Indiana Jones in Revenge of the Ancients

This game is actually fairly well-written and feels like an authentic (if unrisky) sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Unfortunately, there are two things that work together to make this game downright unplayable. The first is a VERY picky parser. As an example, there's a point at which you must lasso a rock shelf to climb up. Well, at least if you've read the manual, you know that lasso is possible verb you can use. But don't try to lasso the shelf and don't try to lasso the rock shelf, make sure to lasso the rock or you're not getting up there. "Rock" in my opinion is a descriptive adjective modifying shelf. I don't know normally interact directly with adjectives in text adventures.

Well, I wouldn't mind so much typing different variations in a game if I'm pretty sure what the answer is if not for the game's other problem which is that you're constantly on a timer and if you enter more than three prompts before what the game wants, you die. At least you can save, but it's just constant saving and trying and loading and trying. It ruins any sense of suspense the writing could drum up.

I was thinking about why the game includes the constant pressure of death at all. Well, Indy is constantly under that threat in the movie, so shouldn't it be in the game? I think that's fair. You should have to move quickly. But maybe there should be lots of options then. If you could quickly grab for one of four or five different options, some of which might get you into a worse, more desperate situation, but not end the game, that might feel like an Indy movie.