Adventure/erutnevdA - jj52

 Reading the accompanying email this is clearly going to be a challenge

"I trust you aren't dyslexic and can read backwards, otherwise your brain might wilt and die.
instructions are in the game, have "fun""

Since I do suffer from a level of dyslexia (the worst possible name for a condition for people who have issues with spelling) I am immediately in the risk category of brain wilt and death. I bravely face the challenge and load up the accompanying TZX file. 

The game starts with a by-now, well-known flourish the need to RUN to start. Instantly I enter a world of spelling differences. I soon grasp that my kingdom is under attack by a mad wizard and I need to kill him. A strong start to an adventure. 

I'm asked if I want instructions and I type Y and indeed my brain wilts a little trying to work out what "strunctoins: splick glacj oakaoapalalaladimadingdong" means. I am so busy trying to fathom this out I have missed the message at the bottom of the screen "2 Variable not found, 54: 1"

Time to dig into the basics to find if there should be more games or if it deliberately all ends here.

Can you see the issue? This is a good sign of a type-in quality program. 

Correcting the problem I'm back on my way and find myself in front of a tavern. I'm asked if I want to go. I presume this means do I want to go into the tavern so type No and find myself inside the tavern. Checking the code there is no way to avoid tavern entry.

The same is true every time you are asked to enter anything, despite code that appears to be designed to baffle and bemuse the would-be adventurer a lack of looping on inputs means everything succeeds. Clearly, there is a total lack of quality control and playtesting. I can only think of one way to improve the crap quality of this game and I'll keep it to myself for fear of what might arrive down the pipeline.

Technical Ability - 4.2%

The game is written in 35 lines of truly type-in quality basic. It doesn't appear to have been run after writing.

Achievement - 50%

I believe the aim was to frustrate the player by challenging their ability to solve anagrams and then changing the input rules as the game progresses. However much these failed they were compensated by the errors in basic which rendered the game unplayable without debugging.

Fun - 12%

There was a passing flicker of interest at the outset that soon faded.

Crap Factor - 90.2%

This game is a chock-a-block full of crapness.

Roundup

Pros -

• None

Cons -

• Having to type RUN to start
• Having to debug the game to play it
• Being able to type any input

Remember I play these games so you don't have to. Should you play this game I bear no responsibility for your mental health afterwards. Should the warnings not be enough you can download and play it here.