Eamon Adventurers Guild
September 1991
The Eamon Adventurers Guild
September 1991
News and Comment by Tom Zuchowski
As a member of A2-Central’s GEnie team, I went to A2-Central’s annual KansasFest Apple II get-together. Among the many other interesting things that went on there was a lunch speech given by Rob Barnes, of Apple’s Apple II group. Rob has been a “II guy” for more than 10 years and he impressed me as someone who wants to see the Apple II continue on for a long time. He described for us how the Apple II group has “gone Renegade”, working and plotting on how to return the Apple II line to the prominence it once had. He said that they even have a pirate flag hanging above the office cubicles. Shades of the early days of the Mac, it seems. He spoke about a big Christmas push for the II that was in the works but got sidelined by the recent IBM-Apple deal. At the time of the talk, he said that the fate of the push was up in the air. He said a number of important things:
1) Apple has no plans to ever discontinue the Apple II line as long as they are purchased in quantity by institutions. The Apple II continues to be a wonderful cash cow in return for zero investment from Apple, and they’d be crazy to kill that. Statements from various Mac and PC sources (and even Apple dealers) that Apple has ceased production of the II are flatly false. Likewise, reports that II sales are in rapid decline are also false.
2) The market for the Apple II is education and will continue to be for the foreseeable future (rumors of the aforementioned Christmas Push notwithstanding). The vast majority of educational GS’s are used only as fast IIe’s. Developers are encouraged to keep that in mind; even though the GS arguably has the best desktop and the best desktop toolset of any computer in the world, the foreseeable market for power 16-bit software is very limited as long as it isn’t sold by dealers and nationally advertised.
3) People who claim to have seen a prototype of a new “GS+” computer are–and I quote–“lying”. Rumors continue to abound that development work has been done on a super-GS, but if it exists apparently nothing has ever been shown to the outside world. (CD-R update: the GS+ did exist. Several member of Genie’s A2Pro team a couple of years later were shown a GS+ prototype in secrecy.)
Other important news included announcements of GS/OS 6.0, ProDOS 2.0 and Hyperstudio 3.0. Apple has spent literally millions of dollars on this software, and there’s no way they would be doing that for a computer that is no longer being manufactured. It seemed to me that the big news was GS/OS 6.0; just as the Mac’s System 7.0 finally brought some GS features to the Mac, GS/OS 6.0 brought some missing features to the GS as well, with greatly improved speed. ProDOS 2.0 will only work on 65C02 machines and allows more than two devices per slot up to a machine total of 14.
While there I learned of several software products that have potential to greatly improve the Eamon environment. Look for a report in a future issue.
MAJOR MEMBERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT: we promised in the March issue to share excess club funds by extending everyone’s membership. In the past month we received several large back-issue orders, and the club balance briefly exceeded $400 in late July. Therefore, everyone’s membership has been extended by one issue. This means that there are no expiring memberships with this issue.
EXPIRATION DATE: Uh, well, there aren’t any expirations this time, since everyone’s membership has been extended by one issue.
EAMON ADVENTURER'S GUILD
Membership/subscription fee for 4 issues:
US-Canada: $7.00; foreign: $12.00; in U.S. funds
This newsletter is published 4 times per year, in March, June, September, and December
We are always looking for new material! If you would like to publish your own letter or article in this newsletter, feel free to send one in. If you would like to add your own Eamon adventure to the list, send it on a disk to the above address. It will be assigned an Adventure number, and tested for bugs and other problems before release. An informal critique and disk with bug corrections will be returned.
BACK ISSUES:
NEUC 'Adventurer's Log':
Mar'84, May'84, Aug'84, Oct'84, Jan'85, Mar'85
May'85, Aug'85, Oct'85, Jun'86, Jan'87, Oct'87
EAG back issues: 1988: -Jun, Sep, Dec
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All issues are \$2.00 each.
ADVENTURE UPDATES: You may obtain updated versions of your Eamon adventures from the EAG. Send in a copy of the adventure to be updated and $1.00 per copy to cover our cost, and an updated copy will be returned to you. You MUST include a copy of EACH adventure for which you wish an update. NOTE: the update program does not cover conversion of DOS 3.3 Eamons to ProDOS; if you send in a DOS 3.3 Eamon, you will get DOS 3.3 back.
We want to improve Eamon all we can; this includes getting authors to use the latest and best version. Therefore, the version 7.0 Dungeon Designer Diskette and the 7.0 Multi-Disk Supplement may be obtained from us for $1.00 each (US & Canada; foreign $2.00 each). Please specify DOS 3.3 or ProDOS for the DDD (the Supplement is presently available in DOS 3.3 only).
Letters
I’d like to address the inconsistencies in my adventure “The Land of Death” that were described in the review in the March issue. Regarding the words ALTER and ALTAR, the observations of the reviewer would on the surface seem correct, but the word, at that time, was spelled correctly. The problem lies in the proper spelling of a word that doesn’t exist; maybe your readers could help me with this. First tough an example, consider the words Al and Tar. One means someone’s name or perhaps something else in a different language and the other is a thick black substance common to most of us. By themselves they have a specific sound, but put them together and they mean either an object in a temple, or a seemingly misspelled word improperly placed in a sentence. The Word Al-Tar or Al Tar was my attempt at the time to create a new name for a type of sword. Back then a whole group of magical items had been created in my Palladium - AD&D RPG universe and I wanted to put the first of them into the EAMON Multiverse, with modules to go along with each one. Sadly, after college I found that I didn’t have all the time I needed to work on them, much less be forced to learn a whole new computer system, so these have been placed in my “to do” vault.
If your readers want the word changed, wither put a dash or a space into the word, both in the text and in the code, and that would suffice. I mistakenly compacted it because I thought it wouldn’t fit any other way. In the future, when I include any of these weapons, I’ll remember the problem and try to spell them with either spaces or dashes.
I have one last adventure that was cowritten by me and a friend sometime during my college days in 1981-82, but I felt that there were too many memory problems in it and didn’t release it into the public’s hands. Internally it was much like “The Temple of Ngurct” with wandering monsters and so forth, but some of the container objects and certain wandering monsters just haven’t worked right, so it sits in my archives awaiting revitalization.
As soon as I’m able to get ProDOS-8 or 16, provided Apple will still be selling it, I’ll try to upgrade each of my old adventures, although probably not into a graphic format.
-Tim Berge
Thanks for the explanation, Tim. By any chance, was your AD&D multiverse in an Arabic setting? “Al” is Arabic for “the”; thus one could speculate that “Al-Tar” translates to “the black, gooey substance” (just kidding!). This seems like a pretty insignificant bug fix and it probably won’t be implemented unless you would really like to see it done.
If it would help, please feel free to send that unreleased adventure in for an independent evaluation. With my Eamon experience, I’m pretty good at nailing down program problems in the MAIN PGM code. We would REALLY like to be able to release it into the public domain. While I spent much of the March review complaining about spelling and death traps, I found “The Land of Death”’s descriptions to be fascinating reading and I’d like to see all of your stuff released. You’ve got a great imagination.
ProDOS-16 is a very antiquated operating system for the GS; it won’t work on your old II (the GS now uses GS/OS 5.0.4), and in any event even a GS must use ProDOS-8 for Applesoft programs. You can’t use ProDOS-8 either, unless you have 64K of memory. And you don’t need to buy ProDOS; it is free to Apple owners as long as you first read and agree to abide by the licensing restrictions. Your dealer should be able to help you out, assuming that he has an Apple II with a 5.25 drive somewhere in the building (don’t be surprised if he doesn’t).
Besides ProDOS, you will also need BASIC.SYSTEM. Both of these, plus some other utilities, come on the System Disk. It’s not that important to be running on the latest version of ProDOS, but you want to get version 1.8 at least. Try really hard to get a copy of the “Bird’s Better BYE” patch, too; the ProDOS BYE command is the most user-unfriendly code that I have ever seen and you will roundly curse it if you have to live with Apple’s version of it. Apple did fix it in version 1.9 (I’d like to think that I can take some small credit for that because I was VERY critical of the BYE code to some Apple people some months before 1.9 was released). However, the improved code requires 128K or something like that and you are stuck with the crummy old code if you have a II.
-Tom
I have a couple of questions. Does anyone have a database on Eamon adventures? I’d love to get a hold of an Appleworks database listing the following: Adventure #/Name, Author, Issue/page# in which it’s reviewed, latest update, issue/page# of bug fixes, if the adventure supports 40/80 column and if its ProDOS or DOS 3.3.
Does anyone have a book of hints for the medium/ difficult adventures? It’s frustrating to come across a puzzle you just can’t solve. Unfortunately I gave up on two adventures when I just couldn’t go any further. Maybe some of your readers have such a hint library or would like to compile one.
I would gladly pay a small fee for a current Eamon database or a hint book. Why don’t you see if there’s any interest in either of these projects. Finally, where’s the cheapest place to acquire Eamon adventures? I know they’re supported by a couple of public domain houses, but which one is the cheapest route to go?
Though I have a ROM 01 IIgs, I encourage your authors to write for the Apple II and not have it only usable for the IIgs. Although its VERY nice for me to have ProDOS Eamon adventures, I’d give that up as long as there’s some older II’s still playing Eamon. -David Grenda
Dave, there isn’t any actual database of Eamon adventures that I know of. However, I have the four Eamon lists that have appeared in the newsletter in AWP format. I’d be happy to supply these lists on a 5.25 disk to anyone who wants to pay a buck to cover the disk, mailer, and postage.
I don’t know of any collection of hints. I get a fair amount of mail from people who are stuck, and I am happy to supply a couple of hints to get them started again. Such a hint book seems like a really good idea, but it would be an enormous undertaking and is very unlikely to ever get done. But if anyone wants to do one, I’d be happy to distribute it. Some adventures come with their own hint programs, especially those by myself and Sam Ruby; be sure to catalog the disk for hint programs.
This issue has a current listing of public-domain suppliers of Eamon. The prices vary greatly, and most if not all of them run special deals on occasion. Some of them will really cut you a deal on a large order, too. The EAG can’t put itself in the position of favoring one public-domain house over another, but we •do• protect you as best we can by not listing outfits that we consider to have unacceptable service. Apart from that, I really can’t tell you which places are the best to deal with, since I am not a normal customer and don’t buy anything from them–I supply stuff to them! <grin> Other than that, I suggest that you write to the people who have been listed in past “Correspondent’s Corner” columns to see which outfits they like the best.
Thanks for your noble attitude regarding older II’s. I assure you that such an attitude is greatly appreciated by those of us who can’t upgrade to a GS. However, I assure you that ALL Eamons are available in DOS 3.3, and they will continue to be so as long as I am running things. I have converted a couple from ProDOS to DOS 3.3 already. However, it appears that Sam Ruby’s new Eamon will be the first ProDOS-only Eamon ever done–Sam simply can’t do what he needs to do in DOS 3.3.
New Adventures
207 Eamon Renegade Club by Phil Shulz
A rebel organization known as the Eamon Renegade Club is working to destroy the Eamon Adventurer’s Guild. You have been commissioned to infiltrate the ERC and bring about their downfall. This version 7 Eamon has lots of combat for those who like to fight their way through instead of puzzling around it, and it likes to stay light by poking fun at you and itself.
At present time we are also alpha-testing four new adventures from first-time Eamon author Hoyle Purvis and another from Phil Shulz. It’s too soon to estimate an early release date, but they will definitely be listed in the December issue. Rumors abound of an imminent return of the insidious Bookworm, as well.
Dungeon Designs
An index of past designer articles
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Jun’91: Back to the Basics: Containers How to program and use; step-by-step examples
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Mar’91: Back to the Basics: Rooms and Doors How to program and use; step-by-step examples
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Dec’90: Using 10 Directions in Version 7.0 How to modify the MAIN PGM Pitfalls to watch for
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Sep’90: Eamon Style and Technique: the Storytellers’s Craft Pointers on how to plot and write an Eamon adventure
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Jun’90: Converting Eamon Adventures to ProDOS A step-by-step discussion of the procedure
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Mar’90: Designing Descriptions for the 40/80 option How to write descriptions that look good in both 40 and 80-column formats.
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Dec’89: Basic Eamon Routines Tips on modifying commands and on using the POWER and USE commands
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Sep’89: Using Effect for Eamon Games with 7.0 How to make and use your own special effects
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Jun’89: Traps and Obstructions Guidelines for proper design in order to ensure maximum player enjoyment
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Mar’89: The Parameters Option Using this option to make special artifact types
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Dec’88: Increasing free memory for large adventures Tips on how to make the MAIN PGM smaller
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Sep’88: Programming efficiently for space and speed Tricks that make an Applesoft program run faster
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Jun’88: Room Descriptions How to properly describe room exits to make the player’s mapping effort more enjoyable
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Oct’87: Handling monster groups Special routines for handling the friendliness of ‘tribes’ of monsters (from “Buccaneer!”)
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Jan’87: Initializing an adventure diskette A tutorial on how to generate a new adventure diskette
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Jun’86: A description of the changes that were made going from version 6.0 to 6.2.
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Oct’85: Putting Fun Stuff in Eamons 1) Using gates 2) Number conventions for extended 6.0 usage (also example code for DIG & WEAR commands) 3) Save Game feature 4) Some undocumented features (group monsters, poisons, truces)
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Aug’85: Adding commands to the MAIN PGM Discusses an example EAT command
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May’85: Things We’d Like to See in Eamon Pets, exhaustion, broken armor, SAY command much good discussion on pets
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Mar’85: Guidelines for writing adventures Some good suggestions and guidelines, and a discussion of several inherent limitations of the Eamon MAIN PGM
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Jan’85: dead bodies and magic A great discussion of magical effects
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Oct’84: Doors, gates, and keys Locked doors for version 5.0, which didn’t have key artifacts
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Aug’84: Local Magic A few ideas for special stuff
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May’84: A brief discussion of some Eamon stuff
Eamon Master Diskette Basic monster and Artifact fields -
Mar’84: Initializing a new adventure diskette
Bugs ‘n’ Fixes
#1 Main Hall and Beginners Cave (ProDOS Version) Date Fixed: 6/6/91
Problem: SYNTAX ERROR AT 570 in the FRONT.DESK pgm. Fix: Remove extra quote mark and repair text.
(Note: this bug was introduced during the conversion to the UC/LC version and only applies to ProDOS Masters dated 5/11/91 or later.)
</div> #78 The Prince’s Tavern Date Fixed: 5/28/91
Problem: If you kill the men in the drinking contest, you can’t get out of the contest even though your opponents are dead. Fix: In Line 20060, change A < 3 THEN PRINT to A < 3 THEN DC = 0: PRINT
</div> #120 Orb of My Life Date Fixed: 6/19/91
Problem: The forcefield won’t vanish.
Fix: Add this line:
7707 IF DF = 1 THEN FL = 1
</div> #161 Operation Endgame Date Fixed: 6/29/91
Problem: UNDEF’D STATEMENT IN 23010 Fix: In Line 23010, change 23100 to 90
</div> #194 Attack of the Kretons Date Fixed: 7/30/91
Problem: Album prints out wrong effects when read. Fix: For Artifact #59, change 1ST EFF. to 77 change # EFF. to 1
Note that ProDOS versions use a VAR file named FAST.START instead of the EAMON.ARTIFACTS and EAMON.MONSTERS files. To perform this correction on a ProDOS version, use these steps:
1) RUN MAKE.ARTS.MONS (on the adventure disk) 2) RUN EAMON.EDIT.V7.0 (from the DDD disk) 3) Edit Artifact #59 4) RUN MAKE.FAST.START (on the adventure disk)
Adventure Reviews
#170 Ragnarok Revisited - by Nathan Segerlind
Reviewed by Tom Zuchowski
MAIN PGM Version: 6 Extra Commands: DEFLECT, SCARLET-TAPEWORM, PROPELLER-BLOW, WAIT, USE Deleted Commands: GIVE, SPEED, POWER, WAVE, PUT, FREE Special Features: Animated HiRes screen at startup Playing Time: 2-3 hours Reviewer Rating: 8.5
Description: Long have you been in search of Ketil and Halfdan Jormunreksson, two Viking brothers who had participated in the murder of your lord, Nobunaga. You now find yourself in Sweden, knowing that you will find them somewhere to the northwest.
You have heard tales of Ragnarok, the end of the world, and it seems that you see many of the Signs in the land around you. You fear the strange and supernatural things that you see happening, but your fear is replaced by wrath as you finally sight your goal!
Comment: Like Nate’s earlier “Samurai Cat” Eamon, your character in this adventure is Samurai Cat himself. You live by the code of the Bushido and are peerless in combat. Your quest this time is to find the murderers of Nobunaga and avenge his death. But other events intervene…
This adventure is unlike anything else in Eamon. It draws heavily from the “Samurai Cat” comics, and if you aren’t reasonably familiar with the style of these comics, it will probably seem pretty bizarre to you. Such things as Vikings, Apaches, Nazis, spears, cannon, guided missiles, and even land-traveling battleships are routine to see in the same room or battle.
At first glance, this seems like a smallish adventure, with only 44 rooms and 25 monsters. However, there are 87 special effects, and they are used very skillfully to depict a number of special events which range from a single effect to scenarios that run on for many screens and require player participation.
While there is some minor puzzling, a Samurai’s strong point is combat, and there is plenty of it to be found here. And no ordinary combat, either; many if not most of the combat encounters are special events that include much more than the usual simple melee printout. Many know that I am no fan of mindless combat, but it is well-done and varied here and kept my interest quite well.
My favorite aspect of this adventure has got to be the special combat commands DEFLECT, SCARLET-TAPEWORM, and PROPELLER-BLOW. I never got tired of attacking an opponent and seeing WITH PRETERNATURAL FEROCITY YOU LASH OUT THE DEADLY SWIRLING SLASHES OF THE DIVINE WHIRLING OUTBOARD MOTOR PROPELLOR BLOW. It didn’t hurt that this command is a savage attack on the bad guy, either!
Unless you are somewhat familiar with “Samurai Cat”, you will probably be put off by all the incongruous and often downright bizarre things that you see. Don’t let that stop you; this is a topnotch, very complex adventure and deserves a play. I also suggest that you play it through a second time after you have successfully completed it. You will enjoy the special effects and events much more once you have seen it and know what to expect. I have played it 5 or 6 times, and it is one of a very few Eamons that get better with replays.
There are several combat situations that require careful reading and quick, correct action or you will die. While there is an amusing resurrection sequence, it is not always easy to see right away what you need to do to defeat this or that supernatural opponent. For this reason, I give it a (9) for difficulty.
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#175 Anatomy of the Body - by Robert Parker
Reviewed by Tom Zuchowski
MAIN PGM Version: 5 Extra Commands: None, has SAVE Deleted Commands: None Special Features: None Playing Time: 30 min. Reviewer Rating: 3.0
Description: You have volunteered to be shrunk to microscopic size and injected into a human body on a mission to destroy cancerous growths, tumors, and bacteria. White blood cells will aid you in battle. You are given a special ‘zap gun’ to use in killing the diseases. For your trouble, you will be paid 1000 gold pieces. Also, you get to keep the zap gun.
Comment: This adventure was Rob’s first attempt at a “Fantastic Voyage”-type adventure. His main purpose was to write an Eamon adventure that would also help educate the player about human anatomy. Unfortunately actual anatomy is almost non-existent, as most of the ‘rooms’ of the map use terms like “lower-head”, “mid-arm”, and so on. The monster-like attitudes of the bad guys was rather unrealistic, also.
If you want to use Eamon as an anatomy teaching aid, take a close look at #185 “The Body Revisited”. It has a MUCH better and more detailed anatomical map.I give this adventure a (2) for difficulty.
#195 The Training Ground - by Charles Hewgley
Reviewed by Tom Zuchowski
MAIN PGM Version: 6 Extra Commands: None Deleted Commands: None Special Features: None Playing Time: 30-45 min. Reviewer Rating: 5.0
Description: You’re an experienced adventurer, but you know how to listen and pick up some good info once in a while. When you heard that there was a place outside of town that gave beginning Adventurers a chance to hone their skills and pick up some loot in the process, naturally you jumped at the opportunity to make the most of the deal.
So you hitchhiked your way out there, and readied your weapons and yourself as you approached the main entrance.
Comment: The above is the entire text of the introduction. It’s about par for the adventure itself. There is no quest of any kind and there are only 36 fairly simple rooms.
This adventure is for beginners who want to pump up their character’s stats “honestly” instead of using the Character Editor. There are lots of goodies everywhere you look that enable the player to bulk up his character. The loot and weapons are really good, too.
Advanced and experienced players will find this one to be an unremarkable “Monty Haul” scenario of the “kill and loot” variety. But it is just the ticket for beginners who need a stronger character but don’t want to “cheat”. I give it a difficulty rating of (2). With its low difficulty and high rewards, it is probably a good candidate to use with children.
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#205 Utterly Outrageous - by Pat Gise
Reviewed by Tom Zuchowski
MAIN PGM Version: 7.0 Extra Commands: None Deleted Commands: None Special Features: None Playing Time: 1-2 hours Reviewer Rating: 6.5
Description: You have been daydreaming of a very obscure, tranquil, and charming planet. Suddenly your head reels and you feel disorganized. Things are not as clear as they should be. As you reach for your ale, the tankard shrinks from your grasp. That is the last conscious thing you remember…
Your mind is foggy with confusion as you find yourself being steeped in shadowy legend. Your survival depends on your wits and recognizing certain magical practices older than Eamon itself. Your mission lies in the legends of:
*Sinope *Wroteus
*Adrastea *Oberon
*Veda *Rosalines
*Elara *Larissa
*Dione
Study these words well, for the answer lies within.
Comment: This adventure, though set in a fantasy world, is a commentary on our own planet Earth of today. The planet of the adventure is dying from a multitude of man-caused maladies and short-sighted plans. As you explore, it becomes obvious that Something Must Be Done before it is too late, if it is not too late already.
The quest, believe it or not, is clearly stated in the intro, which is condensed above. As you travel about you gradually uncover clues and messages to piece together what you must do to fulfill the quest.
As she did in her last adventure, Pat made full use of 7.0 features, especially hidden doors and containers. There isn’t much combat; however, the puzzles aren’t that complex and mainly consist of finding stuff that is hidden in rooms in various ingenious ways. There are a couple of red herrings that were nicely done.
This is a well-executed adventure with well-written text. The reason why I didn’t rate it higher is because it was a bit lonely and I felt rather lost at times, and because it took a lot of time to find all the hidden stuff, which got a little old. Also, I felt that it was too much of a dark commentary on our own world for a fantasy. Still, Pat is an excellent writer and it is worth playing for that reason alone.
Some bits of this adventure are a little obscure, and I give it a (7) for difficulty in figuring these bits out. Pat writes really good text, and I eagerly look forward to her next Eamon adventure.