CONQUESTS OF CAMELOT: THE SEARCH FOR THE GRAIL

 I should mention right away that I'm a sucker for Arthurian Legends. Something
about them strikes a chord deep within me, and no matter how many different
versions I encounter, if the tale is well-told, it gets me. Looking back, I
remember that one of the first books I read was about King Arthur, and to this
day, I still follow a fair amount of the literature associated with him. When I
travelled to England, I made a point of visiting not only Stonehenge, but
Glastonbury Abbey, Glastonbury Tor, and the possible site of Camelot. My
familiarity and love for these stories makes me all the more hypercritical of
those who _don't_ relate the story well.

 So how do I react to Sierra's "3-D Animated Adventure Game"? With a big and
heartfelt "Wow!" It's obvious that the game's designers and programmers feel the
same way as I about Arthurian tales. (This review is based on the IBM-PC
version; Amiga version notes follow.)

 You probably know the story as well as I. In Christy Marx's CAMELOT, England is
under a blight, and can be saved only by finding the Holy Grail. The three
boldest knights (Gawaine, Galahad, and Launcelot) all set out in search of the
Grail, but not one has been heard from. Now it falls to you, King Arthur, to
find the Grail, or else watch your kingdom wither and die. So explore Camelot,
gather the possessions you'll need for your journey, and don't forget to stop in
the chapel: Unless you appease the Gods (both Christian and pagan), you won't
even get across the moat. And if you make the right offerings, you'll be granted
visions to guide you in your quest ahead.

 An important factor is that once you've actually left Camelot, you won't be
allowed back inside the castle until the quest is completed. So if there's
something you need that you've forgotten, you'll have to begin the game over
again from a point at which you're still inside the castle.

 Of course, the world outside your castle is a dangerous place. You have your
horse and armor and Excalibur (for part of the quest, at least), and other
weapons may be picked up along the way. Be prepared for swordfights, jousts,
wild animals, and supernatural beings to pop up anywhere along the quest. And
you'll have to be good at answering riddles -- the old-fashioned kind, presented
in poems that point to logical answers.

 You're only allowed to visit places in England that will actually further your
quest, but these visits still consume plenty of time. Many of the sequences look
and feel "right," although Glastonbury Abbey is pictured as it appears today (a
series of ruins), rather than the way it must have looked a thousand years ago.

 One odd element in this adventure is that about halfway through the game, you
have to leave England and head for the Middle East. At this point, you could
just as easily be a hero named "Bruce" -- the tangent has nothing to do with any
King Arthur legend I've ever encountered. Some players may therefore consider
these sequences a drawback, but I found them very well done, and every bit as
enjoyable as the earlier, more "authentic," scenes.

 In the Middle East, you must make it across the desert, and fulfill a
moderately difficult quest in the city's bazaar; this quest involves discovering
the "heart's desire" of all the merchants in the marketplace, and then finding a
way to fulfill each secret wish. You also must explore a series of deadly
catacombs until an encounter with Aphrodite herself finally points the way to
the end of the adventure (as well as the almost-obligatory sequel).

 Everything about this game package exudes quality, from the raised lettering on
the box to its overstuffed contents: There's a 30-page "Liber ex Doctrina," a
wall map of Europe circa 800 AD, (count 'em, _ten_) 5-1/4" diskettes, and four
3-1/2" diskettes (not to mention assorted items like the 48-page Sierra catalog,
and a well-written information sheet about sound boards). These diskettes are
not copy-protected in any way, and may therefore be copied to your hard drive.

 The manual and map are important elements in the solution of your quest -- and
not just because of the two-page walkthru that helps you get started. You'll
also need to know "The Message of the Rose," "The Language of the Flowers," all
about the six Goddesses, and the mythology of Aphrodite. This necessary
information is detailed within the manual; the adventure is impossible to
complete without it.

 Graphics support is provided for Tandy Graphics, CGA (grayscale only), EGA,
MCGA, VGA, and Hercules Monochrome. In VGA mode, the graphics themselves are
nothing to get excited about -- they're good, but not great; however, graphics
fill up the entire screen, making it easy to "see" everything you need to see.

 When you type, or when a character speaks to you, windows open to contain the
dialog. The animation is first-rate, down to every detail: When your characters
"talk" (when a dialog window opens), their lips move! The program also accepts
various types of audio support: the Roland MT32, AdLib, Game Blaster, and IBM
Music cards, as well as "other music synthesizers."

 You can play CAMELOT via the keyboard, a joystick, or a mouse; the mouse is
easier than in several other graphic adventures I've tried. Here, you position
the onscreen arrow and click where you want your character to walk (or ride) to;
click again after arriving, and you'll enter the room or town (or dark and
perilous forest) at that location.

 Aside from the usual problem-solving tasks, several arcade sequences are
incorporated, as well. Combat skills take a little while to fully master, but
the game's interface allows you to adjust the speed and difficulty of these
sequences so that they're not insurmountable obstacles.

 Clearly, Marx has done her homework (as indicated by the exhaustive
bibliography provided). In the introduction, she explains that she brought in
elements from other mythologies to "create a blend," and that her goal was to be
true to the spirit -- more than the letter -- of the tale. Some might argue that
she ultimately strays a bit too far. But the quality of the game itself never
suffers, and the second half is, if anything, even more challenging than the
first.

 While fans of the Arthurian legends will obviously want to check this game out,
I don't believe that a love of those tales is a prerequisite for enjoyment of
CONQUESTS OF CAMELOT. Anyone who appreciates a good animated adventure game will
find that CAMELOT has a lot to offer, on many levels.

 AMIGA VERSION NOTES

 Sierra On-Line has so advanced its ability to convert games to the Amiga format
that gamers can feel free to buy with confidence virtually any of the company's
new releases. CONQUESTS OF CAMELOT: THE SEARCH FOR THE GRAIL is no exception.
Sierra On-Line is turning out games that take considerable advantage of the
Amiga's admirable sound and graphics capabilities, and such is the case with
CONQUESTS.

 But there is a tradeoff for all the graphic and audio splendor that Sierra
squeezes into its Amiga conversions. CONQUESTS is shipped on six floppy disks,
which means you'll have to do some considerable disk-swapping, even with a
second disk drive attached. But the game isn't copy-protected, so you can easily
install it on a hard disk. CONQUESTS runs on A500s, A1000s, A2000s, and A3000s
with at least 1Mb of RAM. Kickstart 1.2 or higher is required.

 Some gamers have complained that the graphics on the latest Sierra Amiga
conversions aren't up to par. That doesn't seem to be the case in CONQUESTS: The
graphics should please even the most demanding players. The music in the game is
soothing and some of the sound bites are fun. There was the nifty stomping of
the king's horse romping through the castle courtyard, and the clang of an iron
gate opening was a treat. It also was neat to hear the soft jingle of coins
being dropped into the king's purse by the castle treasurer.

 CONQUESTS is another fine Amiga conversion by Sierra, certainly worthy of the
highest consideration.

 CONQUESTS OF CAMELOT: THE SEARCH FOR THE GRAIL is published and distributed by
Sierra On-Line.

*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253