The Rainbow Vol. 09 No. 01 - August 1989 - TRS-80 Color ...

I Software
CoCo 3
King's Quest III-
An Animated Adventure Extravaganza
First, the bad news: King's Quest Ill
requires 512K. Now that that's out of the
way, let's get to the good stuff! King's
Quest Ill from Sierra On-Line is a graphics
Adventure game that is certain to knock
your socks off! As Gwydion, you are a
young slave boy seeking to free yourself
from the evil wizard Manannan and discover
your true destiny. Along the way you
must battle giant spiders, fmd magical items,
weave spells and defend yourself from a
host of dangerous people and critters.
Now this might not sound like anything
new. After all, Adventures have been around
for years. What makes this one so special?
Let's take a look.
The graphics in King's Quest Ill are as
90 THE RAINBOW August 1989
breathtaking as they are extensive. Each
screen conveys not only the contents of
interest in solving the game, but an entire
mood appropriate to the setting. From the
lavishly ornate wizard's bedroom to the
shabby robber's hideout, from the dank
cave of the oracle to the sparkling streams
and waterfalls of the countryside, the meticulous
attention to color and detail succeeds
in drawing you right into the story.
You can almost feel the cool grass of the
forest and the parched sands of the desert.
The already excellent graphics are further
enhanced by animation. The water in
the waterfall actually falls! Birds and chipmunks
move in the trees, the dog wags its
tail, and the shopkeeper dusts his shelves.
Gwydion, of course, also moves throughout
the story, directed either by arrow keys
or joystick. Some scenes even require a
strong dose of video game skills in order to
maneuver past deadly obstacles.
In many games extensive graphics have
also meant a skimpy game scenario. The
big advantage of text-only Adventures used
to be their greater complexity and scope. In
King's Quest Ill, though, there are four
major settings: the wizard's house, the
countryside ofL!ewdor, the pirate ship and
the kingdom of Daventry. Each is fraught
with puzzles and perils easily the equal of
other entire games I have played.
Humor is another ingredient no decent
Adventure should be without. But while
some games play everything for·laughs and
get old quickly, King's Quest Ill is delightfully
effective in using humor often enough
to keep the game funny without smothering
you in dumb gags. There is also a nice blend
of visual and descriptive humor. Being
thrown out of the Three Bears' house by