TINY PROBLEM
I MUST admit I've always had a habit of rooting for the underdog,
so it's nice to come across a game that takes the side of the
little man.
And in A & F's Shrinking Professor, a text-only adventure
game, that is exactly what you are, a very little man.
Working away in the lab one night, a potion slips from your
grasp, and choking green fumes envelop you. Waking some time later,
you find that you have shrunk to an inch in height, and have slipped
through a crack in the floorboards.
You know there are some crystals on top of the lab table which
will restore you to your former height, but getting there could
be a pretty tall order.
And so begins a tricky quest. There's
nothing so obvious as a magic wand or a horde of gold in this
one. I mean, what do you do with a darning needle the size of
a javelin, or an enormous fingernail?
Dragons and trolls may be a piece of cake for an experienced
adventurer, but how on earth do you get past a hungry frog or
a very cross vole?
This for me is what changes Shrinking Professor from an average
adventure into quite a good one. The locations and objects are
novel, and there are sound effects to grab the attention.
The game doesn't reach the heights of, say, Level 9 or Acornsoft
- it's quite a bit smaller for starters - but it is fun, and difficult
enough to cause even an expert a few problems.
I haven't even managed to cross the main road yet. Every time
I try, along comes a car and splat! Now I know how a hedgehog
feels.
James Bibby
