Good humoured fun
Also known by its re-release title of Questmaster, this is a highly cunning and enjoyable old-school adventure that packs a whole of questing and puzzling into a seemingly small package. The world it creates is a tad inconsistent at times, but there's enough humour and good spirits to overcome any flaws in this respect, so as long as you don't take the game too seriously, there's a rollicking good time to be had here. The game plays out as a sort of text and graphics adventure, like Guild of Thieves or Gnome Ranger, with the player finding themselves pulled from the real world into a bizarre fantasy realm. The reason for this is the usual nonsense, which in this case revolves around your standard giggling maniac who wants to take over the world and rule forever. As the bold adventurer plucked forth, it's your job to stop this from happening. In familiar fashion, you must explore the world, gathering objects, solving puzzles and interacting with bizarre characters, all of which is carried out via a text-based interface. As far as these games go, this is pretty decent stuff. The storyline isn't exactly original but it's told with tongue placed firmly in cheek and never takes itself too seriously, while also providing a fair few twists and turns along the way. Visuals are nice and cartoony, lending to the less than serious tone, and the puzzles are quite challenging, if occasionally troubled by a lack of logic. When you throw in a few real-time situations, involving traps and monsters, you have all the makings of a cracking slice of entertainment which deserves to be checked out.
