TWILIGHT ZONE

 "You unlock this door...."

 Any real "Twilight Zone" fan knows the ending to that quote. And "the key of
your imagination" is exactly what you'll need to solve this game -- not to
mention decipher this review (based on the Amiga version).

 Most reviews include a synopsis of the story line to help you decide whether
you'll be interested in the game. I can't do that here. The authors have see fit
to omit from the documentation any hint whatsoever regarding the goals you're to
accomplish. I have the distinct feeling that if I tell you what this game is all
about, something terrible will happen to me -- something even more terrible than
what happened to me in the endgame!

 While this non-disclosure certainly lends an aura of authenticity to the
"Twilight Zone" theme, it also causes you a lot of frustration at the beginning
of the game. You wake up in your (incredibly messy) bedroom with no idea of who
you are or what you're supposed to do. You're going to spend a _lot_ of time
just wandering around, trying different things, picking up useless objects, and
trying to figure out what's going on. For instance, in several rooms, there are
mirrors. If you try to "look in the mirror," you'll be told "It's not here!"
Then you'll have to decide (since this is the "Twilight Zone") whether the
mirror is _really_ not there, or whether you're just doing something wrong.
(Nope, I ain't gonna tell you!)

 Once you get out of your house safely, there's a biiiiig town to be
explored...well, maybe it's not all _that_ big, but it sure seemed like it! The
game is completely linear; you must finish each of the puzzles in sequence, with
no skipping around. I can divulge this much: Except during the first part of the
game, you'll know when you have successfully accomplished what you're supposed
to do, because you'll be zapped to a new location and a new puzzle.

 In one segment, there's an entire succession of riddles you must solve in order
to progress. This seemed overdone a bit, but the riddles are all fairly simple,
and most are variations on riddles you've encountered in other adventure games.

 TWILIGHT ZONE is very clever, if frustrating (especially at first). Adding to
this frustration is a parser that sometimes (but not always) expects a
particular word. For instance, "stand in line" does you no good; the parser only
recognizes "GET in line." In the Amiga version, there are nice, medium-res
graphics that are unimportant to gameplay and can be turned off.

 You'll have to do a lot of saving and restoring in this game, not only because
you're going to get killed when you make a wrong move, but because there are so
many useless objects hanging around, and you're limited as to what you can
carry. Luckily, there is an "Undo" command to save your bacon when you step in
something nasty.

 If you're like me, you'll probably be outraged by the endgame. But after a
little thought, you'll agree that the ending is perfect (if this is, indeed, the
"Twilight Zone"). Although the game can be very frustrating, after finishing, I
realized I had enjoyed it greatly. However, if your level of tolerance for
frustration is low, you might want to pass on this one -- if on to preserve the
physical integrity of your computer and peripherals!

 TWILIGHT ZONE is apparently the first in a series, this release being subtitled
"The Crossroads of Imagination." Although I found myself ready to commit mayhem
from time to time, I must admit that I'm looking forward to "the next stop...in
the 'Twilight Zone.'"

 TWILIGHT ZONE is published and distributed by First Row Software.

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