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Well,
you don't expect much for £1.99, so the Wiz is pleased
to report that he was quite taken with this package.
The game has some above average graphics and the scenario,
though not startlingly original, contains some novel
puzzles and is generally consistent and logical in its
construction.
Your
mission is to penetrate an underwater enemy vase, find
out what's going on, and then escape. The game drops
you in at the deep-end, having you standing over a dead
body in hostile territory, but in fact things are made
pretty easy for you since a quick examination of items
close by will tell you almost all you need to know about
your objective.
The
base is constructed around a series of subways through
which you travel on a small, card-operated transit vehicle.
Given that the game was Quilled, the whole process has
been quite well-programmed, though moving from one subway
station to another is a rather repetitive process involving
much fastening and unfastening of seat-belts which irritated
me slightly.
[This screenshot was not included in
the original review]
The
graphics are really excellent for a game in this price
range. The puzzles are many and for the most part very
logical. If you enjoyed Subsunk, then I think
you'll agree with me that Seabase Delta is even
better. When I think of companies like 8th Day Software
who have entered the budget market in the last year
or two, all I can say is that at £1.99 Seabase Delta
makes most of the budget competition look chronically
overpriced.
Having
said that, though, there is just one point the Wiz would
like to make about budget adventure software. The fact
is that once you've cracked a game there is very little
enjoyment left in it, unlike an arcade-based game where
you can continue to try and improve your performance.
If budget in price means budget in size (and I suppose
it doesn't have to), then I'm not sure just how worthwhile
budget adventures are. Personally I would prefer to
save up my pennies and get something that was going
to keep me occupied for longer. However, if you can
accept the idea of a simpler game that won't take you
months to solve, then this particular example definitely
belongs in your collection -- it's neatly presented,
neatly programmed, and although it doesn't offer a massive
number of locations, it's lots of fun.
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