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Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It

By Søren Bang Hansen (IC Run - #10 1987 page 26 & 27)

Det er ikke kun titlen, der adskiller dette spil fra tidligere Infocom-adventures.

NBCMHOTOI består nemlig af 8 uafhængige småspil, der hver især går ud på at gætte klichéer, ordspil, talemåder, ordsprog mv. - altsammen på engelsk. Sproget plejer jo ikke at være noget uoverkommeligt problem, men her er det tale om en klar undtagelse. Her er nemlig for første gang et Infocom-spil, som jeg ikke kan anbefale! Ikke fordi det er dårligt (spil, der står "Infocom" på er pr. definition aldrig dårlige!!), men fordi det desværre er uspilleligt for almindelige danskere. Nord and Bert forudsætter et indgående kendskab til typisk engelsk/amerikanske vendinger, som man ærlig talt kun kan forvente af folk, der er født og opvokset i engelsktalende lande. Disse folk vil sikkert kunne få stor glæde ud af programmet. Alle vi andre, der ikke var klar over, at "here's a pretty kettle of fish" betyder "det er en værre redelighet" osv., må nok se i øjnene at dette spil ikke er beregnet på os.

The Lurking Horror

Lige siden jeg blev optaget på "George Underwood Edward's Institute of Technology" har jeg hørt den ene rædselsvækkende historie efter den anden, om hvordan elever på mystisk vis er forsvundet sporløst i skolens uenedelige korridorer. Derfor følte jeg mig heller ikke helt tryg til mode, da jeg i nat på egen hånd begav mig over til den afsides liggende computerbygning. Snestormen rasede i den kolde november-nat, og hvis det ikke lige var for den 20-siders hjemmeopgave der skulle afleveres i morgen, var jeg bestemt blevet i min lune køje! Lettet skubbede jeg mig ind i den varme, venlige bygning og satte mig foran den nærmeste PC'er, for at tage fat på tekstbehandlingen. På det tidspunkt anede jeg intet om det rædselfulde mareridt, der ventede mig...

Jeg har stadig ikke noget klart overblik over hvad der siden skete, men jeg er overbevidst om at der er stærke, ukendte kræfter på spil her på stedet og min hjerne koger med ubesvarede spørgsmål.

Består rengørings-personalet af zombier? Hvis ikke, hvorfor tager manden i gulv-vokseren så ikke skade, når jeg kløver ham med brandøksen??

Hvad er det for et kutteklædt skelet, der med glødende øjne blafrer rundt oppe over tagene, og hvorfor forfølger det MIG?

Jeg tror professoren i alkymi-laboratoriet skjuler noget for mig! Hans sidste elev blev fundet død ved foden af skolens højeste bygning. "Han var en utilregnelig alkoholiker og stofmisbruger", forteller professoren mig smilende, men det selvmordsbrev jeg netop har fundet fortæller en ganske anden historie...

Kælderen rummer mange glemte gange; nogle hjemsøgt med horder af glubske kæmperotter, andre hjemsøgt af noget langt værre! Hvad kan det mystiske alter med offerkniven mon betyde?.. Hvad er det for en uhyggelig lyd, der pludselig kommer nærmere??... Hvad?... Hv.. AAaaaaarrghh!..

Endnu et mesterværk fra INFOCOM, som nok skal holde dig beskæftiget i de lange, mørke vinteraftener. Nu ER du advaret!

Atmosfære..........97%
Interaktion..........95%
Parser..........95%
Pris/Kvalitet..........90%


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Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It

It's not just the title that differentiate this game from earlier Infocom-adventures.

NBCMHOTOI contains 8 independent short games that each and every one is about guessing cliches, puns, ways of speech, sayings etc. - all of it in english. Language is normally not a barrier, but this is an exception. This is, for the first time, an Infocom-game I can't recomend! Not because it's bad (games with the label "Infocom" are per definition never bad!!), but because it's unplayable for ordinary danes. Nord and Bert assumes such a thorough knowledge of English/American phrases and terms, that only people born and bred in english speaking countries can be expected to have it. These people will probably take great pleasure from the program. The rest of us, that didn't know that "here's a pretty kettle of fish" means "---", etc., must face it. This game is not intended for us.

The Lurking Horror

Ever since I was accepted into the "George Underwood Edward's Institute of Technology", I've heard one horrifying story after the other, about students mysteriously dissapearing in the scool's endless corridors. Therefore, I didn't feel very uplifted when, this night, on my own, I started out for the remote computer building. The blizzard raged in the cold November night, and if it wasn't for the 20-page thesis that was due tomorrow, I would definitely stayed in my warm bed! Relieved i pushed into the warm, friendly building and sat down by the nearest PC in order to start the word processing. At that time I knew nothing about the terrifying nightmare that was in wait for me...

I still don't have any clear view of what happened later, but I'm convinced that there are strong, unknown forces at play in this place, and my brain boils with unanswered questions.

Are the cleaning-personel Zombies? If not, why don't the man with the vaxing machine come to any harm when I cleave him with the fire-axe?

What is this robed skeleton, that with glowing eyes flaps about under the roof, and why does it follow ME?

I think the professor in the alchemy lab hides something from me! His latest student was found dead at the foot of the school's highest building. "He was an irresponsible alcoholic and drug abuser", the professor tells me, smiling. But the suicide note i just found tells a very different story...

The basement holds a lot of forgotten corridors; some haunted by hordes of giant, hungry rats, others by something far worse! What can the mysterious altar with the sacrificial knife imply? What's that terrible sound that suddendly came closer??... What?.. Wh.. AAaaaaarrghh!...

Another masterpiece from INFOCOM, that will keep you occupied in the long, dark winter evenings. Now YOU are warned!

Atmosphere..........97%
Interaction..........95%
Parser..........95%
Price/Quality..........90%

Thanks to Frank Skagemo for transcribing, translating and donating this article.

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Last revised: Fri Jul 30 20:49:52 EDT 1999 / Peter Scheyen <pete@csd.uwo.ca>


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