Journey: The Quest Begins

Death, pestilence, famine and other nasty things have stricken the once fair lands and it seems that only Asterix the wizard can save the populace from complete despair. Only problem is, Asterix opted out of the rat race some time ago. He now lives along atop a mountain and he is none too keen to receive visitors, so the first task in this keyword-driven adventure is to guide a party of (up to five) characters to Asterix and ask his help.

The screen is divided into three main sections: the top left is given over to small pictures of the various locations, the top right is where the text messages and general location descriptions appear and the bottom part of the screen is where you select various keywords that advance the adventure. The keywords offered for selection depend on the characters in the party, their current situation and the location. So playing the game is very easy and consists of simply reading the messages and deciding which actions to take.

Once you have found your way to Asterix’s abode, the adventure really starts. The quest involves searching through the kingdoms of Dwarves, Elves, Nymphs and other creatures both fair and foul for seven sacred amulets that will enable the wizard to fight the Dread Lord. Progress is generally rapid if a little common sense is applied, but if you are completely stuck the ‘musings’ option at the end of the game hints at actions that you should have taken.

Altogether, Journey is good fun. The keyword system is simple and easy to use and the puzzles are all very logical and intriguing. It obviously won’t appeal to hardened shoot-em-up fans, but anyone who likes games that require thought input will be rewarded with many hours of enjoyment.