                      Wrath of the Gods From Luminaria
                          Review by Don Pellegrino

Suggested Price: $59.95

Requirements (Windows):
- IBM/100% compatible 386 25MHz and up.
- 4MB of RAM (8MB recommended).  Note: 4MB systems require a 6MB  permanent
  swap file.
- Single-Speed CD-ROM drive (Double-Speed recommended).
- VGA,SVGA 256 color display with 640x480 resolution.
- Windows compatible sound card (SoundBlaster, ProAudio Spectrum, etc.).
- DOS 5.0, Windows 3.1. Mouse.

 Wrath of the Gods is also available for Macintosh CD-ROM.

Requirements (Macintosh):
- Macintosh LC III, Performa 450, IIci, PowerBook 160, Centris, Quadra.
- 256 Colors, 640x480 Resolution.
- Minimum 4MB RAM (2,500K of free RAM), Single-Speed CD-ROM  Drive.
- Recommended 8MB RAM, Double-Speed CD-ROM Drive.
- Requires System 7.

        Wrath of the Gods is an adventure game based on Greek myths. The
player is on a journey, during the time of Greek legend, to regain his
birthright. The game features photo-realistic actors and animation. There
is an extensive geography to explore and many of the puzzles let the player
relive the adventure s had by famous heroes such as Hercules, Jason, and
others.

Interface:

        WOTG is very easy to use. There is a standard icon interface much
like the one you would see in any of Sierra's adventure games (King's Quest,
Space Quest, etc.). The characters all speak to the player therefore there
are not any monotonous dialog bubbles to read. The speech is very clear and
the plot is easy to follow. An on-line map is provided to make the landscape
more identifiable. Many adventure games give the player a maze of screens
to navigate which can become troublesome and take away from game play. After
using the map you will get the feeling that you are in an alternate reality
with an area with which you are familiar.
        Luminaria even offers an original concept in the hint area. When
you are discouraged you don't have to quit the game or even pick up a hint
book. On-line cheating is given through the "Oracle." Back in the time of
Greek mythology the people would consult the mythical Oracle for wisdom. Of
course, the Oracle was usually pretty vague. So, following this history, the
game lets the player trade points for clues. The first few hints don't admit
an obvious answer, which can usually let you get back into the game and
solve the puzzle yourself. If you are completely baffled it does still give
the complete solution (click on the x and then click on the y), it will cost
you though.
        Another distinctive enhancement to the adventure game genre is
Luminaria's addition of historical background, made available in screen
specific areas of the game. One puzzle has the player faced up against the
deadly Hydra. When "Info" is chosen text is displayed relating the story of
how Hercules defeated the Hydra. With the knowledge of Hercules'
experiences the player is able to mirror the actions and slay the Hydra.

Graphics and Sound:

        Real actors portray the characters and the mouth movements follow
the speech accurately. The costumes are also professionally produced giving
an authentic depiction of the time. The backgrounds are outstanding. Most
of the art comes from various historical societies.
        Sound effects totally immerse you into setting. Trees rustle in the
wind, rivers flow, and lightning strikes with an echoing bang. The
characters not only have great diction but their tone of voice is clear and
perceptive.

Game Play:

        The story line is short and simple. The player must regain his
throne, rescue his mother, and finally find his father. It takes a lot of
exploring to make progress along this line and the player will come across
many other, more elaborate puzzles. If you can complete them you get bonus
points to be spent at the Oracle, if you are stumped, you can just come back
later or skip the puzzle completely. This nonlinear type of progress is a
much better design than the kind seen in many of Sierra's or LucasArt's
adventures which require the player to take one puzzle at a time. If you
get stumped without a hint book, the game looses its entertainment value. If
it was not for sleeping and eating you would probably never quit playing
WOTG. Another irritating aspect of the traditional adventure style is
death. One death could set the player back hours of progress. In WOTG,
when you die you simply go to Mt. Olympus or Haydes (usually Haydes). This
has no greater consequence than repositioning the player on the map. Simply
walk out the door marked "Exit" and head back to where you left off.

Technical:

        For the most part WOTG is error free. On a Pentium system all of
the animation is well timed to the speech and sound effects. On a slower
system mouth movement may become sporadic and animation slow or jerky. Quick
Time for Windows is responsible for these quirks. Like most other games
the program is limited by the speed of your system. I experienced some
incompatibility problems with Quick Time. I needed to update my Sound
Blaster 2.0 Driver to a beta version just to get the speech to work
correctly. Luminaria technical support answered on the first ring and was
able to send the driver out within the week. Another problem with Quick
Time is that when you return to the program manager all of the icons will be
on a white background regardless of your screen colors. The only real game
related problem I could find has to do with saving. Beware, do not save
while you are in the map screen. The game will exit back to the program
manager.

Synopsis:

        Wrath of the Gods is a breakthrough in adventure gaming. The
Graphics and Sound represent Luminaria's clear link with Hollywood. The
interface is easy to use and the player does not have to waste any time
reading complex technical manuals.  Game play is revolutionary. The Oracle,
Historical Background, Map, and handling of death all pound the gaming style
far beyond any previous adventure.

                                 Luminaria
                            152 Brewster Street
                      San Francisco, California 94110
                         Main Phone: (415) 821-0536
                            Fax: (415) 821-0167
                        Tech Support: (415) 821-2055

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