Best collection ever?
OK, take a deep breath, as this is going to be exhausting. This collection has to be one of the best value sets in gaming history and for anyone contemplating dipping a toe into the realm of interactive fiction, this is probably the best way to do it. You have seven fantastic text adventures from the vaults of Infocom, each of which is superb in its own right but when combined in this fashion, they become something a little more than the sum of their parts. The collection starts with Border Zone, perhaps the least known game here but which provides a fascinating excursion into the Cold War and which mixes stealth and real-time action to the traditional mix. Cutthroats is a nautical-themed adventure which sees you scuba diving and searching for treasure, while Infidel is set in Egypt and sees you attempting to survive the burning heat of the desert while also searching for gold. Planetfall is a science fiction offering which follows your progress through the Stellar Patrol while Plundered Hearts is a pirate-themed adventure that sees the player taking on the role of a bold young woman trying to save her father. Trinity is set in a nightmarish world threatened by nuclear war while the final game in the set, Zork 3, forces you to test your skills in the horrors of the Dungeon. While the individual quality of the games here might vary according to your tastes, there is almost no denying that this is a stunning collection. The games are all well written and intelligent and while challenging, are rarely less than entertaining, so anyone even curious about interactive fiction should start here.
