Long before there was Harry Potter, long before there were Lucas Arts famous point-and-click puzzle adventures, long, even, before the advent of the Pentium 486 processor, there came the Spellcasting series from Legend.
Not quite the old school pure text based adventure, but not yet a fully interactive graphical interface, Spellcasting 201: The Sorcerer’s Appliance is the middle installment of the chronicles of hapless student wizard Ernie Eaglebeak, and still remains - to my mind, at least - the brightest jewel of the three.
Playing as Ernie you return to Sorcerer University for your second year, having spent much of the first year either seducing Gretchen Snowbunny, daughter of the campus president, or the young and lusty wife of your kindly old professor, before being whisked off on a quest to save the University itself.
Now, faced with the extra challenge of passing hazing assignments (specifically set by the bullying plegemaster Cowpatty to keep you out of the soon-to-be-your fraternity, Hu Delta Phart) you find you must, once again, rise to the challenge of protecting the finest University in Peloria. (And, hopefully, score a few of times on the way).
Playable in either "NICE" or "NAUGHTY" mode (but I suggest you use naughty, since it's by far the more, uh, fun) you must not only complete your daily hazing assignment in the face of deliberate sabotage - climbing well-greased statues atop hundred-foot-high towers - duly attend all your scheduled lectures and investigate the ancient mysteries of the incredibly powerful Sorcerer’s Appliance.
It's a game that demands you to save often, and use your head,
but it's got some wonderful descriptions in there, and some beautifully done semi-static graphics. The interface can be changed to provide you with the default action and inventory selection menus, and a space to enter your commands, with room at the top for the graphics, or you can lose the menus entirely. There's even - for proper old-school text adventurers, the option to cut the graphics out all together, and work entirely on a pure black-on-white screen.
The fantasy campus is brilliantly realized, from the depicted plaque commemorating the wise words of the founder "WE CHARGE THESE STUDENTS a lot TO BRING MAGIC TO THE WORLD" to the hardcore geeks, sat in the communal area of their halls playing a wonderfully-described role playing game "Malls and Muggers".
O - and you get to make it with just about every female you meet, if you want to and create your own woman (She's called Eve).
You probably have to like adventure games to enjoy it, but if they're your cup of tea, then I can promise you you'll be delighted by this old classic.
But, please - save often. You'll thank me by the end!
