Producer: Micromega
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £6.95
Language: Machine code
Author: Derek Brewster

Kentilla is Micromega's first step out (from the realms of 3D) into lands shrouded with mists where things rumble in the night. They have apparently done so with due care and consideration of the market and with an author who, though fortuitously adept at high quality arcade games, holds text adventures as his first love. Ideally, Kentilla should have been included in the Adventure Trail, but that would obviously have been very unethical of us since the authors are the same! Micromega describes Kentilla as a richly devious adventure and it is very much so.

The setting is Caraland (the mythical home of Derek Brewster). Grako has returned from the flames of the Abyss after a corridor was opened for a few short seconds as Velnor's soul was hurled through the void to the flames. Grako has taken residence in the Black Tower and now has within his grasp the Moonstone of Aigrath, the source of Velnor's power. The scene is nicely set on the Inlay card and links neatly to Derek's earlier adventure Velnor's lair (Quicksilva).

The story starts off for real in front of Ogeron's house with exits North, West, East and South through a door. What now?

As a reviewer of adventures Derek Brewster has been apparently working out a universal means of making adventures more accessible and friendly to use, and in Kentilla we can see much of this at work. There are good location descriptions throughout and they generally tell you what you need to know but, as one might expect, EXAMINE is widely used to reveal much more than is instantly apparent within a location. This is most richly used in conjunction with the graphics which are not just pretty adjuncts to brighten up the page, but contain real clues. So, for instance, on entering a hall, and in need of a torch (these aren't to be found left lying on forest paths) it is worth taking the graphic which shows the walls dotted with burning torches quite seriously. EXAMINE WALL results in a piece of vitally interesting information - the text verifies what you see, and TAKE TORCH reveals that you are now carrying same.

The graphics throughout carry this idea on and it adds a new dimension to the classic style adventure where the first thing to do, presuming there are no savage creatures about, is to start asking questions about what you see as well as read. In themselves, the graphics are small but neat and to the point, avoiding useless wastage of memory.

Kentilla is an interactive game. Life carries on with or without you and in moments of indecision the WAIT command can be useful. The interaction also allows conversations with other characters, all of whom have a life of their own and may choose to be helpful or not. At the start it is comforting to discover that Ogeron (despite the dubious name) is quite friendly and indeed hands you the sword Kentilla which you so desperately need. Another pleasant creature is Elva, who, with her ability to carry so many things, is all too easily treated like a packhorse after a few locations. These characters may be spoken to by using quotes as in SAY TO OGERON "GIVE ME SWORD".

Another element which is unusual is the text editor which is there to aid input. Using CAPS SHIFT with some of the numeric keys allows the player to delete character to the left of the cursor, insert a space, move cursor left or right and recall the last command. As the insert points out, this last command can be conveniently used in lengthy battle sequences where KILL URGA may rapidly be changed without retyping everything into EXAM URGA.

So much for the techniques, what about the game. The object is to return Grako to the place from whence he came, the flames of the Abyss, and it is your task together with the sword Kentilla. It is packed with devious problems and will take the experienced adventurer a long time to get right through it. Lateral - even on occasion some unpleasant - thinking is required to overcome a number of thorny problems. Right actions can make friends of enemies who may then do things for you that you are unable to do. One thing you are able to do in Kentilla is LOOK. This useful command can have a similar function as EXAMINE, for example, LOOK IN CHEST but it may also be employed for seeing ahead before making a move as in LOOK EAST. Just LOOK on its own will redescribe the location. It may seem a small point but the direction LOOK command adds an element of immediate strategy to Kentilla and spotting some dreadful Urgamaul before leaping into its location can leave you prepared for fight or flight.

Kentilla is a very good adventure which offers the right level of difficulty so that you can wander around for a while without attempting to solve the quest thus acquainting yourself with Caraland and its inhabitants and learning how to interact with them. This is required quite frequently and first impressions of characters, aggressive or passive, can be, and are often intended - to be misleading. A word of warning - Kentilla is also a very, very long adventure to play through, not because it has thousands of locations but because you will need to retrack, deviate, return and revisit all the while - there is no straightforward linearity here. And this is not just a case of that old adventure problem, the amount of objects you can carry, since Elva, poor thing, is as strong as an ox. The only drawback we discovered was inputting. The computer seems to accept each letter typed in a little slowly with the result that you can trip up over letters when typing in commands, although the sophisticated text editor helps here - but perhaps it is the very sophistication that has slowed acceptance. It's a small point, however and to be borne in mind when typing fast in battles!

Kentilla is a sure winner as an adventure with many devious problems which should keep any adventurer busy through the coming winter months and it's excellent value for money. Just one tip; your loyal sidekick can be very helpful when giving and taking things.

Robin Candy & Roger Kean.

Difficulty: difficult almost from the start, but presents an always attractive challenge
Graphics: above average, small but important - a rare thing
Presentation: good
Input facility: a trifle slow but very user-friendly, full sentence
Response: Fast
Special Features: character interaction and conversation

FAX BOX
Game: Kentilla
Publisher: Mastertronic
Price: £1.99

An ever-popular title now a couple of years old, Kentilla still features regularly in my mail-bag of queries. So, if you haven't given it a go then at this budget price you should take the plunge - secure in the knowledge that there's plenty in there to fox you. The instructions are boldly headed 'The Aim Of The Game,' but they only list the commands and the like. For the aim itself you have to enter Ogeron's house, outside which you begin the adventure. Ogeron gives you a sword, saying it's the sword of the great warrior Ashka, then he tells you that someone named Grako is held out in the Black tower so off you go as the fate of the world lies in your hands and time is short. So too are the location descriptions, while the graphics are definitely from the minimalist school of art.

Dave: Kentilla is a text and graphics adventure by Derek Brewster, and a follow-up to his very successful Velnor's Lair. The story follows on from the previous adventure with 'baddie' Grako taking over from Velnor; he's hungry for the Moonstone of Algrath the source of Velnor's power. Mr Brewster writes an adventure column for a certain Spectrum games review magazine, where he gives each adventure a rating under five different headings. It seems fair, therefore, to rate his own adventure in the same way.

Atmosphere:The graphics are good but, as Derek has himself said, most graphics are no substitute for good text; his are no exception.

Vocabulary: Kentilla has a very good input editor which behaves rather like the Basic line editor.

Logic: After some three hours of play I was still stuck within a 10-location section, while trying everything I could think of to progress. I must have missed something but either it's too obvious to notice (if so, then apologise to Mr Brewster) or it's completely illogical.

Debugging: Very good.

Overall: I'd have expected something better from someone who tells people what's wrong with their adventures. 2/5 MISS

Ross: A reasonable enough adventure with good edit and recall facilities. I didn't like the way it lists out objects, exits and so on. and the puzzles were a bit too puzzling for me. 2/5 MISS

Roger: Is our hero's surname meant to be Livingstone or do we need to move further North and interpret this as a mystical allegory on a quiet day at the National Union of Miners? Did Grako cross picket lines when he returned to the abyss? Am I mad? 4/5 HIT

WIZARD SHENANIGANS

Memory: 48K
Price: £6.95

Most adventurers will find themselves at home in the world of Kentilla a new mixed text and graphics game from Micromega.

Caraland is a place of magic, strange beings and heroes. A vile wizard, Grako by name, rules from his dark tower and spreads evil and destruction abroad. He possesses a moonstone, the source of his power and unless he can be defeated he will become undisputed ruler of Caraland.

Your role is, naturally, that of the budding hero and you must explore the scorched wastelands, caves and forests to find the means to defeat Grako. Urga-mauls, the local orc equivalents, will treat you with scorn and violence and you may be able to get help from Elva, a creature or person who will follow you rather like Thorin does in The Hobbit.

The overall plot is familiar and takes bits and pieces from many adventure sources. Indeed, Velnor himself - remember Velnor? - gets a mention in the credits.

The insert tells you straight away that the game is devious and gives little clues as to how best to progress in Caraland. The game is described as interactive and the varied beings will react to you in quite understandable ways. The amiable cavezats - rather ponderous cavern dwellers - will treat you amiably until you attack and will then go all out to slay you.

Speaking to characters may get results but they do not appear to be overly responsive. The graphics are clear and colourful and almost instantaneous, whilst the interpreter will accept a wide range of input.

There are a number of useful features - such as recall of the last command - and the cursor can be moved through an entry enabling swift correction. Despite those features the game seems slow moving and it is all too easy to spend time getting hardly anywhere at all. That is an obvious disadvantage and may well mean the program is just too devious for the average adventurer. Time will tell.

Also this month for the Spectrum, a very impressive offering from Micromega of Code Name Mat and Full Throttle fame. This is their first adventure, called Kentilla, and it is well worth a place on anyone's shelf.

Armed with the legendary sword Kentilla, you must destroy Grako and rid the land of evil. There are some very attractive (though rather small) graphics, and you will be accompanied by at least one other character on your travels.

Kentilla has a reasonable vocabulary, simple input that nevertheless stretches occasionally to allow interaction with other characters, and a very good feel to the game. You'll meet some unusual creatures (well, their names are pretty unusual) and have to do quite a bit of sword-wielding to get anywhere. You'll also have to be very cautious because death is never very far away. It's good to see another company entering the adventure market, and Kentilla is a very worthwhile first attempt - come on, Micromega, let's have another.

Kentilla has the misfortune to be in the same review as Hampstead. It is less compelling, but only just! The aim of the game seems to be to match twisted minds with the author. Maps have a tendency to work one way, if then. The topology of this world is quite something!

I still have a preference for some sort of visual input to help me think - only in this does Kentilla rate more highly than Hampstead. One of my friends was not impressed by the SCREEN$ but the rest of us beg to differ! As you go through the game you find more and more that apart from the excellence of the loading screen in its own right, Image Systems have chosen a scene that brilliantly evokes Derek Brewster's world.

The input routine is a little unusual and has some very useful features, especially the use of EDIT (CAPS SHIFT 1) to recall the previous command - other programmers please copy.

Back in the Mists of Time Grako wrought his evil and was vanquished, and was returned to the flames of the Abyss. The world rejoiced... Too soon - for Velnor found the Tomes of Grako and, using these , brought evil again to the land. He, too. was consigned to the flames - but Grako escaped with the Moonstone of Algrath... the cassette insert carries on like this for quite some time.

To continue the story ...

For all the menace of his name, the first character met, Ogeron, is a nice guy, hung up on the thought that he has to trust your's truly to save the world! Maybe he has a point there! Apart from his gift of the sword, Ogeron offers some necessary background information: the evil Grako has moved into the Black Tower - shown in the distance, beyond the vile swamps of Caradoom on the loading screen - and is discovering the secrets of Velnor's power. Unless I can reach the Tower and stop Grako the world will enter eternal darkness!

The order of events in the Cavezat cavern is crucial, since Cavezats dislike thieves and will not allow one to leave; benefactors, on the other hand, are extremely well treated (just find THE TORCH in that well-lit cavern and anything available is your's for the taking).

The river can, and must, be crossed... there is no boat, so do the logical thing - swim! Again, careful attention to detail gets the desired results, much depends on the exact word used. Two interesting, if completely useless facts - the sword floats, and the rope catches up in an invisible tree. The rope you can regain, but the sword vanishes forever down the rapidly flowing river.

In Carawood there is an Oracle which has a message for you. If you explore this strange wood and the adjacent swamps you will also find a castle and a maiden to save. You can avoid death at the hands of the Urga-maul in their caverns. In order to do this, the best idea is to arrange to be somewhere else as soon as they open the door.

Avoid ambiguity and be as precise as possible - for instance, since you cannot be sure that your first blow will end the fight, "kill", though valid in so many adventures and in Role Playing Games similar to this, is not accepted here. No need to despair, though, "attack" serves quite well! As with The Hobbit, life goes on whether or not you do anything. The correct actions, if you can think fast enough, can change alignments, making enemies into friends, which can be more useful than hacking your way through with your trusty sword!

This is not an adventure to complete in an evening - it could take weeks, or even months to plumb its depths, so Happy Adventuring, and Good Luck! More Adventures in Caraland please!

Mastertronic
£1.99

One of the nice things about budget software is that it gives you the chance to catch up on some full price games of yester year that for some reason or other you missed at the time. One such title is Kentilla, a little gem of an adventure that has just been re-released.

On the face of it, the game does not appear to be anything special. There is the usual sort of quest of defeating the evil Grako with the magic sword Kentilla, but believe me, it is a quest that will take some attaining. To start with, you are given very little information about your task, but must find out as you go along. You will also need to backtrack considerably, re-visiting previously explored locations.

Another feature of the game is that you will need to talk to a lot of characters. If they are friendly, they will help you wherever possible. If not, well it depends how they feel. The characters are many and varied. Urga-mauls are nasty in the extreme and the rattling quarg also seems to attack you without provocation although you should get considerably more joy out of the family of cavezats. These cavezats are a right homely bunch with descriptions such as fat, ugly, chief, thin and small. There is seemingly very little lying around and everything must be examined carefully.

There are some small illustrations to accompany certain locations and location descriptions are by and large sparse but for all that, the game evokes considerable atmosphere. And at only £1.99, Kentilla has got to be one of the adventure bargains of the year.

Kentilla, by Derek Brewster, is for the Spectrum and has multi-word input and graphics. But more thought has been put into this one than many and so it does not merely look pretty, it also plays well.

The plot is that Grako has some grand designs on Caraland, your homeland, and will do anything to get it. As usual, it is you who must get rid of the threat and Grako is a big threat (why, for once, couldn't someone else do the dirty jobs and let me stay at home?!)

As you enter Ogeron's humble abode, and before you have time for so much as a jug of beer, he is at you, telling you to take the great warrior Ashka's sword and go to the black tower to crack some heads! Well, he could have offered a small drink just to wet my lips.

Instead I was thrown out with only a sword.

Whilst travelling around Caraland I bumped into some rather nasty characters called Urgamauls whose main interest in life seemed to be cutting great chunks out of me. In the Urgamauls' cave there is a dungeon in which I always ended up. In there is a woman called Elva who decided to join me in my quest once I had figured how to get out. I still blush whenI think how simple the escape is and yet for ages I overlooked the obvious!

I next came across the Cavezats who are a nice friendly bunch unless you steal from them. I was lucky and one of them joined me, too. By now I was building up quite a merry bunch of followers.

Oh, by the way, a word of warning. The Cavezats' table manners and food requirements are really far out!

I have not yet reached my objective but very soon, have no fear, I will kill the evil Grako or my name's not the Pink Fairy!

Kentilla is, in my opinion, a very good game and has many problems to keep you coming back in the small hours to solve. The graphics add to the text descriptions very well and make everything more realistic. The puzzles are hard in places, but if a few weeks' hard work does not put you off a game, then you are in for a treat. Kentilla is steadily becoming one of my favourite pastimes - let it become one of yours!