                             DOCS FOR DEMONIAK
                           BY VOLTAIRE

Demoniak has arrived. This is not good news. This Demoniak dude you see, is a large demon from a parallel universe, who enjoys enslaving entire planets. Normal future mythology would have mankind's shiny space fleets whizzing out and bombing the beast. Mankind's state, however, in this future view, bears sad similarities to the present day. The world is in a mess and we couldn't organize a round of drinks in a distillery, let alone a galactic strike force. Thus, world saving is left in the hands of private enterprise.

Luckily one man has his act together, a certain Doc Cortex, the cleverest man in the entire universe. He gathers together a band of misfits to help him build the ultimate bomb, the only thing that can stop Demoniak.

Demoniak is a text adventure. Now before you delete this file and the two disks the program is on PLEASE READ ON. Popular in the early days of computing the text adventure has been largely forgotten since the 16-bits made it big, because these machines allowed glorious pictures and sounds while adventuring. Why be satisfied with mere text? In Demoniak the descriptions and story rattles across the main game screen, while you interrupt the game interjecting actions for the characters you currently command by entering text commands.

Traditionally, there would have been no choice of the character you control but in Demoniak, it can be any one of 50 characters, who all have different views of events. So during the game you are leaping around a galaxy of planets and personas, aiding the gang of five (Doc Cortex, Sondra the psychic, Flame the fire girl, Sirius the muscle, and Madlock the magician) in their quest.

The worlds the team visits are crazy places and a black nihilistic humor pervades the whole game. Each of the 50 characters you can become has psychological problems that loom large just when you need it least. To achieve free movement you need to learn to appreciate the game's amusingly warped perspective. Then it becomes clear how to encourage folks to do stuff their predetermined character would never dream of.

The 50 characters all have defined characteristics and objectives, so the curious will have great fun becoming periphery players and pushing the Demoniak universe to its logically mad conclusion. The mind-reader Sondra is fun, because her psychic abilities let you watch the thoughts of the person she's talking to.

Now, those of you who enjoy the slash and hack of Dungeon Master or Eye of the Beholder are going to have a big attitude adjustment to make until you become used to the "logic parser"(text/game interface). The parser is far more intelligent than the average Infocom text basher. It allows compound sentences and short-cut commands. You are still forced to master the syntax system to succeed and annoyance is inevitable as this process runs its course. Typing the wrong command earns a "you do not need to use the word....." and a vicious circle of harried and frustrated key bashing commences.




The limitations of the text adventure mode can not be held against Demoniak, as it forces the form and frees it considerably from previous constraints.

Thrills are few and excitement is sparse but the challenges of a 50 way logical puzzle-49 more than usual- are intriguing! Refreshingly, the combat is particularly flexible and reasonably tense. You can even become your enemy and mess with their happy fighting thoughts.

There are many excellent graphics still screens and a very well done animated introduction. This is not text only.

So if you dread the thought of actually using your brain rather than strumming a joystick please give this to a friend.......or come enjoy the warped universe inside your own head!!!!

Here are a few key hints and short-cuts:

Demoniak works from DF0: only. You must put Disk 2 into DF0: when prompted even if you have 2 drives (How very European)

If you want to talk to someone, type their name then enclose what you want them to say in "  ". Example:  Cortex "What is a 3 toed eye muncher?"

n= go north        s= go south     e= go east      w= go west
u= go up           d= go down      o= go out       l= look around
x= show exits      quit= quit      save= save game  

Now go play and discover your own.
 
                             Voltaire
                             Houston, Texas 6/2/91

