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Review by Jeff Hurlburt
7814 Santa Elena
Houston, Texas 77061
713-645-8680
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CARMEN SANDIEGO?
Broderbund
17 Paul Drive
San Rafael, CA 94903
(415) 479-1170
List Price: $39.95
Requires: Apple II Plus, IIe, or IIc; 64K RAM; one disk drive
A sound like a thousand click beetles tapdancing on your brainpan jars you from yet another dream of glory and promotion. It's the phone, your chief down at Acme, and your first assignment as a rookie detective. "A mighty slick caper," a gruff voice is saying, "looks like the Sandiego bunch. I'll fill in the details when you get here." It's also Monday, 5 a.m. and switching on the lights doesn't actually prove fatal. So much for the good news.
Unfortunately, the "details" include little more than a description of the item snatched, the name of a city, and a set of dossiers describing members of the Carmen Sandiego gang. "Slippery and mean" is the chief's offhand observation as he hands over a plane ticket and your passport. "Just remember, get an Interpol arrest warrant as soon as possible; you've got 'til 5 p.m. Sunday. Crack this one, Kid, and it'll mean a fat commission for the agency and a juicy promotion for you!"
Broderbund's "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?" features advanced hires windowing, beautifully done city scenes, and more geography-oriented trivia than you can shake an atlas at. (So, naturally, a complete 1985 World Almanac is included.) Sound effects, music, a few animation sequences, and a comprehensive manual round out one of the slickest, smoothest running game packages ever.
Each of an apparently endless supply of 'who done it' scenarios involves the theft of some priceless bauble by one of ten jetsetter thieves (Carmen and her gang). Your task is to track the culprit through four or more of some thirty cities spread across six continents and make an arrest before the deadline. Investigations at each locale yield clues pointing to the next city in the chase: "He said he was a copra buyer", with less frequent hints at your quarry's identity.
Success leads to boosts in rank as well as increasingly challenging scenarios. Higher ranking sleuths must cover more cities, spend less time in each, and occassionally take calculated risks. Yet only an Ace Detective can send Carmen herself over for the big fall, thus winning retirement in the "Detective Hall of Fame". "Hall" and "Roster" displays -the latter showing name, rank, and cases cleared for each player- come up automatically at the end of a session. (The manual erroneously refers users to CTRL keys to call up these displays.)
Though fine for lone players, " 'Carmen Sandiego's" full entertainment potential is most evident in family or gaming group settings. Everyone who sees the game wants to play; and practically anyone who reads can! A rare blend of highly educational trivia, deductive challenge, and humor, "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?" is a refreshingly orignal contribution to computer gaming, a sure winner. (And that's one you can take to the bank, Carmen-- wherever you are!)