anonymous."

    NEW GAMES--------------------------------------------------------------------

    	Well, Adventions is still teasing us with _The Legend Lives_, but by
    all accounts, that should be released sometime Really Soon (tm).
    	_Avalon_, my own project, just keeps taking longer and longer.  Maybe
    I can finish by April.  Maybe.  *sigh*  Gee, that's what, only about a year
    late?  Let's see if I can break the record for most overdue game.

    	*grumble grumble*  Blasted college....

    REVIEWS----------------------------------------------------------------------

    From: "Konstantin Yu. Boyandin"

    Name: Crypt v2.0                             Gameplay: 0.5
    Author: Steve Herring                        Plot: Linear
    Email: N/A                                   Atmosphere: 1
    Availability: GMD S12                        Writing: Good
    Puzzles: Average                             Supports: MSDOS
    Characters: Primitive                        Difficulty: Medium

        Crypt is a small gothic horror story about an adventurer
    discovering the mysteries of the old church and its old history. I can
    only add that I liked the story, but found it a bit straightforward and
    predictable. The main flaw of the game is a poor vocabulary and
    the existence of traps one cannot get out of (for example, if you fall
    into a grave without a ladder). Characters are 'part of the interior' and
    behave like special places rather than intelligent beings.  Nonetheless, the
    story is impressive and the whole game is worth registering.
        Alas, I have been unable to finish the game yet. Hope to do that after
    registering.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    From: "Lars Jodal"

    NAME: Deep Space Drifter             PARSER: TADS standard
    AUTHOR: Michael J. Roberts           PLOT: Mostly linear, rather slow
    EMAIL: mroberts SP@G hinrg.starconn.com   ATMOSPHERE: First good, then shaky
    AVAILABILITY: GMD, shareware ($15)   WRITING: Fair
    PUZZLES: Some good, some tedious     SUPPORTS: TADS ports
    CHARACTERS: Only in the text         DIFFICULTY: Easy (to medium)

         You are a space explorer who are almost out of fuel. With the last
    reserves you manage to reach a space station. However, the station seems
    to be under attack and nobody is around. What is going on only gradually
    becomes clear. To get really rescued you must go down to the planet
    below and find an escape vessel.
         The part of the game on the space station is good, with quite a bit
    of atmospheric details and generally good puzzles. But down at the
    planet things are less convincing. Everything is deserted, but no real
    reason for this is given. Several of the puzzles here are also very
    time-consuming and tedious. Among these puzzles are the game's two
    infamous mazes. The mazes are novel (no "twisty passages, all alike"),
    but too large and take a _long_ time to solve.
         The story contains two characters apart from the player, but they
    are not actually part of the _game_. This is to mean that they are
    mentioned in the text, but the player never gets a chance to interact
    with them. Thus the characters are not really NPCs but part of the
    story.
         The game is shareware. Upon registration one gets a very good hint
    book with many hints for each puzzle. The hint book is arranged so that
    you won't read hints by mistake.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    From: "Molley the Mage"

    NAME: The Dungeon of Dunjin            PARSER: Infocom-Like
    AUTHOR: Magnus Olsson                   PLOT: Non-Linear (Treasures)
    EMAIL: ???                              ATMOSPHERE: Fantasy
    AVAILABILITY: GMD                       WRITING: Quite Good
    PUZZLES: Mostly Good                    SUPPORTS: IBM, MAC
    CHARACTERS: Few, Simple                 DIFFICULTY: Above-Average

    	The Dungeon of Dunjin is a shareware game which has been available
    for several years.  It was written by a Swedish national, Magnus Olsson,
    but the game is in English (although you'd never know it wasn't written
    by an American, to tell you the truth).  The original game was written
    using Turbo Pascal; it has also been ported to the Macintosh, where it
    sports a rather spiffy user interface.  The parser is about as good as the
    older Infocom games, not allowing for any complicated structures but
    sufficient to get the job done with a minimum of "guess the word" problems.
    	The "hook" of the game is simple enough.  You're a tourist of sorts,
    here to visit the famous Dungeon of Dunjin, a series of caverns and
    adventurous areas known far and wide.  Unfortunately for you, the Dungeon
    is closed for renovation (and due to a few nagging problems with visitor
    safety).  Of course, like any good adventurer, you won't let this daunt you

    -- especially with all the treasures to be had once you get inside.

    	Collection of these treasures is the primary way you will score
    "points" in the game; however, I would venture to say that the plot of the
    game is only incidentally related to the collection of these items.  In fact,
    you will do much more than run around gathering up trinkets; if you are brave
    and careful, you'll save a princess from an evil wizard's spell and slay a
    terrible dragon, among other things.  In truth, the final scene of the game,
    where you present your treasures for counting (in a very Adventure-like
    fashion), is really an anticlimax; but don't worry, because the other plot
    points have enough text to satisfy and the writing is very solid throughout.
    	The first few puzzles are very easy, a deliberate decision on the
    author's part so that players can experience quick success which hopefully
    will give them enough of a sense of accomplishment not to quit in
    frustration when they hit the harder puzzles later on, and I think it is a
    very good idea, one which other games should emulate.  The game boasts an
    impressive on-line hint facility, which is context-sensitive; it tries to
    give you the hint you need, based on your current situation, and is largely
    successful.  The hints are only provided up to a certain point in the story,
    however, after which you're on your own.  One problem with the game is that
    it features not one, but several mazes (although only one of them is
    strictly required to finish the game).  Luckily, they are small mazes, and
    easily mapped; but many players will still cringe in horror at the
    repetition.  At the time of this writing, the author is working on a new
    version which will feature a way to bypass the mazes without tedium or
    severe penalty, as well as increasing the strength of the parser to include
    more conversation with NPC's.
    	The game as a whole is very enjoyable.  You'll quickly discover that
    the "Dungeon" is not merely a series of dank chambers beneath the surface,
    but rather a very large and vast world containing everything from dragons to
    dwarves and even computer hackers (I hope you can handle it).  One very
    interesting idea in the game is that magic works within the "fantastic"
    regions, inside the dungeon, but not in the "mundane" regions, and objects
    behave accordingly depending on where you are.  The writing is good, and
    there is a fair amount of humor in the game -- some of it, especially the
    part involving ABBA, is not to be missed.  Upon finishing the game, I was
    very satisfied, because it is challenging.
    	Although I say the plot is "non-linear" because you are able to solve
    many of the puzzles in no particular order, the truth is that once you
    discover the true plot of the game, certain actions will be imposed on you
    and it is possible to get into a bind where you are trapped with no recourse
    but to restore a saved game.  This is unlikely, however, and should not
    happen unless you are playing through the game a second time and really get
    ahead of yourself.
    	A possible point of contention for some people might be the
    registration fee -- $20, which is generally considered "a lot" for a
    shareware text adventure game.  I would say that it's worth the money, as
    long as you don't run screaming in terror from mazes.  Give it a look and see
    for yourself; I think you'll find The Dungeon of Dunjin an enjoyable
    experience.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    From: "Molley the Mage"

    NAME: The Great Archeological Race      PARSER: TADS (Good)
    AUTHOR: John LaBonney                   PLOT: Linear, "Sectional"
    EMAIL: ???                              ATMOSPHERE: Indiana Jones-ish
    AVAILABILITY: GMD                       WRITING: Not Bad
    PUZZLES: Wide Variety                   SUPPORTS: TADS ports
    CHARACTERS: Interesting, 1-D            DIFFICULTY: Below Average

    	Well, I must confess that while I had heard of this game from a few
    other people, I resisted playing it primarily because the word "archaeology"
    is so prominently misspelled.  A trivial and petty reason not to play a text
    adventure, I know, but typos ruin games for me faster than anything else.
    I am pleased to report that not only is it easy to ignore this mistake in
    The Great Archeological Race, but the rest of the game makes up for it and
    is quite enjoyable.
    	TGAR, as I'll refer to it, is a shareware game from Absolute Zero.
    You play an assistant curator at the Evelyn Museum in Boston, whose job is in
    peril because of a lack of new acquisitions.  The game, therefore, becomes a
    series of adventures wherein you are sent to various sites by your boss to
    bring back whatever trinkets (or treasures) you can find.  The atmosphere of
    the ame reminded me somewhat of the "Indiana Jones" movies; quests for
    ancient artifacts liberally sprinkled with humor.
    	I think the game is probably easier than most text adventures, but
    this is not a criticism.  I was able to play almost straight through the
    first few sections in a couple of hours, which enabled me to concentrate on
    the game itself instead of on the usual stop-ponder-start-stop-ponder-start
    method I usually use.  The individual archaeological "digs" are filled with
    interesting items, locations, and characters, although the quality of the
    room descriptions is rather inconsistent.  In many places, the writing is
    plentiful and good; in others, it's extremely terse.  Some of the best
    writing is in the various newspaper articles and reports you'll get on your
    various excursions around the world, as well as religious propaganda you get
    from a guy at the airport (and you can just imagine what *that's* like).
    	As you return from the various digs, you check in with your boss, and
    the items you have recovered are placed on display in the museum itself.
    This is a nice touch, and provides an obvious measure of progress, as well as
    allowing the player to feel as though his actions have made an impact.  It's
    obvious that the game does not take itself seriously; the first site you'll
    visit was abandoned by the original dig team because the University funding
    the dig used the money for a new swimming pool.  It says to me, "Hey, I know
    the plot is contrived, and you know the plot is contrived, and I know you
    know, so just play the game and shut up, okay?".  I *like* that.  The game
    doesn't try to be anything more than an enjoyable puzzle-solving romp, and
    of course the tricks and traps commonly associated with ancient sites
    provide the ideal excuse for having lots of puzzles.
    	The registration fee is $20; this gets you the standard maps, hints,
    and eternal love and devotion of the author.  The game is written using TADS,
    and so the parser as good as any; no worries on that score.  There is
    mention in the docs about possible availability of the TADS source code
    to registered users, so aspiring TADS programmers might want to check that
    offer out.  Truthfully, I can't feel too good about saying that the game is
    worth $20; $10 or $15 would have been more appropriate, but considering some
    of the tripe people are paying $60 and up for, TGAR is a bargain.  I highly
    recommend that you download this game and give it a try for yourself.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    From: "Brian Reilly"

    NAME:  Lurking Horror		PARSER:  Infocom Standard
    AUTHOR:  Dave Lebling		Plot:  Gothic Horror at GUE Tech
    EMAIL:  ???      		ATMOSPHERE:  Very Good
    AVAILABILITY: LTOI 1		WRITING: Good
    PUZZLES:  Well Done		SUPPORTS:  Infocom Ports
    CHARACTERS: Somewhat Weak	Difficulty: Medium

    	In Lurking Horror, you assume the role of a college student
    who starts out trying to complete an assignment, and is caught up in an
    adventure of missing students, demonic Alchemy professors, and a showdown
    with the ultimate evil.  As you wonder about the tunnels and corridors of
    GUE Tech, you must deal with everything from sticky-fingered urchins to
    fierce rats.  The main strength of this game is the sense of atmosphere
    created.  The writing creates a sense of suspense and terror, and the
    player is enveloped in a frightening world of the macabre.  The only
    weakness that I found with Lurking Horror was the NPCs.  I feel that they
    could have been developed to a greater extent, especially the hacker.  I
    was also dissapointed with the ending; it was a climactic let-down from
    what had been built up during the game.
    	Besides this, though, it was a very good game.  The puzzles are
    interesting and not too difficult, and there is enough humor to keep the
    player interested.  Lurking Horror can be found in LTOI 1.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    From: "Molley the Mage"

    NAME: MAGIC.ZIP (Three games)           PARSER: Mostly 2-Word
    AUTHOR: John Olsen                      PLOT: Simple
    EMAIL: ???                              ATMOSPHERE: Okay
    AVAILABILITY: GMD                       WRITING: Terse
    PUZZLES: Easy                           SUPPORTS: IBM
    CHARACTERS: Few                         DIFFICULTY: Quite Easy

    	MAGIC.ZIP contains three IBM text adventures written by John Olsen.
    The games are all very simple, but they are enjoyable and should provide
    you with a few hours of fun.  The games unzip as MS-DOS executable files,
    using Mr. Olsen's own interpreter.  The parser used in the games is
    simplistic, but the puzzles are generally so easy that you won't have any
    problem telling the game what it is you're trying to do.  The three games in
    the package are:

    Merlin's Magic Forest:

    	In this game, you are transported to a magical forest where Merlin
    the magician (of Arthurian legend) has been placed under an evil spell.  You
    must collect the five components needed to mix up a counterspell that will
    free the great wizard from his torpor.  Along the way, you'll get to play
    with Excalibur and face some evil monsters (including some really mean
    trees who really got on my nerves).

    Merlin's Golden Trove

    	As a reward for your serivces to him in the first game, Merlin
    transports you to his castle, where you seek to discover all his hidden
    gold.  There are hidden tricks and traps for the unwary, and treasures
    hidden in some surprising places.  The weakest of the three games, but
    still an enjoyable distraction.

    Son of Ali Baba

    	To win the Caliph's daughter, you must venture to the island of the
    evil wizard Roxor and bring back a piece of the shell of a Roc's egg.  You'll
    face a dragon, among other things, but luckily you have several magical
    talismans to assist you in your quest.  The best of the three games, I
    think, except for a few rather arbitrary puzzles.

    	All three of the games are quick plays -- an afternoon apiece at
    most.  They use text very sparingly, but the writing is not bad.  These
    games reminded me very much of the Scott Adams adventures, in fact, although
    they are much easier than some of Adams' puzzlers.  Merlin's Magic Forest is
    arguably the most difficult of the three games, with some non-intuitive
    puzzles to be solved.  Merlin's Golden Trove is strictly an exercise in
    searching for treasures.  Son of Ali Baba is my favorite of the three,
    providing a little bit of the flavor of the Arabian Nights tales.
    	The author is asking $20 for the three games, which comes out to less
    than $7 apiece.  That's a good deal for a text adventure, but in truth these
    games are so short and simple that they're probably not worth registering.
    However, Mr. Olsen also has three other collections of similar text
    adventures, and all of them can be found on the if-archive.  It would not be
    unreasonable to expect someone to play two of the three-game sets and then
    register one of them.  But you didn't hear that from me.
    	If you're looking for a game or three to kill an afternoon with, or
    if you wax nostalgic about the Scott Adams-type adventure games, give
    MAGIC.ZIP a try; and check out Mr. Olsen's other games, which include more
    fantasy, and even some horror, among other things.

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    From: "Molley the Mage"

    NAME: Space Aliens Laughed At My Cardigan  PARSER: AGT
    AUTHOR: Andre M. Boyle                     PLOT: Minimal
    EMAIL: ???                                 ATMOSPHERE: Demented
    AVAILABILITY: GMD                          WRITING: Strange
    PUZZLES: Weak                              SUPPORTS: IBM
    CHARACTERS: Not Much                       DIFFICULTY: Incomprehensible

    	"Space Aliens Laughed At My Cardigan" has perhaps the best title of
    any game I've yet seen on the Interactive Fiction Archive.  This alone
    prompted me to download it and give it a play.  I had a moment of fear when I
    discovered that it was written with AGT; I am able to report, however, that
    the game would have been just as bad in TADS, Inform, or any other language
    as far as I can tell. The introduction is promising -- you're sitting in the
    garden when an alien ship lands nearby and two blue beings begin making fun
    of your cardigan.  They then proceed to vaporize it with a ray gun.  You're
    quite dismayed, since your mother gave you that cardigan, and you fear
    physical reprisals if she discovers that it's gone.  Getting a new
    cardigan, therefore, becomes the goal of the game.  Sadly, the game was
    almost totally unplayable, and I was unable to determine if Our Hero
    actually succeeds.  All I can really say about the game is that it had a
    glimmer of potential, but that quickly vanishes under a torrent of
    typographical errors, bad attempts at humor, and bugs.  There are 10,000
    possible points in the game; just by walking around and picking things up, I
    somehow achieved 257 of them without attempting to solve a single puzzle.
    	The puzzles themselves are nonsensical; sometimes typing HELP will
    get you a hint, other times not.  The atmosphere of the game is badly
    fragmented; items and locations are thrown together without the slightest
    rhyme or reason.  The parser is unresponsive at best and damnably frustrating
    most other times. There are a few funny bits of text -- the chess grandmaster
    in particular is rather humorous -- but most of the attempts fall on their
    face.  I usually prefer Irish/British humor to American humor, so I can
    safely say that cultural differences do not play a role in my failure to
    find the game funny (although people with no experience whatsoever in
    British humor might not even understand why the jokes are *supposed* to be
    funny). The most interesting thing about this game is that while
    registration is not expected by the author, if you do register (for $60.00
    or 30 pounds) the author offers to write an entirely new game to your
    specifications and place you as a character in one or more of his later
    games.  I am mildly curious to know if anyone has taken advantage of this
    offer, although I must say after playing Space Aliens Laughed At My
    Cardigan, I can't see any reason why a sane person would.

    	[Let me just say that I encourage both positive and negative reviews.
    SPAG's goal has always been to become something like a Consumer's Guide to
    IF.  I hope to print reviews that will not only steer you towards the
    outstanding games, but away from the bad ones.  I've played "Aliens Laughed
    at My Cardigan".  Trust Molley on this one, folks.  He knows from whence he
    speaks.]

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    From: "Brian Reilly"

    NAME:  The Witness		PARSER:  Infocom Standard
    AUTHOR:  Stu Galley		PLOT:  Solve a Murder
    EMAIL:  UNKNOWN			ATMOSPHERE:  VERY GOOD
    AVAILABILITY:  LTOI 1		WRITING:  Good
    PUZZLES:  Not Bad		SUPPORTS:  Infocom Ports
    CHARACTERS:  Good		DIFFICULTY:  Rather Easy

    	Who killed Freeman Linder?  You came to his house to protect him from
    an unknown threat, but he has been murdered nonetheless.  In Witness,
    you take the role of a 1930s police detective and must find out what
    caused Linder's demise.  Question the suspects and search the Linder
    estate for clues that will bring you closer to the truth.  Witness was
    Infocom's second mystery game, and is nowhere near as difficult as
    Deadline.
    	The plot flows quickly, and it is rather easy to stumble upon
    the guilty party.  However, Witness does a great job at capturing the
    feel of the 1930s.  This is achieved partly from the writing, but more so
    by the characters.  The NPCs are interesting and provide the player with
    entertainment after all the puzzles have been solved.  Witness is easy
    compared to many of Infocom's other titles, but it is still enjoyable.
    Witness can be found in LTOI 1, and serves as an excellent introduction
    to interactive mystery to gamers.

    READER'S SCOREBOARD----------------------------------------------------------

    	Ok, I'm not gonna waste space in this issue on describing the new
    system of scoring again.  It's outlined in both the SPAG.FAQ and SPAG2, so
    I see no reason to continue to clutter up the magazine.

    Here's a revised ratings line for Trinity:

    Name       Avg Sco  Chr  Puz    #Votes    Issues     Notes
    =======    =======  ===  ===    ======    ======     ======
    Trinity      8.9    1.7  1.5      21    1-5, 8, 11    C_INF

    	A complete and revised version of this rating system appears in
    the SPAG FAQ, which should be up on ftp.gmd.de:/if-archive/SPAG/SPAG.FAQ.
    >From now on, only changes to the system and the notes will appear in each
    issue.  For the basics, look at the FAQ.

       Notes:

    	A   - Runs on Amigas.
    	AP  - Runs on Apple IIs.
    	GS  - Runs on Apple IIGS.
    	AR  - Runs on Archimedes Acorns.
    	C   - Commercial, no fixed price.
    	C30 - Commercial, with a fixed price of $30.
    	F   - Freeware.
    	GMD - Available on ftp.gmd.de
    	I   - Runs on IBM compatibles.
    	M   - Runs on Macs.
    	S20 - Shareware, registration costs $20.
    	64  - Runs on Commodore 64s.
    	TAD - Written with TADS.  This means it can run on:
                    AmigaDOS, NeXT and PC, Atari ST/TT/Falcon, DECstation
                    (MIPS) Unix Patchlevel 1 and 2, IBM, IBM RT, Linux, Apple
                    Macintosh, SGI Iris/Indigo running Irix, Sun 4 (Sparc)
                    running SunOS or Solaris 2, Sun 3, OS/2, and even a 386+
                    protected mode version.
            AGT - Available for IBM, Mac, Amiga, and Atari ST.  This does not
                    include games made with the Master's edition.
            INF - Infocom or Inform game.  These games will run on:
                    Atari ST, Amiga, Apple Macintosh, IBM, Unix, VMS, Apple II,
                    Apple IIGS, C64, TSR-80, and Archimedes Acorn.  There may be
                    other computers on which it runs as well.

    NOTES: If there was no rating for Character or Puzzle, it was left blank.
           Please remember that I do not yet have a large enough sample of
           scores to accurately compare them.  The grading system has changed
           and that may further damage the accuracy until I get about 20 more
           scores for each game.

     Name		       Avg Sc  Chr  Puz  # Sc  Rlvt Ish       Notes:
     ====                  ======  ===  ===  ====  ========       ======
    Ballyhoo		7.2		   1	 x	C_INF
    Beyond Zork		7.4		   1	 x	C_INF
    Border Zone		5.6		   1	 x	C_INF
    Bureaucracy		7.8		   1	 x	C_INF
    Curses			8.6    1.5  1.7    1     2	F_INF
    Cutthroats		6.4	           2     1	C_INF
    Deadline		6.8		   1	 x	C_INF
    Deep Space Drifter	5.5	    1.4    1     3      S15_TAD_GMD (I think)
    Dungeon of Dunjin       7.0    1.0  1.5    1     3      S20_IBM_MAC_GMD
    Enchanter		6.8    0.8  1.3	   2     x	C_INF
    Great Archaelog. Race	6.5    1.0  1.5    1     3      S20_TAD_GMD
    Hitchhiker's Guide	8.0     	   1     x	C_INF
    Hollywood Hijinx	6.0		   1	 x	C_INF
    Horror of Rylvania	7.7		   1     1	C20_TAD_GMD (Demo)
    Humbug			7.4		   1	 x	S10_GMD (Uncertain)
    Infidel 		6.9		   3     1-2	C_INF
    Jacaranda Jim		7.0		   1	 x	S?_GMD
    Klaustrophobia		9.5		   1     1	S15_AGT_GMD
    Leather Goddesses	7.7		   1	 x	C_INF
    Lurking Horror, The	7.2		   1     1	C_INF
    Magic.zip		4.5    0.5  0.5    1     3      S20_IBM_GMD
    Mind Forever Voyaging	8.1		   1	 x	C_INF
    Moonmist		6.4	           1     1	C_INF
    Multidimen. Thief	6.0    0.5  1.0    1     2      S?_AGT_GMD
    Nord and Bert		6.8		   1	 x	C_INF
    Planetfall		7.3		   1	 x	C_INF
    Sanity Claus		9.0	           1     1	S10_AGT_GMD
    Seastalker		5.0		   1	 x	C_INF
    Shades of Grey		7.9		   1	 1-2	F_AGT_GMD
    Sorceror		6.6    0.6  1.5	   2	 2	C_INF
    Space Aliens...Cardigan 2.0    0.5  0.5    1     3      S60_AGT_GMD
    Spellbreaker		7.9    1.2  1.8	   2	 2	C_INF
    Starcross		7.4	           2     1	C_INF
    Stationfall		6.7		   1	 x	C_INF
    Suspect			5.9		   1	 x	C_INF
    Suspended		7.0		   1	 x	C_INF
    Trinity			9.2    1.4  1.7    3     1	C_INF
    Unnkulian One-Half	8.1                2     1	F_TAD_GMD
    Unnkulian Unventure 1	8.1 	           2     1	S10_TAD_GMD
    Unnkulian Unventure 2	7.1	           2     1	S10_TAD_GMD
    Unnkulian Zero  	9.0 	           1     1	C25_TAD_GMD (Demo)
    Wishbringer		6.3		   1	 x	C_INF
    Witness, The		6.3	           2     1	C_INF
    Zork 0			6.5    1.1  2.0	   1	 x	C_INF
    Zork 1			5.4    0.6  1.6	   2	 1-2	C_INF
    Zork 2			6.4    0.8  1.6	   2	 1-2	C_INF
    Zork 3			5.7    0.6  1.4	   2	 1-2	C_INF

    -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

    The Top Three:

     1. Klaustrophobia	9.5
     2. Trinity		9.2
     3. Unkuulian Zero	9.0
        Sanity Claus	9.0

    -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

    Editor's Picks of the Month:

    	This month I recommend John Olsen's four trilogies of games.  In
    ftp.gmd.de:/if-archive/games/pc/ they are: crypt30.zip, magic.zip,
    treasure.zip, and horror30.zip, I believe.  A very good value for your
    money, as you get 3 games for $20 or so.  Very reminiscent of Scott Adams,
    and the solutions for the first three compilations can also be found on
    GMD.  Sadly, as far as I know, these games are available only for IBM PCs and
    compatibles.

    ADVERTISEMENTS---------------------------------------------------------------

    Notes on last month's Save Princeton Advertisement:

    Jacob Weinstein, author of Save Princeton, has a new email address:
        jacobw SP@G cap.gwu.edu

    CLOSING REMARKS--------------------------------------------------------------

    	EXTRA! EXTRA!  SPAG finds new home inside InfoMenu!

    	Some of you may have heard about InfoMenu.  Welp, I tried it out, and
    it's a very elegant little program.  What it is, is essentially a menuing
    system for all your infocom format games.  All you need to use it is one of
    the freely available z-machine interpreters available on ftp.gmd.de, such as
    ZIP.  You tell InfoMenu where the interpreter is, where your games are (it
    will scan up to three directories, counting the one it's in), and Presto!  A
    menu pops up with a list of the titles of your games.  Then you either use
    the mouse or the arrow keys to select and play one.  InfoMenu is only
    available for IBM PCs and compatibles.  Personally, I dumped all my .dat,
    .z3, and .z5 files into my InfoMenu directory, and deleted most of those
    crappy LTOI menu systems.  I did keep zip4.exe from LTOI 1, as well as the
    files from Zork Zero.  After all, you delete those, and no fancy Beyond Zork
    or Zork Zero pictures for you.  I imagine that Shogun, etc from the LTOI 2 CD
    would have to be treated the same way.

    	[PS- LTOI=Lost Treasures of Infocom, discussed in issue #1, for you
    new subscribers.]

    	Now, on to my favorite part of the program, the help system.  Hit F1,
    and you are presented with a nice little menu, with everything from InfoMenu
    specifics to communicating with text adventures.  Put the cursor over a game
    title on the main menu and hit F2, and you are presented with a very spiffy
    description of it, usually.  Even if there's none there, it's quite easy to
    write your own, or alter the existing one.  I was so pleased with this
    program that I edited all the F2 descriptions to include an SR in it (SPAG
    Rating).  This is just the score that you see in the ratings section of the
    magazine, and only the main score at that.  But still, if you've just bought
    LTOI, and you can't decide which of the games to play first, this could be a
    convenient device for you.  The standard game descriptions appear to have
    been typed in from the backs of old Infocom games.
    	The current release is beta version C.  While it's a beta version, I
    found only one bug in version B, and that's been fixed in version C.  Still,
    the current version doesn't include the SPAG ratings, but the next one
    should.

    	ftp.gmd.de:/if-archive/infocom/interpreters/infom9c.zip.

    	[Remember to use binary mode, just in case.  Also, later editions
    will probably follow the same naming conventions, such as infom9d.zip, etc.]

    SPAG is not affiliated with Calvin Culver or Culverware, Inc. in any way.  I
    just added the SPAG ratings to his help menu and sent it to him for use,
    nothing more.

    InfoMenu was written by Calvin Culver, and is copyright 1994 by Culverware,
    Inc. All rights are reserved.

    InfoMenu  is  donorware.  It  may  be  distributed  and used for
    non-commercial  purposes free of  charge. However, this software represents a
    couple hundred hours' work, so if you find InfoMenu useful and would like to
    make a small donation, you may do so to the following address:

                            Culverware, Inc.
                             W6999 King Rd.
                       Poynette, Wisconsin 53955

    The author may be contacted either through the above address, or by e-mail at
    any of the following:

                         calvin.richter SP@G sil.org
                          culver SP@G macc.wisc.edu
                       ctrichte SP@G students.wisc.edu

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    	   Thank you for helping to keep text adventures alive!

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