Newsgroups: bit.listserv.games-l
Date:         Tue, 14 Apr 1992 10:12:18 -0400
Reply-To:     "Scott Stephen Simecek / Computer Operations / Ext 5559"
              <simeceks@RCWCL1.DNET.BP.COM>
From:         "Scott Stephen Simecek / Computer Operations / Ext 5559"
              <simeceks@RCWCL1.DNET.BP.COM>
Subject:      Leather Goddesses Of Phobos 2 - A long review
X-To:         Games-L@brownvm.brown.edu
X-cc:         Myself@rcwgwy.bp.com

Hi gamers,

     The following is my impression of Leather Goddesses Of Phobos 2:

Bad points:

The game is short.  It will take only a few hours to complete. ( I
think I finished it in around five hours )  The interface uses the
cursor for everything ( controlled with the mouse or the keypad ).
If you put the cursor on an object and the cursor changes to a hand
then this object can be looked at.  I didn't like this feature since
I'm used to games where I have to say "Look at shelf" and it says
something like "Looking in the shelf you find a small coin".  In LGOP2
you just move the cursor all over the screen until it changes shape.
You can't really manipulate an object either.  When you pick it up
it becomes your cursor in a sense.   You can't do anything with it
except put it in your tool box or place it in/on the appropriate item
in the game (as in completing a puzzle)  You can't say "Turn it over",
"Turn it on", "Open it" etc.  Another aspect I didn't like was the way
games were saved.  You couldn't pick the title of the save file.  You
get a choice of twenty different save "titles" that you have to use.
You need to write down on paper or something what each save "title"
actually represents to know which save is which.  For the fifty plus
dollars the game costs I was disappointed.

Good points:

The "Lifesize Sound Enhancer" you get with the game is great.  You plug
it into your printer port, attach a patch cord from it to a stereo/amp,
and you get some pretty good sound.  I don't have a sound card so this
feature was great for me.  I don't know what speech sounds like from
a sound card but the speech from the LSE sounded like I was listening
to a tape of people talking.  All of the different voices from all the
characters you run into sounded good.  I really liked meeting someone
and having them talk to you. (The words still come up on the screen
though)  Besides speach the sound effects were good too.  Another
part of the game I like is that you can choose which character you want
to be and the game is different for each character in the sense that
each character has a mission they must complete.  I thought if I played
the game as a different person I would have to go around and collect the
same objects as the other characters but I didn't for the most part.

Odds and Ends:

At one point in the game I thought there was an error with the program.
It seemed as if I was doing everything correct (and the prompts I was
getting seemed to confirm this) so I figured it was a software error.
I called Infocom's help line to see if this was an error with the game.
The guy I talked to was very helpful and he explained to me that it
wasn't a software error. (I believe he said he also got stuck at the
same place)  He asked me how I liked the game so far and how I liked the
LSE.  I told him the game seemed too easy and too short.  He said that
this game is the beginning of the rebirth of Infocom (or something like
that)  This game is to get people into Infocom by showing them what is
possible with LSE and what they call "Radiointeractive Fiction".  RF is
described as:

"a story in which you are the main character.  Your own thinking and
imagination determine the actions of the character from start to
finish"

He said that this was just the beginning for Infocom.  They have other
items coming up that he couldn't tell me about (as in things like the
Lifesize Sound Enhancer)  He said a game that is in development now
is a lot longer with puzzles that are a lot harder.

I think since they wanted people to see what this new Infocom was like
they had to make LGOP2 easier than most games.  I don't think they
should have called it LGOP2 since it really isn't anything like the
first game except that the evil people are the Leather Goddesses.

I would be interested in any other peoples opinion on the game.  If you
get it, let me know if you agree with what I've said.

Mezhead
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