Ratings and Reviews by jgerrie

This program, written in BASIC for the TRS-80 Color Computer (Coco) and now ported by me to the Coco's little brother system, the MC-10, is extremely simple. It probably would only be interesting for very young children. The most appealing aspect is that it has some very simple graphic images that go with the text descriptions. This was relatively rare for simple BASIC text adventures on early 8-bit computer systems. It might also be of interest for adventurers who are looking only to spend 20-30 minutes gaming. The puzzle is not extremely challenging, but is coherent and does require some care in terms of ones search for clues and interpretation of messages. There are a few possibilities of arbitrary death, but they are no too vexing given the size of map. It's easy to restart and get back to where you were and try again. If you wanted to give a young child a taste of what early 1980s type-in gaming was like on an 8-bit computer, this game could fit the bill.

I have read the other reviews and can't but wonder whether some of the frustrations result from the versions they are playing. The parser is not so problematic in the TRS-80 versions of the program. These machines often ran in all caps mode (the original TRS-80 didn't have uppercase characters and the TRS-80 MC-10 never had them). Apparently there were also changes made to the puzzles in many of the unofficial versions. The TRS-80 version I ported remains entirely true to the original TRS-80 16K version.

There are some intentional inconsistencies to the movement in the game. I didn't find them all that bad (especially compared to some other games from the era). For the most part I think they were carefully chosen and meant to enhance the effect of being "lost in the jungles and savannas" of central Africa. To a large extent, I think this technique works successfully in this adventure, where the setting makes it appropriate to use. Once I had some mapping in place, it wasn't all that problematic and there is a kind of logic to the backs-and-forths.

There are some really charming aspects to the game. The quicksand graphic is a wonderful piece of TRS-80 chunky pixel 8-bit animation. (Spoiler - click to show)If you die the program simulates a return to the basic command prompt, before surprising you with a resurrection to a restore point part way into the game (preventing a need for a complete restart.

The game is challenging and doesn't have any of the totally arbitrary deaths that are so common in games from this genre. I found the plot to be a nice balance between slightly humorous almost fantastical whimsy and and an attempt to remain true to the Victorian mythology of the quest for Dr. Livingston.

For fans of 8-bit Basic adventuring I would highly recommend this game. But for less hardy souls, it might be better to stay away from venturing into the dark heart of the Victorian imaginary.