IF Comp 2013: 'The Wizard's Apprentice' by Alex Freeman
I reviewed the games entered in the 19th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition that I completed within the two-hour time limit for open judging.
Unlike the other Comp games that I've reviewed, this one is not playable in web browsers. To play it, download the file 'apprent.gam' (link is to IF Archive competition listing) and use the official interpreter software (Windows), QTads (Linux, Mac, Windows), or Gargoyle (Linux, Mac, Windows).
A plainly-presented text adventure that feels old without evoking much of a retro feel, The Wizard's Apprentice is straightforward and mediocre. Still, the game holds some interest due to its attempted characterization of a conventional text adventure scenario. The game attempts to use the stereotypical text adventure conventions in a patronized, cute way. Although that attempt fails, the failure is itself somewhat interesting.
The game is implemented in the older version of TADS, and its design and world model would probably have be…
Unlike the other Comp games that I've reviewed, this one is not playable in web browsers. To play it, download the file 'apprent.gam' (link is to IF Archive competition listing) and use the official interpreter software (Windows), QTads (Linux, Mac, Windows), or Gargoyle (Linux, Mac, Windows).
A plainly-presented text adventure that feels old without evoking much of a retro feel, The Wizard's Apprentice is straightforward and mediocre. Still, the game holds some interest due to its attempted characterization of a conventional text adventure scenario. The game attempts to use the stereotypical text adventure conventions in a patronized, cute way. Although that attempt fails, the failure is itself somewhat interesting.
The game is implemented in the older version of TADS, and its design and world model would probably have be…