|
Given that the author is none other than Michael J. Roberts, the creator of the TADS interpreter for modern IF, I had very high expectations for the game. And my expectations were more than fulfilled: The Plant is a "classical" IF in the very best sense of the word: it has solid codework, it's chock-full of interesting, logical puzzles, and sports all those old-fashioned IF trappings, right down to the score system. The plot and atmosphere are very well thought-out. I don't want to spoil anything here, so let me just say that fans of X-Files and espionage IF (especially Infocom's Border Zone) will have a lot of fun with The Plant's conspiracy storyline. There are many memorable puzzles; the linguistic puzzle and bar code puzzles are my two favorites. The Boss, a character that follows you around, is a bit annoying mostly because he has nothing useful to say most of the time, but it's bearable. The game was a bit long for the competition it was entered into: I doubt anyone can finish within the two hours it was supposed to take, but that gripe is irrelevant now. The puzzles, the conspiracy plot, and the atmosphere are all excellent. The endgame ties up loose ends very nicely. Overall, a very polished piece of IF that is highly recommended for everyone, although newbies may be discouraged by the somewhat challenging puzzles. Thumbs up! Reviewed by: Underdogs | 
Plant, The 
