~Discworld 

TERRY PRATCHETT'S DISCWORLD 

Animated Adventure by PSYGNOSIS

Reviewed By Lu Richardson.


A Belgian artist once painted a perfect pipe and entitled his work 
"This is not a pipe", pressumably so that people would not confuse 
it with the real article.  Psygnosis could equally say of Discworld, 
"This is not a game".  Because it is not, though you might think 
it.  It is, instead, pure entertainment.

Those of us who are fans of Terry Pratchett and also into computer 
games couldn't wait for this game to be published - even though we 
knew nothing could compare with the sheer brilliancy of the books.  
I don't know what else everyone was expecting, but I was expecting 
far, far worse.  You know how it is.

But, as is to be hoped from CD-ROMs these days, the graphics are 
great, the cartoon animation even greater (and actually funny) and 
the sound effects, perfect.  But, better still than that, the 
atmosphere of Ankh-Morpork has been creditably captured.  All the 
well-loved characters are there, not a bit as they were in your 
imagination, but so cleverly done that you don't mind at all.  

The game is roughly based on the book "Guards! Guards!", with bits 
thrown in from all the other stories.  If you've never read any of 
these books (and if so, you don't know what you are missing!), don't 
worry.  There are short, sharp, incredibly funny mini-lectures to 
put you in the picture.

As well as enjoying the superb cartoon animation, you will recognise 
some very well known voices indeed.  Actually, I have been debating 
with myself whether the spoken introduction is by Prince Charles or 
David Attenborough.  I'm sure it is by neither - but, at least, I 
could understand it.  In actual play, you can choose to have the 
words written out on the screen as they are spoken but, for once, 
that was not necessary.

It is a pleasure to go from location to location, talking to 
everyone and enjoying the ridiculous conversations.  Soon, you 
reconcile the new icons to the ones that were imprinted in your 
brain from the book accounts, and begin to have fun.

For once, I enjoyed reading the manual and was glad to see that the 
interface was going to be easy.  So I put the CD in the drive and, 
guess what, it didn't take up half my HD.  Indeed, hardly any space 
at all.  So far, so good.

The introduction was tremendous fun to watch and then the story 
started.  OK, enjoy the cartoon sequence when you, as Rincewind the 
hopeless wizard, get awakened and told the Archchancellor wishes to 
see you.  Basically, you sweep the mouse around and find out what 
there is to see or manipulate.  Spy the luggage, fast asleep (you 
cannot reach it), open the wardrobe, get the purse, examine the 
shape in the distance.  Nice backgrounds, huh?  Nice clear screen.

Go visit the Archchancellor and he'll make a request of you.  From 
here on, you go from location to location in a trance, recognising 
familiar characters, feasting your eyes on a wonderful, colourful 
world and having many interesting, not to say downright idiotic 
conversations.  Frankly, solving the puzzles presented to you seems 
to be a minor by-product of your trip through the crazy town.  This 
is why I say it is not a game, but an entertainment.  It is nothing 
like you've played before, even as the books were nothing like you'd 
read before.

Because this product in a class of it's own, don't look at it as 
just the usual frenzied pursuit of the right clue and the despair of 
being stuck (which will happen; its a very, very tough game) - but, 
instead, expect lots and lots of fun.  Mostly, the puzzles are of 
the usual kind - you know you need an item but it's jealously 
guarded, so you have to find a way to get around the guarder.  The 
game is enormous, the number of items is legion... so let us hope 
someone comes up with a solution soon.

I remember playing, oh, hundreds of years ago, The Colour of Magic 
in the Spectrum.  Since then, nothing.  It was about time that Terry 
Pratchett got the PC treatment, and Psygnosis has done it 
brilliantly, perhaps with more than a little help from the master 
himself.  If you enjoy adventures, you must have this one.  If you 
don't, then I can only pity you - because you'll be missing a very 
exceptional work of computer art.

This Article Copyright 1995 of Lu Richardson.
Written for Cheet Sheets Magazine.