The Beetmonger's Journal is a fun, relaxing entry in the 7th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition, with some interesting (albeit easy) puzzles and solid writing, although the ending "fizzles" a little bit given the promising start. Demian Katz explains why he gave high marks for this underdog: "[The game is] interestingly constructed and well-written, and its puzzles are hard enough to require some thought but generally not too frustrating (I didn't need hints or the walkthrough to win for the first time). As an added bonus, there are two distinct paths to follow through the story and multiple endings to reach, making the whole thing worth playing at least twice. I have only a few complaints. On a technical level, there are a few minor but slightly annoying bugs (some text ended up being inexplicably repeated, for example). On a story level, the only real problem is that the whole thing could be viewed as a bit preachy, though this didn't offend me unduly. In any case, if you're looking to play the highlights of the competition, I'd count this as one of them -- it's worth a look." Too bad for the disappointing ending that ends the game with a whimper rather than a bang, but everyone should have a few hours of fun with this light-hearted and well-written game. Reviewed by: Underdogs |