Author: John Sherry
Producer: C.C.S.
Retail Price: £7.95

The 1984 Cambridge Award Winner: This is a very complex program for four players which actually demands quite a lot of thought from the participants. It is reminiscent of the board game Diplomacy' in that it provides a vast amount of scope for inter-player negotiations. The game is based on Machiavelli's classic chronicle of Renaissance intrigue ('The Prince') and the task is to retrieve a secret object and word and present them to the Prince in order to become his thief adviser. Each of the players has a character on the screen who holds a certain measure of power; for example, Porcus the Merchant can lend money to other characters, while Brother Ambrose can dispense grace. The Prince will refuse to see anyone who has too many sins outstanding, and it's well nigh impossible to avoid committing the occasional sin along the way, such as sending out your henchman to 'hit' another player, or even stealing the objects themselves. Each player has a spy and a thug to help him collect information and hamper his rivals' efforts, but as there is only an initial selection of six of each two, the chances of your men being double agents is very high.

The other players are required to leave the room while you take your turn on the keyboard, and you can leave phony messages around the castle for them, steal their ladders as well as all sorts of other devious tricks. Also, the opportunities for off-screen disinformation are enormous. But one of the problems with the game is that I feel it's unreasonable to expect the players to maintain the pretence and secrecy for the amount of time it takes to play. One feature of the game, for instance, is being rendered 'incommunicado' at certain points, which means that you can't talk to the other players off-screen. I have my doubts as to whether this is particularly practical. Also, the command structure is only likely to be understood by hardened adventure freaks.

But these are only minor quibbles. The graphics and character set are very neat and very fast, and the basic strength of the game as a multi-player experience should not be missed. I haven't really had time to get to grips with The Prince as yet because of its great complexity, not to mention the difficulty of getting four players together at the same time. But saying that, I think this one should see me through most of the winter.

AN AUDIENCE WITH MACHIAVELLI'S PRINCE

Memory: 48K
Price: £7.95

Duplicity, cunning and self-interest are the keynotes of the 1984 Cambridge Award winner, The Prince, written by John Sherry and published by CCS. The title is consciously derived from Machiavelli's handbook of politics and is designed for four players.

Set in a gloomy renaissance fortress the game is a combination of strategy and adventure formats. The aim is to become Loremaster and chief counsellor to the Prince, ruler of this land, and each character must get to the top by any means possible - whether it be theft, kidnap or mayhem.

After engaging the services of henchmen - who can 'hit' other castle servants and characters - and spies who can report on the actions of other people, each player moves around the fortress giving instructions to his staff and trying to secure the tokens which will ensure advancement. Goods can be bought and sold from the castle trader and a banker will arrange transfers of cash. Each player has a passcode which will allow him to take his turn - other players are not supposed to observe this but are sure to try.

Life is not simple since any of the spies and henches recruited may well be working for other player-characters and information may be bought and sold.

The computer keeps track of your money and possessions and informs you of your current position at the beginning of each turn. Input is in standard verb/noun combinations and there is a hidden vocabulary besides the predefined commands for controlling your gang.

The Prince will involve you in much bargaining and chicanery with the three other human players. Alliances may be formed and broken, lying and deceit will be the most normal interactions. An audience with the Prince himself is possible but he is temperamental and will brook no impertinence.

Ten inputs are allowed for each turn so you must plan your strategy carefully. Pictures of the people you are talking to are shown on- screen and the character set is a mock-gothic script.

The game is well-constructed and, since you only ever have a partial view of the goings on, is full of the unexpected. Diplomacy addicts will feel quite at home here as the web of treachery spreads through the palace and it is easy to become utterly absorbed in your character.

A PRICE FOR THE SPECTRUM!

Adventurers often gather together to pit their wits against a common enemy - the programmer! However, in The Prince, you will find a game in which such a group are mutual enemies.

This is a four-player game with a very original approach. The objective of each player is to get hold of four tokens, then gain an audience with the Prince to claim the title of Lore Master. In order to do this, he may call upon the help of a personal Hench and Spy. A Hench, in case you didn't know, is a thieving mugger!

The adventure window takes the form of a sheet of parchment, upon which words are displayed using a medieval character set. The game opens offering each player in turn, a choice of three different characters in each trade. These are displayed graphically and their ability is described in some detail. Right nasty looking characters some are, too!

Next, each player may spend money on a selection of objects, then play commences. Input is in plain English, as in a normal Adventure, but there are some very unusual commands. You may call upon the services of your Spy and Hench to do your dirty work. Thus, you can steal objects carried by your opponents and do all sorts of other nasty things to hinder your opponents. In addition to all this, you may confer with any or all of your fellow players to decide a strategy. You can swap objects or perhaps gang up to plot the downfall of another!

Each player is given his own pass code, so no player is allowed to watch the others during their turn at the keyboard.

I have only two points to criticise. First, you must have four players for there is no option for less. Second, the instructions and rules, which are necessarily quite complex, are printed on an elongated extension of the inlay. These really warrant a small booklet in which they could be laid out in a more easily referenced form.

The Prince is for 48k Spectrum from Cases Computer Simulations Ltd.

THE SMYLER WITH THE KNIFE

MAKER: CCS
FORMAT: cassette
PRICE: £7.95

Any game that takes Machiavelli's famous treatise on gaining and keeping power is going to have to be pretty cunning and underhand, but this very well presented four-player adventure certainly does justice to old Niccolo. Each player runs a specific character, each with different attributes; the landowner can provide protection, the cleric grace, the merchant cash and the tipstaff justice. All four are looking to locate an object and a work that constitute the 'tokens' needed to gain the vacant post of Lore master.

The game takes place inside a castle, clearly as large, if not larger, than Gormenghast, which house 17 non-player characters, the Prince himself, a banker to handle cash transactions, a dealer in all kinds of useful odds and ends and an assortment of henchmen, who can assault and steal from other players, and spies. Each player can recruit a henchman and a spy.

Players are given codes which are need to access their characters and have 10 input at a time. However, apart from grappling with the computer, finding out what you can do, where things are, what use they are and all the usual adventure problems, there's a whole other side to the game, the interaction between the players, away from the terminal. Here, as in Diplomacy, there are no rules at all - lies, deception, betrayal, threats, blackmail, bribery and the double-cross, anything goes. Oh, it's all good, clean fun in Castle Ravenscrag. The big problem of course is getting four people together for long enough, but this could be just the thing for those long winter evenings and miserable weekends. The owner of the game does have a hideous advantage in that playing solo will let you build up a map very quickly. Which is entirely within the spirit of the game.

MACHINE: Spectrum
PRICE: N/A

If you think Lone Wolf sounds different, wait 'till you get a LOAD of the next game - an interactive program for four players from CCS called The Prince.

This game apparently won the Cambridge Award 1984, though I'm a bit hazy as to what exactly that means. However, it is a very interesting piece of software that should be carefully examined by adventurers and particularly those with a D&D background.

The scenario is as follows_ in Castle Ravencrag the Lore-Master has disappeared and is believed dead. By law, succession to this desirable post is by 'presentation of the tokens' - a ritual ceremony in which the applicant begs an audience with the Prince of Ravencrag and hands over the tokens.

Your task, and that of your three human opponents, is to find out what the 'tokens' are, get hold of them, and present them to the Prince. You then become Lore Master and win the game.

Each player takes on one of four characters - Grasper, a landlord; Ambrose, a cleric; Porcus, the merchant and Fernandon, the tipstaff (magistrate to you and me). Each player has certain advantages related to his profession - money, for example, in the case of Porcus.

Having chosen characters the players then take it in turns to recruit help from the Castle retinue and purchase items from Gamp, the Castle trader. During this phase only one player at a time looks at the screen, so other players will not know who is working for you or what you possess. Occasionally, for example, a servant may serve two masters and knowledge of his double-dealings could benefit either player.

Each player has a passcode which he must enter during the game in order to play. This stops other players from cheating when you pop out for a slice of toast and honey - or whatever you fancy.

During your turn you find yourself inside the castle as in a traditional text adventure. You have only 10 inputs in each turn and must find out as much as possible. You can call your spies and ask them to report, or get your less desirable helpers ('henches') to attack your opponents' servants.

During this phase you will find that the vocabulary of the game is rather limited but, of course, it's the same for all four players.

What's special about The Prince, however, is that it is one of the first computer games I've come across that permits intelligent and enjoyable collaboration between the human players. As in D&D you will find yourself involved in complex negotiations with your opponents (or allies, depending on how you deal with them). Nothing is too fair or too foul to be considered - you could, for example, ally yourself with Fernando, find out who his spies are under pretence of helping him, then have your spies knock them all out! You unscrupulous devil you, of course you wouldn't do a thing like that, would you? Oh yes you would...

Like the Lone Wolf games The Prince is very far from being a trad adventure. It is, however, a game that will appeal to adventurers who enjoy a get together and the chance to outwit each other. Again, the White Wizard, while granting this game a place on his now crowded shelf, would be pleased to hear front other adventurers as to what they think of this new breed.

BACK STABS

MICRO: Spectrum 48K
PRICE: £7.95
FORMAT: Cassette
SUPPLIER: Cases Computer Simulations, 14 Langton Way, Blackheath, London SE3 7TL

This should be what all groups of computer adventure game players have been waiting for; but hang on to your cheque books, it's far from perfect.

Given that 90 per cent of the fun in multi-player games is interaction and the remaining 10 per cent is a neat game system that's challenging and interesting, I'm afraid The Prince falls rather short.

The action takes place in Castle Ravenscrag; the Lore Master is missing, presumed dead. Succession to the exalted post, second only to that of the Prince, is decided by tradition with the "presentation of the tokens". Each of the players must vie to create a power base at court and thus guarantee their ascension to the post. The players may chose to be a Landowner, cleric, merchant or court official. The winner is the player to secure the most tokens and thus the post.

The nature of the game is almost identical to a solo adventure game, with some 17 non-player characters to interact with, manipulate and worry about on top of the three other player characters.

Options are there for blackmail, buying, selling, haggling, in addition to examine, look, take and so on, that we are all used to. The individual player characters are distinctly different, each having abilities and weaknesses.

Having decided which of the characters each of the four will play (I should point out only four, no less) and a pass code given to each player, the competitors will privately hire henchmen, and spies and make purchases from Gamp the purveyor of the almost useless! When each has been through this the game will start. Play is as I have said not dissimilar to a standard adventure game, only you know that there are other players moving about in the scenes thwarting you. All the other player characters are inactive during the game turn of another player. Deals may be made off screen, but the instructions given by each player are secret. The effects will be made clear in the fullness of time when something terrible or sneaky happens.

The main criticism is that the player contact is minimal. Obviously in the presentation and limitation of the four player-one keyboard set up, only one player can be active at one time. This game would have been better suited to be saved until Spectrum networking is sorted out and accepted as the medium of multi-player games.

I won't give anything away about the plot any further but suffice to say there are some characteristically mind boggling head benders of problems in it, as with a lot of games. Ploys only work if the computer understands you, so subtlety may not be the best approach - that's up to the players.

If you want to see what network adventure games will look like in the near future try it. In the present form, accept lots of thumb twiddling while you're waiting to play, and put aside quite a few hours - and for heavens sake write down your pass code.

PRICE: £7.95
GAME TYPE: Strategy

Winner of the 1984 Cambridge Awards, sponsored by CCS an Sinclair User magazine, was The Prince, a four player game of strategy and tactics.

The game is based on Machiavelli's book of the same name, which details unscrupulous practices for political survival in the court of a powerful prince. These practices must be carried out carefully by you as you try to collect the secret word and secret object which are necessary to persuade the prince to appoint you as his lore master.

The game necessitates interrelation with the other players, as well as with the spies and henchmen controlled by the computer. Without the help of the computerised characters you are unable to obtain the information you need or the things you want while, without the help of the other players you are unlikely to survive the machinations of life in court.

Of course, none of the computer's characters are 100% reliable, so it is not advisable to take their word in every situation. The other players, on the other hand, are your rivals for the prince's favour, so are likely to double-cross you whenever they feel they can do so safely.

The Prince is produced for the 48K Spectrum by CCS Ltd, 14 Langton Way, London.

Multi-player computer games are frequently little more than glorified board games. The Prince, winner of the 1984 Cambridge Award, was the first to use the Spectrum's potential for hiding information from the human protagonists, creating a mood of mistrust and deceit.

All four players explore the gloomy and rambling castle seeking an audience with the shadowy Prince. Unreliable henchmen may be bribed to hinder or spy on your opponents, information and useful goods can be bought and sold, while off-screen devious alliances can be forged. Compulsive and evil entertainment, nothing quite like it has been released before or since.