A Journey into Xanth

SPAG
While most of "Xanth" is fairly logical (though sometimes in a strange, punnish kind of way), a few problems -- crossing the river in particular -- determine success or failure (i.e. life or death) based entirely on the outcome of a random number generator, a very, VERY big no-no in my book. Also, while many of the puzzles make perfect sense after you've solved them, there is often little indication beforehand that a particular solution is the correct one. Perhaps this is due to the somewhat inconsistent nature of the AGT play system more than anything else.

It's hard to knock "Xanth" completely though, because it tries so hard. The author has gone to great lengths to make the game as easy to play as possible, even including a set of brilliantly rendered ASCII maps (a great time-saver) with the game files. There's also a walkthrough in case you find some of the puzzles a bit too obscure. Speaking of the puzzles in "Xanth," although they aren't terribly difficult or imaginative, they do serve to actually advance the plot, a feature sadly lacking in so many text games.

-- Christopher E. Forman
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