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MAIN PGM Version: Modified 7
Extra Commands: None
Deleted Commands: None
Special Features: Entry restricted to prevent super character cheating
Playing Time: 50 minutes
Reviewer Rating: 7.5
Description:
"As you sit in the Adventurer's Lounge at the Main Hall, a small Blue
Pixy flies over to ask for your help. It tells you a sad tale of a
Barony's downfall.
The Valley of Cold Iron was once a peaceful
and prosperous Barony under the Honorable Baron Randal, but then the
evil Baron Kellum attacked the Barony with a band of mercenaries. The
Mercenaries, acting on orders from Baron Kellum and coordinated by an
experienced Mercenary Captain, killed Baron Randal and many of his
followers, and tried to take the Valley of Cold Iron for their own.
They could not, however, win the cooperation of the Elven Queen by
force, nor could any amount of violence directed against the workers of
the Valley cause the old Cold Iron Mine to produce its famous
anti-magic ore.
Now all those who live in the Valley, and the
Elven Queen in particular are poor and hungry and in great need of a
Hero to rescue them from the evil Baron Kellum. The Hero who destroys
the evil Baron, saves the starving Elven Queen, and restores the Heir
of Randal (rumored to be imprisoned in a cell beneath the Castle) must
have many qualifications. The Hero must be strong and brave (of course)
and know at least a little magic. He must be kind to the poor and
willing to listen to them, respectful of the Elves, and must also be
able to swim.
Comment: Another new adventure by another new author. I'm glad to see that there is still some interest left in Eamon after all of these years.
The Pixy Oak was written several years ago by Bruce Haylock. He only recently found it on a backup disk. He rescued it, cleaned and polished it up quite a bit, and produced a very nice Eamon adventure, especially for a first time writer.
The goals of your quest are laid out pretty well in the intro. If you try to leave the adventure, you will get rewarded or punished according to your accomplishments. After some tweaking, I believe this feature works rather well at letting you know exactly what you need to do during the adventure before you leave.
The adventure also restricts you from bringing in a super character or a weak character as an attempt to play balance the game. Overall, I found it to be much more puzzle oriented than combat oriented, so this isn't really an issue. The puzzles are not too hard and can be easily solved with some common sense. I'd put difficulty at around a 4 or so.
The map was laid out pretty well. There are some interesting tricks involved to get at the castle with the evil Baron including some fun playing (and drowning) in the moat of the castle. The forest is a bit tricky to navigate at times, but I usually don't map adventures as I'm playing them. (Conan didn't draw a map either!)
Overall, this is a great effort and a welcome addition to the Eamon world. I look forward to more adventures from Bruce!
Reviewed by Thomas Ferguson
MAIN PGM Version: 7.1
Extra Commands: Wave
Deleted Commands: None
Special Features: None
Playing Time: 30 to 45 minutes
Reviewer Rating: 7.0
Comment: This Eamon, I take it, was the first of three
Wade Clarke-authored adventures. While the adventure is relatively
short with 37 rooms and 10 enemies, the map is well-thought out and the
puzzles are abundant. One can view it as a dry-run for the more
expansive and artful latter two adventures Clarke authored.
A particular scroll found in the adventure provides intuitive clues on
how to navigate the tower in which the antagonist hides. There are no
"death traps," though challenging opponents face the adventurer who
fails to heed the scroll's advice. The story and setting are consistent
throughout, with captive friends to rescue and daunting enemies to
vanquish.
Despite the adventure's brevity, the player won't be disappointed with
it and Wade Clarke's talent can be seen in miniature through the
compelling plot and insightful design.
This page last updated on 04/04/2012.