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Jinxter

by Georgina Sinclair and Michael Bywater

1987

(based on 9 ratings)
1 review

About the Story

Every silver lining has a cloud...

JUST WHEN A MAN THINKS HIS LUCK IS RUNNING OUT...

... things start getting even worse. He gets run over by a bus. Sprayed with cheese sandwich by a supernatural being. Smashed against a tunnel by a speeding train. He falls from two thousand feet into an artificial waterfall. He gets drunk, drowned and cursed. He gets incinerated, widdled on, folded,bent, spindled, mutilated and generally mucked about with.

And in return ?

In return he gets the leading role in a perplexing, hilarious race against time and chance, set in a jinxed land menaced by the impending death of good fortune.

Who are we talking about? Who is holding this box?

You guessed it.

Look on the bright side. It could be your luckiest move yet. Jinxter comes from Magnetic Scrolls, authors of international award-winning adventures The Pawn and The Guild of Thieves. It's more than a collection of crossword puzzles; it's a whole universe, where things behave as they do in the real world... with some alarming exceptions. Don't expect tiresome trolls, obvious orcs, silly spells and wet, wimpish witches in JINXTER. Infuriating, enchanting, absurd and hilarious by turns, JINXTER will surprise you with every move you make.

But don't forget: every lining has a cloud...

JINXTER - SOME PEOPLE HAVE ALL THE LUCK.


Game Details

Editorial Reviews

Crash

"Although you begin on home ground outside your own front gate, a little exploration soon takes you to more exotic locations. Snorkelling, mousecatching, negotiating artificial waterfalls and underground passages are skills which must be acquired in the course of the adventure. The descriptions are well crafted and absorbing to read. A great deal of work has gone into including even more details than in previous Magnetic Scrolls adventures; the EXAMINE command almost always yields an atmospheric and humorous reply.

Aquitania's characters are depicted realistically. Burly bakers and prim postmistresses are oblivious to the seriousness of your quest - they're far too busy with their own lives. To get them to break off and pay attention it is necessary to project your imagination towards their needs rather than your own. Interaction is often a matter of tactful co-operation."
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SynTax
The problems, as with all Magnetic Scrolls games, are intriguing and range from easy to head-scratching. I found Jinxter a most enjoyable game apart from one thing - the ending and so far, I haven't found anyone who HAS been satisfied by it. However, ignoring that fact, it's a great game and well worth adding to your collection. And if you find people say "watchercallit" to you, you'll know they've got a copy too ...... narmean?
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A long, very British illustrated game about magical charms, June 11, 2017
by MathBrush
Related reviews: more than 10 hours

This is the third Magnetic scrolls game. It was meant to be based on magical spells, like Enchanter, but you have to do a LOT of work before you get any spells.

The game lets you get through deathly obstacles, but you will lose a bit of luck if you do, which blocks you out of the endgame. So if it says you lose a little bit of luck, go back to an earlier save!

Overall, a super british game, with all of the spells based on British slang for 'thing' (like wossname and so on).

Very frustrating, very unfair, but interesting and with good graphics.

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