| The Queen of Phobos | |
|---|---|
 Manual cover | |
| Publisher(s) | Phoenix Software |
| Programmer(s) | Paul Berker |
| Artist(s) | William R. Crawford |
| Writer(s) | William R. Crawford |
| Platform(s) | Apple II |
| Release | 1982 |
| Genre(s) | Interactive fiction |
The Queen of Phobos is a graphical text adventure for the Apple II published by American studio Phoenix Software in 1982.
Gameplay
The game is represented by still black and white line images accompanied by short text descriptions, and controlled by means of two word text commands. The player searches the derelict Martian spacecraft Queen of Phobos for the "Mask of Kuh-Thu-Lu" while avoiding or killing the four looters also searching for the mask.
Reception
The game was well-received, with Kim Schuette describing it as "A well implemented, nicely paced, fast acting adventure of average difficulty" in his 1984 Book of Adventure Games. Margo Comstock Tommervik of Softalk commented that "It's a hi-res adventure, but the graphics—unusual well-done line drawings, not color—are used for a scenario that would do fine as a text adventure, and not for their own sake", concluding "Queen of Phobos offers several evenings of pleasurable, if frustrating, diversion for the adventurer." In Creative Computing, Graham Unwin rated Queen of Phobos a 4/5 for quality of graphics and a 2/5 for complexity.
References
- Comstock Tommervik, Margo, ed. (November 1982). "Fastalk". Softalk. Vol. 3, no. 3. North Hollywood, California: Softalk Publishing Inc. p. 14. ISSN 0274-9629 – via archive.org.
- Green, Wayne, ed. (January 1983). "Queen of Phobos". Microcomputing. Vol. 7, no. 1. Peterborough, NH: Wayne Green, Inc. ISSN 0744-4567 – via archive.org.
- Comstock Tommervik, Margo, ed. (April 1982). "Queen of Phobos: Hi-Res Adventure". Softalk. Vol. 2, no. 8. North Hollywood, California: Softalk Publishing Inc. p. 37. ISSN 0274-9629 – via archive.org.
- ^ Schuette, Kim (1984). The Book of Adventure Games. Arrays, Inc. pp. 145–147. ISBN 0-912003-08-1 – via archive.org.
- Katz, Arnie, ed. (March 1983). "Adventures Through Time and Space". Electronic Games. Vol. 1, no. 13. New York, NY: Reese Publishing Company. p. 52 – via archive.org.
- Comastock Tommervik, Margo (September 1982). "Queen of Phobos". Softalk. Vol. 3, no. 1. North Hollywood, California: Softalk Publishing Inc. p. 135. ISSN 0274-9629 – via archive.org.
- Unwin, Graham (October 1983). "Adventures in Education". Creative Computing. Vol. 9, no. 10. Morristown, NJ: Ahi Computing, Inc. pp. 150, 156–157. ISSN 0097-8140 – via archive.org.