THE FAERY TALE ADVENTURE

 David Joiner is responsible for the programming, music, and art in this
excellent computer role-playing game from Microillusions. This review is based
on the Amiga version; IBM-PC version notes follow.

 FAERY TALE is a beautifully drawn and animated simulation of a complex
fairytale world -- a world of kings, wizards, and princesses. The weapons are
sword, bow, maze, dirk, and magic tokens. The weapons and tokens are won through
combat, bought from innkeepers, or found.

 The simulation and animation are realistic in that the character must eat when
hungry and sleep when tired, or he sinks deeper into swamps and lakes. Arrows
are seen in their flight. The sword flashes in realistic parry positions. The
sun rises and sets, and often the character must explore after dark. (There is a
magic token that enables infrared vision.)

 The world is so large and complex that travel takes a great deal of time in the
beginning. This may make some game players restless. I was entranced by the
everchanging scenery, so I didn't find it a drawback. And if you're patient,
you'll soon discover magic tokens that enable quick travel between points.

 At first, surviving is extremely difficult. The monsters seem to win all the
time. (No wonder, when they're better armed than you!) But after your character
has built up a hundred Bravery points, you spend your time exploring, and
survive quite easily.

 There are several complex mazes that must be thoroughly explored (and important
objects found) before you can voyage on the ocean or fly through the sky. But
once you've found your wings, locating the Talisman soon after is assured.

 FAERY TALE will be particularly welcomed by those Amiga players who have
enjoyed the ULTIMA series and are anxiously awaiting similar CRPGs.

 Note: The first release of the game had a major bug. Symptoms of the bug are
the screen going black when booting a Saved Game and the character being in the
middle of an ocean. Also this version would not do a Save Game without a reboot.
Send the disk back to Microillusions and they will replace it with the later
release which has a Save without rebooting feature. (And also saves the games
properly.)

 IBM-PC VERSION NOTES

 THE FAERY TALE ADVENTURE runs on any IBM PC or 100% compatible, and is supplied
on three 5-1/4" disks and two 3-1/2" disks. The program supports CGA (512K) and
EGA (640K) modes. You can also use several different controllers: mouse,
joystick, or keyboard. FAERY TALE can be installed on a hard drive (the program
uses password protection). The sound is delivered through the IBM speaker.

 My impression of the IBM version of FAERY TALE is simply: _WOW!_ If the Amiga
version seems as if its beautifully implemented, then the IBM version should
meet your expectations. FAERY TALE looks a bit dull in CGA mode, but if you have
EGA...watch out! Everything on screen is drawn very nicely, and the scrolling is
very smooth. The sound isn't great, but it isn't too bad for an IBM program. The
game plays the same as it does in the Amiga version. Highly recommended!

 THE FAERY TALE ADVENTURE is published and distributed by Microillusions.

*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304)744-2253