Home of the Underdogs
About News FAQs Contact HOTU GoogleGroup Music Manuals
Category Applications Action Adventure Education Interactive Fiction Puzzle Role Playing Games Simulation Special Sport Strategy War




Support the EFF
Welcome How you can help
Browse Games
Welcome Random Pick
Welcome By Company
  Welcome By Theme  
Welcome By Alphabet
Welcome By Year
Welcome Title Search
Welcome Company Search
Welcome Designer Search
Recommended
Welcome Freeware Titles
Welcome Collections
Welcome Discord
Welcome Twitter
Welcome Facebook
Welcome File Format Guide
Welcome Help: Non PC Games
Welcome Help: Win Games
Welcome Help: DOS Games
Welcome Recommended Links
Site History Site History
Legacy Legacy
Link to Us Link to Us
Credits Thanks & Credits
Abandonware Ring

Abandoned Places

dungeoncrawlers.org

Creative Commons License


Game #1220
Hall of Belated Fame Inductee  Varicella    View all Top Dogs in this genre
Interactive Fiction   Conventional

Rating: 8.26 (30 votes)

Varicella box cover

Varicella screenshot
Varicella is yet another great work of IF from Adam Cadre who is quickly establishing himself alongside Andrew Plotkin and Graham Nelson as one of the true descendants of Infocom.

The game, which takes place in an obscure, nondescript time and place, casts you as Varicella, a palace minister at the Palazzo del Piemonte. Your ambition: devise clever ploys and schemes to eliminate the competition one by one, all in a quest to win the position of regent following the mysterious death of the king.

Despite a confusing start in which you have no idea of what is going on, or even what you can do, the game gets much better as you explore the palace and talk to various characters. The game is quite a challenge because you must accomplish your goal within a time limit which isn't even obvious at first. Therefore definitely *not* a good game for IF newbies, as you will die multiple times, and have no choice but to grumble, restore and try a different method.

Varicella, fortunately, does have a lot of great elements that make this poor puzzle design almost forgivable. The NPCs are all very interesting and well-defined, each with his or her own personality and quirks. The plot is definitely original for an IF: a political intrigue full of mystery (you might discover how the king died as the plot thickens), evil mischiefs, and little twists and turns. Overall, a great game that's slightly disappointing given Adam's pedigree as the author of Photopia, but one that is still a very, very good game, especially for IF experts. Recommended!

Reviewed by: Underdogs
Designer: Adam Cadre
Developer: Freeware
Publisher: Freeware
Year: 2000
Software Copyright: Adam Cadre
Theme:  
Multiplayer:  
None that we know of
System Requirements: Inform
Where to get it:   Official site
Related Links: Trotting Krips review
Links:    
If you like this game, try: Shrapnel, Photopia, Nine Princes in Amber

© 1998 - 2024 Home of the Underdogs
Portions are copyrighted by their respective owners. All rights reserved. Please read our privacy policy.