ZX Computing


The Amulet
By Sentient
Spectrum 48K/128K

 
Published in ZX Computing #22

The Amulet

This one comes from Sentient Software, but unfortunately it does not aspire to the novelty of the previous game. Whereas Scoop was an inspired and novel game, The Amulet repeats the tired and worn fantasy theme of the quest.

The simple aim is to find the seven shards of the shattered through time. Trying to retrieve the segments entails travelling through time and space using the magical power of the Amulet. You start out with a section of the broken Amulet, which when rubbed enables you to travel in time, in search of the other pieces. Each 'Time Zone' consists of several very similar locations, all with very bland location descriptions. Objects are sparse, so it is easy to find each section of the amulet with very few major obstacles to be overcome.

Some of the locations insist on playing lengthy tunes after each input which are simply irritating and slow down play, particularly the zone featuring the 'Frenchman' (who insists on killing you if you're not careful!).

The Amulet is a rather cliched, and nondescript adventure, with lacklustre location descriptions, devoid of atmosphere and lacking colour.