Starcross

Somewhere near the asteroid Ceres, Infocom's first all-text science fiction adventure makes the jump to hyperspace: computer game becomes computer fiction. Somewhat easier to solve than Zork, not as technically innovative as Deadline, Starcross still presents enough puzzle-solving challenge to keep the practiced adventurer intrigued, but its greatest strength is its wellstructured novelistic plot.

It's 2186. You're tooling around the asteroid belt in your prospecting ship when your instruments record a mysterious mass nearby. After navigating your way to its vicinity, you find yourself wandering the labyrinthine corridors, ravaged zoos and mysterious laboratories of a seemingly derelict interstellar artifact.

What is this huge alien ship? Why did it seem prepared to welcome you? What are the uses of the 12 colored crystal control rods you find scattered here and there? Other alien explorers have tried to find the answers before you, it seems. You come across the results: eternal boredom, violent tragedy, reversion to barbarism. How did they fail, and what had they tried to do? Will you be the one to meet the challenge?

Starcross proves once again the versatility of Interlogic's multiple-command structure, full sentence recognition capability and extensive vocabulary. Though many story features are repeated here, Starcross is more than Zork in Space. Great care has been taken to present an alien world as if you are, in fact, the first human being to pay a visit. Though most puzzles ask you merely to find the correct use for the various objects you come across, rather than demanding the execution of a complicated series of interactive steps, there's a clever rationale behind each clue. Many can only be understood by imagining the alien mind that constructed them. Others call for the application of basic real-world scientific information, like atomic numbers and the laws of thermodynamics. Though most of the spaceship can be quickly mapped out without obstructions, there are still plenty of surprises in store.

Starcross is a science fiction, all-text adventure game that continues to offer the quality and enjoyable features expected of Infocom, including the excellent Save-game capability, command parsing, and vocabulary. It's long ago and far away, when suddenly the strident alarm of your one-man spaceship advises you of an uncharted mass in space. Naturally curious, you rendezvous, map the eighty or so locations of the game, and encounter remnants of an earlier alien civilization, including their advanced technology, religious superstition, and past tragedy.
With a few exceptions, the puzzles are more of a singular nature than the interactive kind. While the game is somewhat less difficult than its predecessors in the series, there is a relatively difficult sequence which involves obtaining one of the twelve differently colored control rods. Thereafter, it becomes a matter of following through on the logic of the game, placing the rods in appropriately colored slots, and devining the real purpose of your presence. With luck, you will be accorded the salutation of Galactic Overlord.
Unfortunately, the game ends at its high point, where suddenly everything comes together and all becomes clear. This final scene could have been the basis of a game itself. Along the way, there are several clever side issues; for example, the Ray Gun may be fired at just about anything. Most responses are unique, and frequently have a humorous twist-even when you end up getting killed. Throughout, the true use of the Ray Gun, which is required to successfully complete the game, is neatly disguised.
While the prose is less expansive than in the Zork series, the plot and storyline are excellent. Like a good book, Starcross stimulates the imagination by not entirely explaining what happened in the generations during which the huge artifact has drifted. It is almost a shame to waste the story on kids, who will simply enjoy it for its puzzles, and who just might embarrass Dad with some questions about the periodic tables, Newton's Third Law, and solar system basics.

Overall rating :	A	Controllability:	A	Error handling:	B
Game concept :	B	Skill involved:	A	Documentation:	A
Creativity:	B	Challenge:	B	Holds interest ?:	A
Game depth :	B	Graphics:	N/A	Value for money:	A