Jack in the Dark - A Nightmare Before Christmas

Written by Andy Panthro

You'd think a kid in a toy shop would be happy.

Previously, we had knocked on the door of this mysterious toy shop while trick-or-treating, and definitely got tricked ourselves. The door behind us is locked, and so we take charge of young Grace as we try and navigate our way through this curious place and find our way home.

The toys move around us, the eyes of a jack-o-lantern look down upon us. So much life and yet, we appear to be the only one here. Towards the back of the shop, two toy soldiers block a doorway. Towards the right hand side are the counter, and the displays in the window. Directly in front of us, a large open chest, which seems as good a place as any to begin.

Companions of Xanth – Roc and a Hard Place

By Ilmari

Last time, I had just arrived in the magical world of Xanth. Without any idea what I am supposed to do, I ask my companion Nada Naga for advice.

Ah, the good magician Humfrey. No trip to Xanth would be perfect without a visit to the Good Magician’s castle. Originally a human with no talents, but a lot of curiosity, he eventually enrolled in a demon university and earned a degree of a magician of information. After a long period as a king of Xanth, Humfrey retired into a castle, but people began coming up and asking him questions, since he knew so much. Eventually, he decided to ask anyone visiting him for a year’s service – even his future wife, Gorgon (yes, the one with snakes as her hair and a petrifying look), when she wanted to know if Humfrey would marry him. Relatively recently in Xanth history, Humfrey and his family went missing and the place of the magician of information had to be temporarily assumed by Grey Murphy, magician with the talent of magic nullification and the son of an evil magician Murphy (the famous one with the talent of making things go wrong, if they can go wrong). Humfrey was eventually found in the anteroom of Hell, where he had gone to ask the demon X(A/N)TH release her previous wife, Rose of Roogna, whom he had forgotten due to drinking a lot of forgetfulness potion after her disappearance. Eventually X(A/N)TH conceded, but also returned Humfrey’s all earlier wives (now up to five and half) back to the world of the living. Since Xanth allows only monogamous marriages, Humfrey’s wifes have to take turns in living with Humfrey, while others reside in Hell.

Sometimes the Xanth series seems like one big soap opera.

Game 153: Jack in the Dark (1993) - Introduction

Written by Andy Panthro

The mysterious toy shop.

On this Halloween night, a young child by the name of Grace Saunders (age 8) is lost in the big city. She chances upon an old toy shop, and after knocking, the door opens. Upon entering the door shuts behind her, trapping her in this strange place full of weird, wonderful and downright creepy toys.

Happy Halloween everyone! It’s time for…

What do you mean it’s December? What a strange turn of events!

A very brief introduction.

Yes, while this game is set on October 31st, it was released in December of 1993, as part of a promotion for Alone in the Dark 2. Even the opening image of the toyshop has a Christmas tree outside! So it’s only fitting then that I should play this now, in the run up to Christmas, and with Alone In the Dark 2 not too far off in the future (I guess I have my work cut out for me).

I briefly played this many years ago, but I don’t think I ever finished it. In a change from the usual Alone In The Dark games, this one has no combat, but rather is more of a traditional adventure game, albeit in 3D which was not yet common. This is packaged with Alone in the Dark 1 on GOG.com, and was available in the 90s as part of the CD releases of both AitD 1, and AitD 2.

The toy shop interior, with a menacing looking jack o’lantern in the upper right

I’ll keep this first entry quite short, as this is probably going to be a short adventure (I hope so, my time right now is a little limited!). Our character, Grace, is in the now-locked toyshop, and can wander about freely, with a few objects in view to take a look at. There are only “search” and “close” options available as actions for now, but this does change when you pick up new items. We’ll get into more of the story and themes of this little adventure next time, which get revealed upon searching the area.

So we leave our young character for now. She is alone (apart from the toys), and in the dark (apart from the lights of the toy shop)... Who can guess what the rating will be?

Hand of Fate - Final Rating

Written by Michael

Hand of Fate has proven to be a fun game to play for the blog.  I don’t remember if I ever finished it back in the day (lazy 15-year-old me might have used a walkthrough to see the end) but that’s more a reflection on me than the game.  The commenters predicted very high scores for this game, possibly even cracking the top ten list.  Getting to it, in my usual style, the first few categories are going to be very heavily worded.  You wouldn’t expect any less from me, right?

Companions of Xanth – Man from Mundania

By Ilmari

The plot device

In the deep end, then. I wonder what a complete newbie to the Xanth lore would understand about this discussion of two demonic figures with weird names. And what’s that Mundania they keep talking about?

Game 150: Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (1993) - Introduction

By Zenic Reverie

Soon...

What is the draw to horror? In the intro to Veil of Darkness, I mentioned that this kind of entertainment was not my cup of tea, at least at the time it was released. I enjoyed a good mystery and had some interest in supernatural fantasy, but gruesome and especially gory art turned me away. So, once again, I probably would have passed on this game if the box were the only thing to go by.

Hanging body? weird looking face? no thanks.

The back of the box promises something a little more in line with a thriller than outright horror. A story steeped in voodoo, a generational curse, and unnerving nightmares. It gets my mind racing with possibilities. How were the Shadow Hunters formed? Why do they exist? Are there others? Is the curse triggered by some recent or future event, or has he had these nightmares throughout his life? I guess there's only one way to find out.

Hand of Fate - Won!

Written by Michael

Were you scared I wouldn’t finish the game quick enough?

Last time, I had just landed Wile-E-Coyote style in the Petrified Forest.  And even if it didn’t say it at the bottom of the screen, I would know from the expressions on the faces of the trees.

They don’t know how I can get to the wheels of fate, but I suspect I need to take the path behind them to find it.  But they won’t budge.  So, I check out the Zanthia-shaped hole in the ground, and find one of my empty flasks.  There’s a pinecone on the ground near the trees, and I ask the trees if it belongs to them.  As I take it, they say they’ll make more.

Game 145: Companions of Xanth (1993) - Introduction

By Ilmari

I must have been twelve years old when I picked up a copy of Golem in the Gears from the library shelf. My motives were pretty clear: it looked like fantasy and it said so on the back, so I was bound to try it. It seemed hilarious at the time, with the hero of the story being essentially a man smaller than a frog, riding a monster under the bed.

I can still recount many of the more intriguing sections of the book. Take the time when the heroes were trapped by the evil machine called Com-Pewter (notice the pun?) and had to fight for their fate in a game reminiscent of old text adventures. You see, Com-Pewter could change the structure of its immediate reality with text prompts, and the heroes were supposed to enter their own prompts, with the goal of getting out of the lair in a set number of turns. Noting that Com-Pewter had countered their move of finding a safe passage without any dragons by introducing a dragoness, the heroes made a cunning plan. This time, they stated that they would find an exit with nothing dangerous in it and particularly no egrets, and when the Com-Pewter inevitably answered that there was an egress waiting for them, thinking it would be a mean female egret, the heroes could simply take the egress, which is just another word for exit. Besides, egrets are just harmless birds.

I think what finally sold me was the ending. I mean, how many fantasy books spend time explaining what the Prisoner’s Dilemma is all about and how to solve it?! Being those days an avid fan of the works of Douglas Adams and Monty Python, with their, let’s say, more refined type of humour, this seemed like more of the same kind.

Pepper’s Adventures in Time – One Taste & You Get It.

 by Will Moczarski

Welcome back to Pepper’s Adventures in Time! Last time we managed to make Ben Franklin lose his no-good hippie ways by taking him along for the kite/key experiment. It worked like a charm: lighting struck, and Ben is back to his own self again. Thus, act 4 begins, and the hot tub is...let’s just say it reminded me of this:

Source

I manage to salvage quite a lot of items from this mess: Ben’s backscratcher, his fan, a lever, a stepstool that seems too big for Pepper to carry around, and his paddles. His book of “Hindu Meditations”, unfortunately, is ruined. Being primed by the well-hidden item in the previous act I keep on pixel-hunting for a while before I re-enter the Franklin Mansion. 

The objectives of this act are to 

•  find proof of General Pugh’s dishonesty,
•  rescue poor Richard.

Not a long but a tough to-do list. But as I wrote before it’s really all smooth sailing from here on.

Hand of Fate - Circle in the Sand (or Volcanic Ash)

Written by Michael

That sandwich is well guarded.

So, after my last session, I took a break, had a sandwich (or two or three, it has been a few days since that last post) and I’m ready to hop back into the game.  When we last controlled the young mystic, I was wondering how to pay for my cruise trip and even how to spring my suitor stalker friend co-worker Marko from jail.

The first was surprisingly obvious to me on a good night’s sleep, and the second came just after!

Missed Classic: The Dark Half - Won and Final Rating

 Written by Morpheus Kitami

Welcome to Miriam's Apartment in scenic New York (MAY NOT ACTUALLY NEW YORK IN THE GAME) where we, who are definitely not George Stark, will investigate Miriam's death. There are a lot of objects I can examine here, but I suspect a flowerbed is the only one I can do anything with. Oh, well, inside we go.

No wonder Miriam got murdered, she lives in Vincent Price's apartment building.

I'm not so sure Stark wasn't doing the world a favor, apparently Miriam really likes green. 10 CAPs for your best explanation of why this room looks like this. The couch, the trashcan and the sign aren't really important, but since we already know that the paper is useful, we'll take it. Inside her apartment we go.

Police Quest: Open Season - Looks Like We’ve Got a Cop Killer On Our Hands

By Alex

Oh, baby, this game is throwing the kitchen sink at us. We’ve got rappers! Nazis! Murderous backstabbing women! Shoes! A shoot-out! Pixel hunts! Another dead cop! Things are total chaos in L.A.! What’s a cop to do?

I’ll tell you: stay alive and solve puzzles!

Hand of Fate - In Your Head, They are Fighting

Written by Michael

We could call in Rosella, and the dwarves could give her gemstones as payment for cleaning.  Or, we could just play the first game in this series, and get as many gemstones as we want.

Last time, I had just gotten inside the city gates.  Now, it’s time to explore.

The Year Ahead - 1994

 Written by The TAG Team

Sadly, "It stinks!" could be said about way too many of the games Morpheus has played.

1994 was a year of missed release dates.

Discussion Point: Interesting Inventory Items

Written by The TAG Team

You are carrying: Nothing.

An adventure game wouldn’t be an adventure without a character walking around and picking up anything he sees that isn’t nailed down.

So, what’s the most unique item you’ve picked up in a game?  Or the funniest?  Or the most disgusting?

Maybe something grosser than the mucus of Largo LeGrand from a pole in the bar?

Sometimes, items are homages.  Larry Laffer starts his first game with lint in his pocket because of Infocom games.  There’s a monkey named Guybrush you can interact with in The Longest Journey.

What items stand out in your memory?

Police Quest: Open Season: Welcome to the Jungle

By Alex

Exciting police action! I spent three hours playing, and did a lot of questioning witnesses and gathering evidence and taking notes. I mean, legitimate, real-world by hand notes. I really feel like a cop! I even got to shove a reporter!

No, not in real life, sadly. That was in the game.

Missed Classic: The Dark Half - I am Definitely Sane

Written by Morpheus Kitami

How are things going in the land of poorly pixelated Timothy Hutton?

Beaumont picking a bad time to start up a X Japan cover band.

Well, whenever I reload a game, I'm not sure if the game is crashing, which is a good sign. Seriously, there's an in-game moment before the sequence starts, which is just confusing as hell. There also seems to be just one long music track, which isn't bad, but it's just one for a significant area, it seems.

I pick up all I can from the shed, which is a rope and a flashlight. The way out from the graveyard is left from the start. We're not doing great with area transitions.

Hand of Fate - We Are Stardust, We Are Golden, We Are Billion-Year-Old Carbon

Written by Michael

Last time we talked, I was in a dark cave.  

"My life is a dark room.  One. Big. Dark. Room."

But, thanks to having played the previous game in the series, I already knew the solution:  the fireberries.  Trouble is, I don’t have the hardened skin of King Brandon.  When I try to touch the berry bush to pick a bunch, I’m told they are too hot.

Much like myself.

Ten Years After: The Anniversary of the TAG Community Blog

 Written by The TAG Team

A DeepAI rendition of the TAG offices

The TAG blog is growing up.  In November, it will become a teenager!  But the most amazing thing is that the blog nearly didn’t make it to its third birthday.  The original blogger, Trickster, retired just before the 3-year mark.  This is the story of the ten years that have passed since.

Trickster might have taken on too much early on.  His blog (then called “The Adventure Gamer”) tried to keep pace with the blog that inspired it, CRPG Addict.  But writing about RPGs isn’t nearly as taxing as a well-crafted adventure game, since there’s more plot development to discuss, more unique actions to consider.  Many RPGs involve grinding away at the same skills, exploring lands for treasure, and fighting creatures, sometimes over and over to reach a goal.  

We’re not debating which one is more fun (although we have our opinions).  We’re just saying that one is easier to write about than the other.

Most of the readers of his blog were disappointed when he left.  But some of the commenters also suggested a takeover by the readers.

Perhaps the first to say this out loud was loyal reader Rowan Lipkovits, but others soon joined in the conversation.  Including some names that should be familiar to current readers of the blog.

Another loyal reader and frequent commenter, Ilmari Jauhainen, started to make a plan.  Instead of just one person at the helm, a handful of people would be sharing the duties, so this time, no one would get overwhelmed.  He was soon joined by Joe Pranevich and TBD; and Aperama volunteered to review the next game in the schedule. He made the first post of that review ten years ago today, on October 24th, 2014.

And so began a new era.

The blog was reborn as a community project, with online calendars and email chains helping to coordinate the efforts of people who had never before met each other in person, from all corners of the globe.  Over time, small changes were made to the structure of the blog, like occasional diversions playing “Missed Classics” that were skipped in the chronology of the blog. We've tried to shake up the mold a little. by even having done simultaneous posts with other blogs for games that cross over into both of our interests, such as Loremaster and Lucifer's Realm. We've even had multiple reviewers tackle a game at once -- an unforgettable experiment, one we should really try to do again.

More than 200 games later, we’re still chugging along, and most of the early admins are still involved with the blog, and some of the original reviewers and commenters as well.   

• Ilmari, even as he’s grown up and has more family and work responsibilities, still enjoys playing games for the blog, like the recently completed Inca II.  

• Joe is the father of the Missed Classic, playing the first one, Mystery House, soon after the reorganization of the blog. Over the last decade, he has built up a family in that time, and still stays connected with the blog, around his commitments.  He’s taking a short leave of absence, but will be back in the coming year, if only because there’s no way he would ever leave his Zork and Infocom marathons unfinished.  

• The next addition to the admin team, Will Moczarski, is in the middle of a playthrough for the blog as we speak.

• We’ve lost touch with TBD, but thank him for all the work he did shaping our style in those early years.  Some of us have fun emulating his humor in our CAP distributions to this day.

• The arresting skills of our in-house lawyer reviewer, Alex, continues to this day.  His first review was over nine years ago, and his take on Open Season just started a few days ago.  Unfortunately, that means that Jim Walls has also been a companion on the blog for so many years.

• Other reviewers over the past decade have come and gone, but Reiko and Zenic Reverie have still kept involved, both finishing their most recent games over this past summer.  

• Commenter (and occasional reviewer) Andy Panthro still provides valuable insights, and we hope he will still be able to finish his next (but long-ago scheduled) game on the schedule.

• Our commitment to the holidays remains strong. Next week, Morpheus will continue our tradition of honoring Halloween, and Joe has made sure we enjoy an adventure each Christmas. We've observed many April Fool's Days and other holidays as well.

We’ve injected some new blood into the mix (Admins MorpheusKitami and Michael, and Reviewer Vetinari) and, after a little lull during the pandemic, have just had our strongest year since. This year, we’ve written the most posts since 2019, and have had a lot of fun doing it!

In about a month or so, we’ll have over 5 million views on the blog.  Trickster celebrated milestones like 50,000, but who knew how big the project would grow?

On behalf of the entire TAG Team, we’d like to thank you for being here.  Everyone contributes in their own way; some comment, some write reviews, and others who just read the reviews, well, we need you too!  (Although we really wish you’d comment, just to help us guide our writing...)  Ilmari touched upon it in a blog birthday post back in 2017, but it bears repeating: we are constantly trying to reinvent TAG, to keep it fresh for the readers and reviewers both, and keep it going for decades to come.

We’re getting ready to start picking out the games to be played for 1994 on the blog, and look forward to you joining us.  

Yours in Gaming,

- The TAG Team, 2024 Edition

- Ilmari, Joe, Will, Morpheus, and Michael

Please, we’d love to hear your thoughts about the ten years past and the future as well in the comments below.

Death in the Caribbean - Lost! (with Final Rating)

Written by Michael

This is the only acceptable ghost this time of year.

There’s not much progress to report here.  I found a known bug in the game that prevents me from winning.  Apparently only the C64 version is finishable.  And I don’t feel like starting from scratch in a new system; this game just isn’t worth it.  There’s more important things in life, like waiting in line at the DMV, or getting your teeth pulled.

Still, let me tell you what I’ve done, and what could have been.

Missed Classic 135: The Dark Half (1992) - Introduction

 Written by Morpheus Kitami

Stolen shamelessly from MOCAGH.

Yeah.

Game 149: Police Quest: Open Season (1993/1996) - Introduction

by Alex

Here I go again on my own . . .

Hand of Fate - Long-Haired Freaky People Need Not Apply

Written by Michael

When we last left our whiny heroine, Zantha was outside her laboratory, recently ransacked.  And from the swamp, there were some eyes looking at her, curiously.

Sadly, she didn’t say “Watch it, slimeball” the way Officer Hooks would have.

Clicking on the eyes produces some large lizard monster-looking thing.  Zanthia quickly grabs their tongue, ties it in a knot, and admonishes it for wasting her time.  It slinks away, with its metaphorical tail between its legs.  “Sometimes I have to be strict.”

Kronolog - Won (And Final Rating)

Written by Morpheus Kitami

Welcome to 1942, we have a crackerbox-style house behind us, housing Livingston, our target. There's a rainwater barrel next to Hoffmann, empty because there's no rain, and more cacti on the corner. I can peak in through the window, but alas, the curtains are drawn. I can go to the left, though.

"I've been shot, which is why I'm going to stand like I'm trying to reach a high shelf!"

And it's Livingstone, just after having been shot by Schmidt. Hoffmann tells him not to worry, and to go back to his own time, because he has this. He doesn't quite understand, but does so. If I were inclined to think this game might have a cruel ending, I would think I have just guaranteed that time is a loop rather than things changing and creating new timelines.

Getting closer to the house, it changes to the front porch. The fishing gear and swing are flavor. While I can see in through the windows, I don't see anything of interest. The chest and door are locked. The answer is surprisingly easy at this point, because of that well-known cliche of hiding a key where you can find it if you lose it. Where is it? In the mouth of the fish on the left. This allows me to open the chest, which has a piece of orange cloth with two grommets (those ring things you tie things into, not a noob skateboarder) and nothing else. The key does not unlock the front door.

Death in the Caribbean - How Long, How Long to the Point of No Return?

Written by Michael

Well, this post won’t be as long.  I’ve given up on this session after reaching what was almost definitely a dead end.  And that’s after beating the darn ghost!

This will be less of a blow-by-blow of the steps I’ve taken, and more of just a list of failures and frustrations.

First, going back to the grave to dig up stuff that was stolen from me results in death, from what cause I can’t really figure out.  

Kronolog - No Time to Cry

Written by Morpheus Kitami

By observations of what's noticeable in a scene it is the most visible...but then again, it is supposed to be...

As nobody else really felt like looking up a walkthrough to give hints, it fell upon Ilmari to once again look up the walkthrough, giving me the clue that I should check the electrical box. On the left, with the obvious markings. The game says its suspicious, but when I use it, tells me off. 100,000 amps feels good any day, which caused me to put it under the "flavor" part of the game's environments.

If only I had a pair of wire cutters...

What I didn't spot was that I was supposed to look at it, up close. I can open it up easily, revealing the circuit breaker for this floor. I guess the 100,000 amps was a red herring. I'm not sure what I can do here. Ilmari also mentioned that you should press the dot on the exclamation mark, which isn't a hotspot. This reveals...

Game 156: The Legend of Kyrandia, Book Two: The Hand of Fate (1993) - Introduction

Written by Michael

Way back when, in 1992, Westwood Studios tried something a little different.  They had been known as competent designers of games, in all sorts of genres, but they hadn’t really had a big hit yet, and they were only ever credited as a designer while another company’s logo graced the box.  But their acquisition by Virgin Entertainment opened a door for them.  Now, they were able to distribute and market their own games.  And their debut adventure title was a beaut.  

Pepper's Adventures In Time – Always One Of A Kind

By Will Moczarski

The last time I ended my narration on a cliffhanger, promising a grisly death scene - however, that was only half true. But more about that in a while. When we last left the game we were busy collecting items to build a Leyden jar and subsequently conduct the famous Kite/Key experiment in order to get Ben Franklin out of his cozy hot tub. On the surface of it he promised to help me with my experiment if I topped up his tub with some hot water - however, my secret agenda is to get the man back into science, obviously.

Death in the Caribbean - Ghost Robbers in the Sky

Written by Michael

Hey, it’s almost Halloween!

Last time, I left a little grumpy and stuck.  I slept on it and was able to make some progress in the game.

That’s the good news.  The bad news is that I discovered one of the most annoying game mechanics ever, that, to the best of my knowledge so far, is only in the game to lengthen it.  Or, maybe just the author is a sadistic jerk.  I’m hoping it’s the first choice.  But we’ll get there soon enough.

Pepper's Adventures in Time – Can You Handle The Taste?

by Will Moczarski

Shortly before the ending of act 2 the game switches back to Lockjaw who's still serving time as a playdoll for the spoiled daughter of the Pugh family. There's a brief cutscene showcasing Lockjaw's torments at Ima's hands (and voice, particularly) before we get to take control of the dog once more.