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Game Reviews Q

These reviews are in alphabetical order according to the name of the game reviewed. The index also has a few extra features. First and foremost of these is the instant gratification feature. If you see the SPAG button:

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    Table of Contents
    Quarterstaff

    Quarterstaff
    From: Christopher E. Forman <ceforman SP@G worldnet.att.net>
    Review appeared in SPAG #9 -- June 11, 1996

    NAME: Quarterstaff                         GAMEPLAY: Combination Parser/GUI
    AUTHOR: Infocom & Westwood                 PLOT: Fairly straightforward
    EMAIL:                                     ATMOSPHERE: Perhaps a bit lacking
    AVAILABILITY: Commercial (quite rare)      WRITING: Not bad
    PUZZLES: Not many, in the true sense       REQUIRES: Mac or Mac emulator
    CHARACTERS: Pseudo-intelligent             DIFFICULTY: Below average

            For centuries, the various Druid sects have been responsible for
    preserving peace and prosperity among the four kingdoms of Rhea.  But when
    the Tree Druids, the most powerful sect of all, mysteriously vanish, disaster
    threatens the world.  A party of three great warriors was sent to investigate
    the disappearance, but was never heard from again.  So a new party has been
    selected as the last hope to rescue the Tree Druids and restore their Majik.
    (Just in case anyone cares, this is #3 on the list of different Infocom
    spellings of the word -- there was the traditional "magic" in the Zork and
    Enchanter Trilogies, the archaic "magick" in Wishbringer and Beyond Zork, and
    now "majik."  But I digress...)
            "Quarterstaff: The Tomb of Setmoth" is famous for a lot of reasons.
    First, it was one of the company's very last releases (if not _the_ last)
    under MediaGenic.  Second, unless you count the breakdown of "Dungeon" into
    the Zork Trilogy (which I don't), it's the only Infocom adaption of an
    already-existing game -- "Quarterstaff" is based on a little-known earlier
    FRPG of the same title by Westwood Associates, who also collaborated with
    Infocom on "Circuit's Edge," "Mines of Titan," and the two "BattleTech"
    games.  Third, it's notorious for being incredibly difficult to find, as only
    the Macintosh version was ever released.  (And, contrary to popular belief,
    there is _no_ finished-yet-unreleased PC version lurking about the ruins of
    Infocom.  David Lebling has denied this rumor several times.)  As a result,
    "Quarterstaff" is something of an Infocom Holy Grail, sought by devoted
    collectors everywhere.  As an obscure collector's item, it's one of the best
    there is.  But how is it as a _game_?
            It took me quite awhile to really be able to learn that for myself,
    as the game obviously requires a Macintosh to play.  I'd tried "Executor," a
    Mac emulator (available from vorlon.mit.edu), but couldn't get it (the
    emulator) to load properly on my machine, and finally had to resort to playing
    "Quarterstaff" down in the campus Mac lab.  Not being overly familiar with
    Macs (I'd never used one in my life), I had to grab the basics of the Mac
    operating system as well.  Also, the game has problems loading if you're
    not running the right system.  If you don't have System 6.0 and Finder 6.1,
    you'll need to boot the game with the System Disk supplied in the game
    package.  Just trying to play "Quarterstaff" was an adventure in itself!
            But I'm happy to report that, although it's nowhere near the level
    reached by Infocom at their height, "Quarterstaff" manages to be a moderately
    entertaining game with a nifty combination of windows and parser for a play
    system.  It reminded me of nothing so much as Virgin's Magnetic Scrolls
    interface, with perhaps a bit of the old C64 game "Rogue" mixed in.  There
    are windows and menus for text, inventory, objects in the vicinity, optional
    graphics, maps, and an extensive on-line help and hint system.
            And what of the Infocom parser?  Yes, it's still present, and more
    or less up to their regular standards, aside from a few annoying twists --
    non-cardinal directions such as northeast and southwest aren't used, the
    "UNDO" command is absent, and some of the basic I-F commands have been
    altered slightly ("WAIT" is replaced by "PASS" or "GUARD," and "REPEAT" is
    used instead of "AGAIN"), with few abbreviations allowed.  Let this serve as
    a lesson: NEVER stray too far from the firmly established text adventure
    conventions; you'll only confuse and annoy players accustomed to time-honored
    I-F tradition.
            At heart, though, "Quarterstaff" is an RPG, not pure I-F.  And in
    traditional RPG style, the game puts you in control of not a lone quester,
    but a party of adventurers, necessitating a slightly different method of
    play.  Members of the party are classified as either leaders or followers,
    and behave accordingly -- with a directional move, the followers follow their
    leader.  In other situations, the followers can take their own non-directional
    actions, and the "Quarterstaff" player types one command for each member.
    Special commands include the aforementioned "PASS"; "MIMIC,", to imitate the
    leader; and "SPLIT" and "JOIN" to disband from the party and regroup,
    respectively.  The need to enter separate commands for every member of the
    party inevitably leads to a considerably longer play session.
            Unlike most RPGs, this game does not classify characters as fighters,
    thieves, magic users, etc.  Rather, all characters are able to use the entire
    spectrum of skills to some extent, and their proficiencies continuously
    increase or decrease according to the frequency with which the character
    practices them.  Other aspects of FRP are incorporated rather realistically.
    Takeable items have such properties as size, shape, and weight, and NPCs
    wander about of their own accord (some will join your party).  It's necessary
    to "WIELD" weapons before using them (a la "Beyond Zork"), and characters
    must also provide themselves with food, water, and sleep (interestingly,
    lack of sleep will actually cause a character to take damage points).
            The writing is about par for Infocom, good but not outstanding,
    although Amy Briggs ("Plundered Hearts") is credited with producing some of
    the text.  As for puzzles, well...there just aren't very many in the true
    I-F sense.  Your progress depends largely on discovering hidden objects and
    keys, unlocking doors, replenishing light sources, and opening secret
    passages.  In most cases a little careful observation is all that's needed.
    Although the layout is fairly vast, there just isn't much variety, as the
    game is primarily combat-oriented ("ATTACK," "THROW," and "SHOOT" are used
    ad nauseum...though the "SMILE" command is kind of cute).
            IMO, the most significant "real" puzzle is that of deciphering a set
    of magic words using a parchment and wooden coin included in the game
    package.  (Apparently quite a few players were stumped by this -- Infocom
    actually gave away the entire solution in the very last issue of "The Status
    Line."  Refer to the notes at the end of this review for details on how to do
    it.)  There is also one critical bug -- the game crashes your entire system
    if anything with nested objects (containers and NPCs holding items) is set on
    fire.  This causes problems in two areas in particular -- the Charred Room
    and the second dungeon level (again, see below for info on avoiding the
    crashes).  On the plus side, there are no "fatal mistakes" for players to
    make.  You can't screw up the game completely unless your entire party is
    killed off.
            How well does all this work when put together?  Sadly, only so-so.
    "Quarterstaff" is really neat at the outset, but sooner or later the novelty
    wears off and it becomes rather tiresome to play through toward the end (as
    did Infocom's other RPG offerings, "BattleTech" and "Mines of Titan").  Once
    you've played through, it's doubtful you'll feel much like experiencing it
    again.  "Quarterstaff" simply doesn't have the same play value as the
    all-text games.
            But then, that's not the reason most Infocom fans want a copy.

    (SPOILER ALERT!)

            Now, about that coin and parchment:  The poem on the top of the map
    is just a cryptic way of explaining what you're supposed to do.  Basically,
    you use the coin, the compass rose on the parchment, and the identify wand
    (it's pictured on the parchment above the poem) to decipher and use four
    magic words, one corresponding to each of the messages on the bottom of the
    parchment.  Each message is used to form the word that can be spoken to
    identify unnamed keys, wands, scrolls, and potions (provided the character
    who uses the word is actually holding the identify wand in his hands).
            Make sense so far?
            Each message on the bottom of the parchment reveals four things:

                    1) The correct placement of the coin.
                    2) The starting point for determining the word.
                    3) The number of steps (letters in the word).
                    4) The direction in which to decipher.

            What you want to do is put the coin on the compass, making sure the
    coin's arrow points in the direction specified by the message.  Then,
    beginning at the starting point, move the number of "steps" in the direction
    the message says, around the circumference of the coin and parchment, writing
    down one letter for each step.  Letters alternate between the coin and the
    parchment, and can start on either.
            As an example, the magic word for keys is "GURZ," and the word for
    potions is "NESOE."  The last two are left as an exercise for the player.

            As for the crashes...
            In the Charred Room, all you need to do is unlock the bronze seal.
    Once you've found the key, disband a single member (preferably one with a
    high resistance to heat) and send him back to unlock it.
            For the dungeon, the problem area is the region labeled A1-A5, etc.
    Stay on the D's and the 5's, and you'll be safe from the mines.

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