Saturn's Child

A hundred years or so in the future, people are prepared for deep space exploration by inserting a probe where the sun don't shine before going into an isolation chamber for several months, after which they are required to do tests that involve manipulating devices with less-than-helpful descriptions.

Operating various devices is the major puzzle element in this game; at one point a fairly common device must be operated, but for it power up, a button must be found that is illogically placed somewhere out of sight. A vehicle must be driven - I can't describe what it is without spoiling some of the story - that requires mechanical various operations that come as a complete surprise to the player character, even though one might assume that a prospective astronaut might be familiar with both device and vehicle.

The lack of context in some of the vignettes -- why am I here, what is the point of the next few actions I must take -- make solving the puzzles somewhat unrewarding.

The descriptions in this game are elaborate and well-written, and it is clear the author knows his way around TADS3 very well. The game provides good responses to actions and has a helpful hint system. It is clear that a lot of work went into this game. I would certainly like to see more games by this author, with his ability to write great prose applied to more down to earth situations.