Zero Sum Game

>INVENTORY - Paul O'Brian writes about interactive fiction

To give it its due, the game does have a clever premise, a promising start, and some good puzzles. Some of these puzzles have no particular moral bent, but are cleverly designed (getting the scroll, getting the key). Others in fact do have the particular ethical direction of reversing wrongs: you give the candy back to the baby, for example. That's why it left such a bad taste in my mouth to learn that other puzzles required coldly slaughtering your friends for the sake of a few points... After that point, I detached from the game, using the walkthrough to see the whole thing and make notes for this review. It didn't get better. Zero Sum Game's gimmick is one that works best the first time it is used -- too bad this game did such a poor job of using it.
See the full review

SPAG
Genuinely Funny Send-up of an Adventure Game
Your mission: you have completed an average hack-and-slash adventure game, but when you come home, your mother sends you out to undo everything you've done. The goal is therefore to lose all 75 points you have at the start of the game, by unslaying a dragon, giving back treasures, and making good all your dirty deeds. That you frequently have to do more dirty deeds along the way is, of course, part of the humor. (Duncan Stevens)
See the full review

SynTax
Puzzles range from the fairly obvious to difficult and a good sense of timing is required at two points in the game, so regular saving is required although once you find out how events run their course you won't need to worry. (John Ferris)

The whole game is liberally sprinkled with marvellous characters, who can be interacted with and talked to and questioned, and almost everything you do and say in anyone's presence elicits a funny response. (Bev Truter)
See the full review