Adventure in Ancient Rome
A rather obscure little text and graphics adventure, much like classics such as Guild of Thieves or The Pawn, Jabato is surprisingly engaging and provides some entertainment for die hard genre fans, although novices would do well to steer clear. The rather bold and imaginative plot sees the player exploring a series of historical environments as part of an epic quest to rescue their beloved. This quest takes you through the Roman Empire at the time of the 1st century, from Europe to North Africa. The whole thing is divided into six distinct parts, each set in a different area and which its own particular quest, such as searching for mystical keys or battling against a fanatical sect in Egypt. There's the usual mix of puzzles and adventuring to be done and while Jabato might not be overly original in terms of gameplay mechanics, relying on a tried and tested system that has served well over the years, it gains a lot of points for the sheer uniqueness of its gameworld and the story told within. There's an array of colourful characters to encounter, and while the writing is solid rather than inspired, it certainly does a decent enough job of bringing this dark period to life. In this respect, the game is aided by the simple but atmospheric visuals which accompany your journey, although the sound is notable by its absence, which is disappointing. Although far from a classic text adventure, this is certainly worthy of investigation by the genre fan but if you're new to this kind of thing, check out The Hobbit instead.
