Escape From Dimension Q
Reviewed by Cathy Taylor
Published by Headbone Interactive, Inc.

Age Group: Age 8 and Up Type: Puzzles/Memory Price: $ 19.95 US

PC version requires:
486-33 8 MB RAM, Windows 95, 256K VGA graphics card, Keyboard

Mac version requires:
Version is available.

Description:

In this game you join Iz, a young human girl and Auggie, a slightly manic robot when they are propelled into Dimension Q. Once in this dimension they have to solve puzzles, find the missing agents, find the XD10 probe and launch it to get back home.

Installation

It is very easy to install this game onto Windows 95. There are only two installation options, minimum or maximum installation. I used the minimum installation option to conserve hard drive space but this means that the game takes about five seconds to load even short messages.

Gameplay

'Iz and Auggie Escape from Dimension Q' is a game full of puzzles designed for younger game players. It is your job to help our two friends through Dimension Q avoiding the Q cops and being turned into jelly. The main aim of the game is to stop Iz and Auggie's music from being copied and to find the XD10 probe to get back home. To do this you must unscramble a series of images and messages which Auggie receives, ranging from identifying sounds or sorting out picture puzzles. The games are not easy and each time you play, as long as you use the same log in name, they change slightly. This means that the game presents new challenges. Each puzzle is different from the last. One of my favourites is when you are in the game show and you have to identify what is making sounds that are sometimes played backwards or slowed down. Although the game is primarily designed for children of about ten years old, most of the games are quite hard and could cause problems even for adults.

In-between the puzzles, are short cartoon like sketches. These interludes are repeated each time you play and don't always have much significance to the game. You do have the option to skip the sketches but when you do you quite often find that you have missed some important instructions for the next game.

It is possible to choose where in the game you start. This means that if you are having problems with one particular feature of the game, you can play it as many times as you like without having to repeat all of the previous games.

Sound and graphics

The graphics of the cartoon like sections of this game are very smooth running and clear, but in some of the puzzles graphics let the overall appearance of the game down. The graphics are always smooth running but sometimes too simple and two dimensional.

The sound quality is very good and has to be because some of the games are based around identifying sounds. There is a lot of speaking by all of the characters in 'Escape from Dimension Q' and it is always understandable but the American accents can become slightly annoying after a while. Most of the puzzles in this game really make you think and use your language, dimensional and listening skills. This game will attract young players because of its cartoon appearance, and the games will make them think, but I can't see children returning to it week after week.

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