95 lines
5.3 KiB
Plaintext
95 lines
5.3 KiB
Plaintext
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THE FOOL'S ERRAND
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THE FOOL'S ERRAND is a series of 71 separate puzzles based on Tarot cards. The
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puzzles include cryptograms, picture puzzles, jumbled words, a teensy bit of
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arcade action, hidden letters and phrases, and logical thinking. The storyline
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of THE FOOL'S ERRAND is a charming tale of The Fool searching for the fourteen
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lost treasures of the world which have been disguised and hidden by The High
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Priestess in the four kingdoms of the world: Swords, Wands, Cups, and Pentacles.
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(This review is based on the IBM-PC version; Macintosh version notes follow.)
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The Sun has given The Fool an old parchment map to help him on his journeys,
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but alas, the map has been corrupted by The High Priestess and jumbled beyond
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recognition. In order to complete his travels, The Fool must solve all the
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puzzles in the first half of the story (56 in all), reassemble the map, and
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then, using his skill in ferreting the obtuse clue, locate the fourteen
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treasures hidden therein.
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Originally for the Macintosh, THE FOOL'S ERRAND was and is a masterful blend of
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puzzle-solving and storytelling. The IBM-PC version is as exciting and
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challenging as the Macintosh version, with an added extra: color! The picture
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puzzles, Sun's Map, and indeed, all the puzzles in the PC game are a delight to
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behold.
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Written by Cliff Johnson for Miles Computing's "Arcanum Series," THE FOOL'S
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ERRAND is the best game I've ever played, bar none! Try as I might, I cannot
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locate any offensive quirks or unreasonable logic. Even the arcade action is
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pleasant. The puzzle of The High Priestess, while eyeball-bending, is not
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frustrating. Klutzes of the world, take heart! As a member in good standing,
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even I was able to solve them without becoming a perspiration-drenched bundle of
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nerves.
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FOOL'S comes on four unprotected 5-1/4" diskettes. Copy protection is handled
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by a code-wheel. When you start the game, you're given three pictures from the
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Tarot to align on the wheel; the result will depict from three to five icons,
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which you must then select from a menu displayed on your screen. While the idea
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is clever, the code-wheel is flimsy; without proper care, it won't last long. In
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other words, don't let your pet or children find it. The game can also be
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installed on a hard disk to facilitate gameplay; one and two floppy-drive
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systems are also supported.
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I encountered a slight bug in the installation program, but after some trial
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and error, I was able to get going. (You're never asked to insert the "Puzzle"
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disk during the installation. After the install routine is finished, insert the
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"Puzzle" disk, and use the standard DOS COPY command to copy the puzzles to the
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FOOL subdirectory.)
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Another problem that cropped up will aggravate VGA users. Although you can
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select VGA as your monitor type, when you get past the copy protection look-up,
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you'll receive an "Insufficient Memory" error. No matter how much RAM your
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system has, you'll never be able to play the game in VGA mode. A friend had 2MB
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of RAM and still didn't have sufficient memory to play in VGA mode, even after
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removing all his device drivers and TSRs. However, don't fret: It's not really
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VGA, but VGA in EGA clothing. Simply select EGA instead of VGA, and you'll be
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able to play without further difficulties.
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And, finally, mention should be made of the inability to print out the story
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after the Sun's Map pieces have all been found. Yes, it's on the menu bar (after
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having been grayed-out during the entire game), and yes, it can be selected; the
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problem is, you'll never be able to print it without some advanced magic. This
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is unfortunate since the story contains scores of clues for completing both the
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Sun's Map and the rest of the game. As with most things, though, there is a way
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around this problem: You can always go back and read the story that corresponds
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to the map piece or puzzle you're trying to nail down.
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FOOL'S supports keyboard, joystick, or mouse. I found the keyboard more helpful
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than the mouse, except in several puzzles that require the quick action only a
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mouse or joystick can effect. Fortunately, it's easy to save your game, change
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your configuration from keyboard to mouse (or vice versa), and restore your
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saved position to take advantage of the newly-selected input device.
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All problems aside, THE FOOL'S ERRAND is one heck of a game, and it always will
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be. If you enjoy picture puzzles, cryptograms, card games, the elusive solution,
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and sensory input, reserve a space on your game shelf for this one!
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MACINTOSH VERSION NOTES
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The Macintosh version of THE FOOL'S ERRAND is not copy-protected, and comes on
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three 400K diskettes. There was a modicum of disk-swapping on the 512K Macintosh
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I used, but not so much as to detract from the sheer playability of the game.
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Game elements in the box are the same as those in the IBM version except for
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the code-wheel: None is needed.
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According to the game description on the back of the box, "Arcanum means 'the
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mystery of mysteries,' or 'that secret knowledge known only to the initiate.'
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THE FOOL'S ERRAND is only the beginning." If this indicates what I hope it does,
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Mr. Johnson is busily working away, Tarot deck close at hand, writing another
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enchanting tale of adventure.
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THE FOOL'S ERRAND is published by Miles Computing and distributed by Electronic
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Arts.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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