DISNEY'S DUCK TALES: THE QUEST FOR GOLD

 Based on a recent movie of the same name, DISNEY'S DUCK TALES: THE QUEST FOR
GOLD (hereafter referred to as DDT) is a challenging and educational
action-adventure game for kids. (The IBM-PC version of the game is reviewed
here.)

 You start out in Uncle Scrooge McDuck's office. There, you can read the stock
market ticker, get stock tips from McDuck, and buy and sell stocks, building up
your...um, nest egg. Or, go into the money vault, and watch McDuck do a
triple-gainer off a diving board, into a pile of gold. You can also check out
the map of the world.

 The world map shows the location of treasures hidden around the globe. Position
your icon over a location, and you receive a full description of what's there.
Jump in your airplane and fly around the world, racing to collect these
treasures before the nasty Flintheart Glomgold gets to them. If, on one of your
expeditions, you manage to find the rare mineral "bombastium," you'll have a
matter transmitter that will instantly transport you to the location of your
choice. Well, not always: Sometimes the machine breaks down and places you
anywhere _except_ where you wanted to go.

 Aside from flying the plane, you get to climb mountains, explore caves, swing
from vines (and use animals as living "rafts"), and go on photo safaris. Along
the way, you'll receive help in the form of tips from the Junior Woodchuck
Board.

 Some of this stuff is moderately difficult. I had trouble just flying the
plane, let alone swinging from vines onto the backs of hippos. (As for my luck
with the stock market, let's just say there's a reason I don't put my real money
into stocks.) This probably explains why the game is rated for players age eight
and up. That's slightly disappointing, because I'm sure lots of younger kids
were fans of this movie and will feel left out or frustrated. Kids in the proper
age range ought to find plenty of challenges, though, and enough variety to keep
them busy for quite some time.

 The IBM version of DDT comes with two 5-1/4" diskettes and one 3-1/2" diskette.
The disks have README files on them that contain instructions for hard-drive
installation (just copy the files) and gameplay with a single floppy drive, as
well as the phone number to call for technical support. DDT uses a "code sheet"
for copy protection; use it to translate four symbols into letters (which,
unfortunately, do not form a real word), in order to play the game. 512K of RAM
is required. DDT can be played equally well from either a keyboard or a
joystick. There's lots of music, but apparently no support for any sound board.

 Graphics support is provided for CGA, EGA, and Tandy modes. The screen shots on
the back of the box represent EGA mode, which is colorful and detailed. The
animation is not quite "Disney quality" (as the back of the box claims), but
it's more than good enough for kids.

 It can be difficult for an adult to look at a children's game and decide
whether it's worth buying. With DUCK TALES, you'll get a varied game with a
large "world," and a lot of things to do in it. Parents will be happy that the
game is non-violent and contains a fair amount of educational elements along
with the arcade sequences. I think it's safe to say that if your kids liked the
movie (or just like these classic Disney characters), they'll find hours of fun
here.

 DISNEY'S DUCK TALES: THE QUEST FOR GOLD is published and distributed by Disney
Software.

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