In conclusion, Frederik Pohl's GATEWAY will undoubtedly appeal, first and foremost, to text adventurers, particularly those who are lovers of science fiction. There are very few restore puzzles, and there are VERY few chances to put the game into an unsolvable state - most of which are in the opening game.

I hope I haven't said too much! Every puzzle you encounter on these worlds, on Gateway, and throughout the game, are logical and self-contained. Try also one where jellyfish-like creatures inside a pond beam dreams to placate a primitive proto-human. Try to imagine one with carnivorous anemones which clear in terror when a giant spider approaches. Imagine a planet where molecular acid takes the place of water, and the spear-carrying humanoid which bathes in this acid. You wouldn't believe how well done these worlds are. While a lot of these extras are of little use and the information contained within is mostly obvious, they nevertheless do add a lot to the overall atmosphere and enjoyment to the game. Akin to the classic A Mind Forever Voyaging, the game comes with a wealth of information in the form of manuals, bulletin boards, and trivia games. There are even occasional MIDI tunes to enhance the atmosphere.

If you have played any game from Infocom before, you should feel instantly at home. The pictures are all well drawn, and the text parser is as good as it comes. Gateway demonstrates very well such an evolution. Mixing text and graphics is, of course, not a new idea in gaming design since its inception, but computer hardware has also evolved a lot since the earlier attempts.

Gateway series pohl