C&VG


Country Quest

Author: Jim Douglas
Publisher: Wye Valley
Machine: Commodore 64

 
Published in Computer & Video Games #44

Country Quest

This is a text adventure running at machine code speed, enhanced with colour with a "Quilled" feel about it.

On holiday at a farm in Herefordshire, you hear rumours that the previous owner buried his wealth in boxes under the fields.

From the farmhouse, you make your way outside to visit cowsheds, vegetable fields, and many other places heavily laden with a country atmosphere. In fact, you can almost smell the silage!

Country Quest

Despite the detail, much doesn't ring true! I've been through fields and farms, day and night, countless times, and not once been attacked by a cow - I was in Country Quest! There are locked gates at many field entrances in the game. With no key, I "can't go in that direction", yet five-bar gates just ask to be climbed!

However, the main trouble with the game is its limited understanding of what is actually going on!

A ginger cat is here.
A ginger cat attacks you.
?GET CAT
It's not here.

Not exactly the sort of dialogue to inspire confidence, is it?

One other grizzle while I am at it! The Quit command takes you straight back to the beginning without question, and a valid abbreviation is Q. Q is next to W (for West) on the keyboard. I rest my case.

Country Quest is for the Commodore 64 from Wye Valley Software.

Jim Douglas