The Meteor, the Stone, and a Long Glass of Sherbet

Author: Graham Nelson, 1996 (IF Comp entry).
Review by Jenn.

Nutshell: Well-written, great story, and it even has a comprehensive help system!

Game Info: (where to download, other games by this author, etc)

You are the ambassador from Duchy, a small country known for excellent craftsmanship and innovation, visiting the Northlands Empire and investigating rumors that magic has been bubbling to the surface. While there you get this feeling that not everyone is as they seem…

This game holds a special place in my heart, it being the first IF game I really tackled with the determination not to leave my chair until I had completed it. Since it has such a thorough help menu, that task wasn’t too hard, but very enjoyable. A great game for beginners in my opinion, and if you’re an experienced player and haven’t tried it then you most certainly need to. While it is possible to be killed accidentally and to leave game-winning pieces behind, as long as you stick to the basics of IF (look at, around, behind and under EVERYTHING and let your kleptomaniac side come out!) then you shouldn’t have a problem. It also isn’t a cruel game, but gives your plenty of time (especially at the start) to look around and familiarize yourself with the game.

Oh, and if you find the trap door, let me know.

Story	9/10	Fantastic story. Believable and yet with a touch of whimsy.
Writing	9/10	Extremely well-written with wonderful woom, I mean, room descriptions.
Puzzles	8/10	You have a good mix of puzzles here, from ones that help move the story line along to a treasure hunt, from difficult to rather simple.
Coding	10/10	Didn't find any bugs or crashes, nor did I look too hard.
Parser	8/10	If "open curtains" does the trick, then why not "open curtain"?
Humor	7/10	Some in-jokes thrown in as well as pure silliness make this game a giggler, but not laugh out loud funny.
Involvement	8/10	Superb--straight away you're drawn into the story, feeling the same as the character feels.
Lack of Annoyance	9/10
Game Idea	10/10	Great idea, even though it could be stolen--oops, borrowed from a quintessential IF game.
Wildcard	10/10	I love this game! What else would it get here but a ten?
Total	90/100	TREMENDOUS EFFORT

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