a
the final screen the object is to collect golden keys and gain access to the Glass Lift. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory relates only vaguely to the book and film, and the licence is little more than a way to sell an unsatisfying game. In the same month, August 1985, Century Hutchinson ROBIN CANDY concludes the saga of our released the game based on favourite marketing tool - the contrived tie-in Frederick Forsyth's bestseller The Fourth Protocol. It's an adventure computer game of another of his and. probably because of that, OOK TIE-INS have, not books: War Of The Worlds (46% follows the book's plot quite surprisingly, led mostly to Issue 7). released by CRL, adheres closely. John Preston, an MIS adventures, which recreate to Jeff Wayne's famous musical investigator, is trying to foil a the book's atmosphere of textual rendition rather than Wells's traitor's plan to destabilise Britain intricacy just as arcade games can original text. Clues can be gleaned and bring about the break-up of seem like fast-moving films. from knowledge of the album with NATO by smuggling a nuclear Probably the most famous tie-in the odd musical clue provided in device into Britain and detonating ever, and one of the first great the game. The first few graphics it on an American airbase. games to emerge on the are atmospheric and beautifully Spectrum, was The Hobbft. The ensuing disaster would be drawn (for the time), but the game based on J fl R Tolkien's tale of blamed on America, and the is a poorly-presented adventure dragons, elves and dwarfs. The consequent election of a hard-left with frustrating sudden death its game followed the short novel's Government would ensure main thrill. Considered as a tie-in, story line very closely and careful departure from NATO. The Fourth though, War Of The Worlds is one Protocol (9/10 Issue 19) is played reading of the book could get the of the most relevant and basing player out of most sticky through use of windows, icons and the game on the best-selling situations. pull-down menus - it was the first adventure to successfully use The Hobbit(which appeared the musical score rather than the original novel was a sensible WIMPs in such detail. It's an year before CRASH and so was marketing ploy. exciting game and a sensible tie-in never reviewed) was revolutionary in two areas: graphics and Sherlock (8/10 Issue 9). written which keeps closely to the spirit of interaction. In 1983 most for Melbourne House by the same the original, though reading the adventures were text-only, so programmers as The Hobbit, isn't book gives away no major clues. though The Hobbits graphics based on any specific book by Sir weren't revolutionary in Arthur Conan Doyle but rather on RATS AND MOLES themselves, there was a novelty in the supersleuth's character. It had putting graphics to a quality game. taken many months to program and because of that and The After The Hobbit. the big chain Two issues later, Derek Brewster Hobbif s success, expectations stores insisted that any game they reviewed another adventure - The were high. stocked had graphics, and though Rats (70% Issue 21) by Hodder the text purists complained that Like The Hobbit, Sherlock is rife And Stoughton (a rare excursion this resulted in a poorer game, with bugs but nevertheless into computer-gaming by a book graphics undoubtedly increased presents an excellent adventure publisher, like Century sales. centred on a murder which Hutchinson's with The Fourth Holmes and trusty Watson must And The Hobbit features Protocol), based on James solve before Inspector Lestrade complex character-interaction Herbert's grim horror novel about makes a goof-up of the case and through a parser system maddened rats taking over Britain. convicts an innocent bystander. developed by its programmer. The game roughly follows the The SAY TO command - better Philip Mitchell, called Inglish, the book's story line and gives options used than in The Hobbit- is like of which had never been seen to choose from when input is necessary to solve the mystery. on the Spectrum. The player can required. The object is simple And having played the game at communicate with the other enough- annihilate the rats and length, I find it particularly close to characters using the SAY TO save mankind - but it's a tricky its original source in atmosphere command, though most of the game to play, and documentation and characterisation - it's also time all it results inisThorinsitting is poor, leaving a lot of points fiendishly difficult to complete. down and singing about gold . . . unclear. Still, it makes a good tieLaler Tolkien's great follow-on in: the text descriptions have the Daniel Defoe's Robinson from The Hobbit. The Lord Of The Crusoe of 1719 - one of the same gory feeling as the book and Rings, became two games which generate a frightening atmosphere earliest novels - must be the sum up many of the problems of while maintaining the impression oldest subject of a tie-in, but book tie-ins (see below). that time is of the essence. Automata's adventure version (5/ 10 Issue 10) is distant from the Level 9 and Mosaic teamed up original. It's a gentle satire, with to let loose The Secret Diary Of Crusoe stranded on 'a remote SNOWMEN AND Adrian Mole on an suspecting island in Yorkshire' and trying to public. It was reviewed twice, SLEUTHS get home to sue his travel agent! Derek Brewster giving it 9/10 as an adventure, the CRASH team 86%, both in Issue 23 - a curious Quicksilva's The Snowman (78% WONKERSAND departure from the normal Overall in Issue 3) - one of its last treatment of reviews which ASSASSINS releases before being bought by possibly reflected an equally odd Argus Press - was based on the departure from style for Level 9. book of the same name by Raymond Briggs. The book relied Instead of being in Level 9's Hill MacGibbon's adaptation of on gentle cartoons without words usual text-and-graphics Roald Dahl's fable novel Charlie - as did the film adaptation - to adventure format. The Secret And The Chocolate Factory convey the delightful story of a (63% Issue 19) centres on the five Diary Of Adrian Mole is more a snowman who comes to life for decision-taking game (not unlike winners of the competition set up one chilly night. Beyond its graphic by Mr Wonker Each of the winners Theftafs)where the player similarities, however, the game chooses an action from several is allowed to visit the chocolate doesn't have much to do with the options and the game then factory as well as receiving a original tale, so though it's fun as a proceeds accordingly. It follows lifetime's supply of chocolate, but tie-in it is irrelevant. Sue Townsend's humorous mock there is a sinister motive . . . diary of adolescent tribulations H G Wells wrote The Shape Of It's divided into five subgames: Things To Come, but his in the first four Charlie rescues one closely enough with new twists added to familiar problems. prophecies did not include a of the other characters, while on
GAMES OF THE BOOK
Bi
38 CRASH Christmas Special 1987
Knowledge of the book is helpful but doesn't make the game substantially easier. Virgin snapped up the licence for The Growing Pains Of Adrian Mole (86% Issue 39). Townsehd's sequel, but it was programmed once again by Level 9 and plays in the same style as the first game. It follows the book closely, so knowing it is certainly an asset, but The Growing Pains OfAdrian Mole isn't really very hard to solve. Level 9 managed to provide some of the book's gently, realistically satiric mood, but, as Derek Brewster pointed out in CRASH, Townsend's original is much funnier.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS In March 1986 Melbourne House released the licensed version of The Lord Of The Rings (9/10 I ssue 26). It's worth look i ng at this in some detail, because it sums up the problems confronting any twin. Following on from The Hobbit, J R R Tolkien's eptc trilogy tells the tale of four hobbits and their quest to destroy the one ruling ring of evil Sauron. The book is divided into three equally massive parts, but the game - itself split into two parts - ontyfollows the plot of the first book (The Fellowship Of The Rin<$ from the departure of the hobbits from Bag End to the breaking up of the fellowship. Problems to be overcome include getting over Sam Ford and escaping from the Barrow Wights. You can play any one of the four hobbits at any time, while the computer controls the others. Though this widens the scope of interaction it also makes the game painfully slow to play. In the end I found it best to choose Frodo and leave the computer to control the others. And what could have been a very atmospheric program is spoiled by the odd inaccuracy. For example, EXAMINEing the notice board in Bag End shows that there are some photograph s pinned to it at a time when cameras haven't even been thought of I It's a simple mistake, but one that detracts from the adventure's credibility. I suppose it would have been hard to adapt such a complex tale In a way that would please everyone. Programmers asked to convert well-known books to games face a similar predicament to that offilmdirectors - they have to decide what to leave out. and how to portray the characters. When someone reads a book they build up their own conception of a character's personality and the importance of events. That's why countless attempts to adapt The Lord Of The Rings to the big screen as a live-action film have come to naught (and Bakshi's dubious cartoon rendition doesn't count). The programmers of The Lord Of the Rings game were doomed from