Producer: Level 9 Computing
Retail Price: £9.95
Language: Machine code
Author: Shaun Abbott and Pete Austin

If Level 9 were in the pop world they would be somewhere up there with The Police because their success is grounded in a deep understanding of their subject coupled with an uncanny knack of always remaining commercial. To stay at the top by standing on old successes is not enough, a fact with which Level 9 are fully aware, and so here we have their eleventh release and it's not only good - it is perceptably better.

The packaging is now a distinctive trademark; large, crisply printed with the familiar Level 9 logo and that substantive, rather expensive feel. No booklet to wade through this time though, only a few concise instructions on the reverse of a stylish drawing, a half-poster size version of the one on the front of the box. Admittedly art work can be expensive, but when it is of a high standard it really does add to your enjoyment of a game (and arty types always liven up a computer project).

Loading up reveals much made familiar by Return to Eden but one aspect is very new. On entering a location a smaller facsimile of the larger picture is very quickly drawn up on the top left portion before expanding to cover the entire width of the screen. The eventual full-size picture appears to be derived from the smaller by an enlargement brought about chiefly by widening the compact version. It would seem this process aids picture design and implementation though I am not totally sure in what way this is achieved.

Familiar features are the type-ahead, which allows commands to be entered while the program is busy drawing pictures, the A(GAIN) command which repeats the last entry, and the use of IT taken as the previous specified object eg, LIGHT LAMP, then EXAMINE IT. One aspect of the game can slow you up should you be a shade clever with the type-ahead. Although the type-ahead can store tens of moves entered quickly and display their affects as you sit back and watch, the need to press SHIFT whenever a location requires more space for the location description rather negates this. So a modifier is to say you can sit back and watch with your finger on the SHIFT key. All the same, this remains a very impressive feature.

The Emerald Isle is not across the sea from Liverpool (if I were writing for a slick, topicality obsessed magazine I could have contrived something about writing this on St. Patrick's Day - but it isn't, quite). No, this isle is set in that peculiar isosceles, the Bermuda Triangle, a land of mysterious fogs, treacherous waters and lots of angles that never quite add up to one hundred and eighty. Now that I've mentioned the word peculiar, it must have some peculiar significance as it is used to describe just about everything on the cover. 'Explore peculiar towns, meet peculiar people, learn the peculiar purpose of the "letters" and travel on a railway which is simplicity itself when compared to BR's peculiar fare system.' Peculiar indeed, but what are these 'letters'? Well, as you go about your travels you bump into the occasional vowel or consonant simply left lying around in your path. A 'W' is discovered cut into a lawn while an 'A' is found hanging in mid-air. Curious, but what we might come to expect from a software team quickly developing an in-house sense of humour nurtured in Return to Eden. Anyway, enough of this Salinger-like rambling and back to the plot.

You play the part of an aircraft pilot employed to ferry urgent documents around the Carribbean. Fierce winds seize the plane over the infamous triangle and you escape with your life at the last moment. As you parachute down to the island below you recognise the coastline of the Emerald Isle from an old map. It is a lonely atoll rarely visited and from which none have returned. It is said only one person may leave and that is the ruler of the land. Success can promote an explorer to King or Queen but failure is suitably unrewarding.

You start off with your parachute snagged on a branch of a mangrove tree, leaving you helplessly dangling high above the jungle floor. Escaping this ungainly (and dangerous) predicament, you fall into a mangrove maze which, thankfully, proves simple enough and resolved on a little wandering. Not far to the east you meet the first of many lengthy descriptions. 'You are on the main square of the tree city, standing on a platform of wooden boards between which you can glimpse the twilight jungle below. Light wooden buildings surround the square and walkways lead away in many directions.' And so the story unfolds with the ticket office kindly supplying a season ticket to take you on from the King's palatial surroundings to the more rugged environs to the east of the island. All is dependable, plausible stuff with the odd humorous interlude to lighten the proceedings. Although few obvious puzzles demand attention, and it is very easy to wander around the countless locations, it would be imprudent to assume there is nothing to this adventure. Too many early objects or occurences are enigmatic to believe you have the run of things (eg, the seamstress with her unfinished garments, or the many inoperative doors and barriers) and if you were to check how you're doing, you'd be alarmed at the meagreness of your score.

The game runs smoothly, oiled by an exceptionally friendly vocabulary and a brevity that allows the first three letters of verb or noun or even just WA for WAIT for the train, and A for AGAIN until it arrives. ENT by itself has you boarding the train and merrily on your way. Other refinements become apparent with much play with the charming detail of L and R turning you left and right. The examine command is particularly helpful, giving a response when brought to bear on almost any object - EXAM TICKET gives, 'Looks tatty. It's valid for any one journey - just present it when you get on a train. It's quite small.' In general, the width of response is tremendous, all is intelligent and often witty too.

The quality of the pictures varies but there are graphics at each location and many are of a very high standard. As might be expected in a game with over 200 locations, many pictures are repeated or only modified so that three or four patterns become quite familiar after playing for a while. I particularly liked the picture of the railway station which makes you feel as if you really are there. The pictures can be discarded with WORDS when progress is then made rapid, aided by a very sure input making full use of the type-ahead.

Emerald Isle is a game which takes all the best aspects of adventuring and moulds them into a huge, yet detailed story which will have you engrossed for hours. It brings a fresh friendliness to the scene as not only is the vocabulary helpful, the structure is most open and even a beginner will find progress easy, interesting and rewarding. If only more adventure houses could achieve Level 9.

COMMENTS

Difficulty: moderate
Graphics: on every location, large and generally good
Presentation: good
Input facility: verb/noun
Responsibility: instantaneous without graphics, a few seconds with graphics but you can type in while graphics are drawing

It's always been tricky to find fault with Level 9's adventures on technical grounds. They have had one major drawback though - the £9.95 price tag! Let's hope that Emerald Isle represents a change of heart - it retails for £6.95. The question is, of course, has the quality of the game suffered? Well, as far as I can see the answer's no; there are still over 200 locations and bags of atmosphere and puzzles.

You are the pilot of a light aircraft, forced to bail out while flying through the Bermuda Triangle. At the start you're to be found hanging by your parachute (nasty Ed.) from a tree on a strange island. Once you've come down to earth, you're faced with the harder task of finding a way off the island - and only the ruler of the land is allowed to leave. The good news though is that the throne is up for grabs - the bad news is that you have to prove yourself worthy!

Every location has long textual descriptions along with a picture filling the top half of the screen. It's a shame but the pictures don't really add a lot to the game and I tended to turn them off after a while to speed things up. The atmosphere is maintained by loads of different messages and you'll get a 'clever' response to most of your inputs. I wasn't too sure about the 'I nearly understand' message though - I'm sure it means nothing of the sort!

If you're a fan of Level 9, then all you need to know is that they've done it again. If you're new to adventuring or if you've always shied away from paying a tenner for a game, then Emerald Isle could be just the introduction you've been waiting for.

Publisher: Level 9
48K Spectrum
Price: £6.95

The Bermuda Triangle is a far call from the more prosaic charms of an English holiday resort. In Emerald Isle by Level 9 you find yourself hanging by your parachute cords after your plane has been destroyed by the strange forces at work in that part of the world.

Around you is the tropical forest of the island. Only one person may ever leave this place - the ruler of the land - and your aim is to amass the treasures needed to attain this pinnacle of social status. When you've collected them you must work out the correct method to become king.

The program is another graphic adventure in Level 9's new style and boasts 200 pictures with a similar number of locations. To be frank, many of the pictures add precious little to the game and I could quite happily have done without graphics showing the bare walls of a room or an expanse of sand.

Despite the graphic overload there are still the kind of descriptions and complexities which adventure veterans expect from the company. Even though Level 9 state specifically that Emerald Isle is an easier game than usual - and costs correspondingly less - the clue sheet still runs to over 500 items.

After extricating yourself from the parachute you make your way to the royal palace in Tree City. There you will begin to get some idea of the way the island operates and should find the railway which can transport you to other parts.

I was quickly befuddled by the vast amount of detail - this initial sense of bewilderment seems to be one of Level 9's hallmarks. There is never a simple progression from one easily solved puzzle to another. You never know whether an item you find will have one or many uses, and the wealth of information helps develop involvement and atmosphere.

The island setting is becoming a classic scenario for adventures but it is not often that you get quite so much for your money. As well as the mandatory volcano, natives, cannibals and coconuts to deal with, you will have to know what to do with carbide granules, ticket machines and lots more.

At £6.95 Emerald Isle is competitively priced and offers a style and sophistication hard to beat. If you're already a committed Level 9 fan you're unlikely to be disappointed, even if it is easier than usual. I'm still trying to read those damned foreign inscriptions.

Before offering the third part of the Snowball trilogy to the world, Level 9 have taken time out to squeeze in a "quickie". Described by Pete Austin as a slightly easier Adventure than their usual style, Emerald isle is £3 cheaper than the rest of the Level 9 range.

The action takes place in and around tree-top cities of wooden buildings, where a contest for the heir to the throne is about to take place. Presumably it is your object to win and take over from the existing king! How you set about this task is a problem in itself, since the rules and conditions don't seem to be around.

But first you must escape the parachute from which you are dangling at tree-top level, for you have bailed your plane somewhere over the Bermuda triangle. Once down, you find yourself confronted by a maze of branches, through which you must fight your way to enter the city.

The usual style of Level 9 text is accompanied by what is becoming the familiar look of Level 9 graphics. These are fast to draw and quite pleasant to look at without being exceptional.

There are two commands, WORDS and PICTURES, which toggle the graphics on and off. I found I needed to use these in a number of locations where the text description was longer than the space below the graphics window. Unfortunately, the words don't stop scrolling when the new message reaches the top line of the text window, so one either has to read very quickly, or type WORDS to be able to follow the descriptions.

I think Pete Austin was being modest when he described this game as easier than usual, judging by the size of the map and number of objects I had amassed compared with my score out of 1,000. All in all, another offering from Level 9 of the high standard we've come to expect.

Emerald Isle is available for BBC, CBM 64, Spectrum, Amstrad, Atari, Memotech and MSX at E6,95 cassette and for BBC and CBM 64 at £8.95 on disc.

PRICE: £9.95
GAME TYPE: Adventure

Level 9 have done it again. Their new adventure, Emerald Isle, is superb. Jam-pack full of problems, pictures, clues and scenarios, Emerald Isle is a definite winner.

You begin the adventure hanging from a parachute, which is the first of a series of tricks played on the experienced adventurer. Surely you have been here before, some other time, some other game? Escape from the parachute leads to a maze. Again, experienced adventurers will cry "Easy", but a little too soon. You see, there is no way of mapping this maze, objects dropped within it are lost forever, and your compass is no use at all.

The game appears to adapt itself to your skill level. For example, everyone who plays adventures frequently knows that you do not go into the dark without a light. Beginners will stumble blindly through, and find themselves on the right track again.

The scope of the game is enormous. Leave the jungle, cross the city, take a train journey and then venture through the mountain and you could still only have scored 30/1000.

Emerald Isle is a brilliant adventure, buy it at once. Produced for the 48K Spectrum by Level 9 Computing, 229 Hughenden Road, High Wycombe, Bucks.