ZX Computing


Marie Celeste
By Atlantis
Spectrum 48K/128K

 
Published in ZX Computing #26

Marie Celeste

The very brief inlay instructions tell us that this is the Marie Celeste mystery - but set in space. Your task is to collect some treasure from her and fuel for your own craft, and to find out what happened to the vanished crew.

Apart from this latter twist this adventure turns out to be another of those interminabe science fiction spaceship games. You know the sort - wandering around echoing corridors, encountering computer terminals, rough androids, airlocks, etc. The game was Quilled, but way back in 1984, so the graphics are made up of UDG's rather than drawn with The Illustrator. As such, they tend to be crude, though one or two are surprisingly effective.

The game suffers from a restrictive vocabulary, except for some unusually useful and intelligent HELP responses. Also, there seems to be a major factual flaw in the game: the vessel you are on is supposed to be a space version of the traditional Marie Celeste, yet things are described as "inoperative" and there's no atmosphere of the ship having just been deserted. This could have been the feature that lifted the game to something special, but instead it is wasted.

The experienced adventurer will find this too like so many other games to stomach, but the novice may find it attractive. There is some fun to be had if it's all fresh to you, as this one is quite nicely executed. Deserving of its current budget game status, but definitely nothing special.