It happened long ago in ancient China. It was the basis of one of Earth's oldest religions. The playing environment of Karma: Curse of the 12 Caves stems from an ancient cultural heritage. The puzzles, graphics, and storyline are based on the rich artwork and legends of the Caves of Dun-Huangùsome of which date back 1700 years. Many of the caves and their treasures were sealed in the Middle Ages never to be foundùuntil nowà
A legend tells of a spring placed in the Caves of Dun-Huang by Kuanyin, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. The holy waters of this spring could cure any disease or infirmity. That is of course, until the Demon locked the caverns from mortal men. You are the champion of the Goddess of Mercy tasked to enter the Caves of Dun-Huang and release the healing waters of the Well of Life from the control of the evil Demon. Kuanyin herself, in the disguise of a Wise Old Man and a Lotus flower, will aid you in your quest. May you have good Karma.
Discis Entertainment and Interserv Multi-Media have brought you this top-rate puzzle solving game based on the legends of these ancient Chinese caves. Some puzzles rely on manual dexterity, others on ingenuity, and still others on raw luck (that is, if you get the solution you are luckyùthey are tough puzzles). Overall, the game is of excellent quality if you like puzzle games. There really isn't any exploration, but there is excellent animation with top-notch graphics as you travel from one puzzle to another. There are 6 caves of the elements: Wind, Earth, Water, Fire, Wood, and Metal. When you solve the puzzle of a cave, you receive a special item related to that element. Once you get all 6 items, the 6 secret inner caves are revealed to you (that's 12 total for all you math majors out there). Each of these inner caves have puzzles which are harder than the outer ones, but their treasures are greater as well. Once all 6 of these divine artifacts are won, you have the means to break the Demon's seal that keeps the healing waters of the Well of Life under his control.
The game was enjoyable for the most part but can be frustrating if you cannot figure out a particular puzzle. This is especially true for the first two puzzles because if you can't figure them out, you cannot continue with the gameùyou are stuck. But there's always online hint-mongering, in case desperation sets in. One of the biggest plusses of the game was the variety of puzzles encountered. They address all the senses and should challenge everyone except Indiana Jones (since he was probably the one that found the caves in the first place). As you get to each puzzle, Kuanyin, in the form of the wise old man, appears and gives you vital clues about the task before you. You must listen closely and remember what is said because there seems to be no way for the senile old git to repeat himself (herself?). I would suggest saving the game before getting to each puzzle just so you can reload to listen to the clues given to you. Don't worry, these saved games are only about 250 bytes and considering the fact that Karma itself doesn't take a single byte of hard drive space, filling up your disks shouldn't be a concern.
Even though this is a puzzle game, you can play it over and over again. Most of the puzzles, but not all, either change subtly each time you try them or rely on human reflexes to solve them. There is even a puzzle that relies on how well you listen to music. Don't think that you just crank out solutions and that's it. In some of the puzzles, the Demon that holds the Well of Life is fighting against you trying to block your solution. In one puzzle, you have to draw a line from one end of a board to another. Sounds easy but the Demon is putting up walls that block you. Outsmarting a diabolical agent of the Netherworld isn't as easy as it sounds. Anyway, just about every computer owner should be able to enjoy this game since the system requirements are not particularly high. In short, if you're a fan of puzzles, you'll want to get yourself some good Karma.
