SOMETHING VERY STRANGE IS GOING ON HERE

A Review of The Bizarre Adventures Of Woodruff and the Schnibble

by Craig Majaski

The Bizarre Adventures of Woodruff and the Schnibble (Adventure) by Sierra, has got to be the strangest game I have ever had the joy of playing. Even the title of the game is so different, it demands a second glance. So what's the game about? Read on for some answers.

Many years ago there was a nuclear war on earth that destroyed practically everything. The few human survivors took cover in their underground hideouts. Finally, one day the survivors decided to leave their underground homes and see what the world looked like. Most of the lands had evolved into a vast jungle. As they explored the new world, they encountered a new race of kind people known as the Boozooks.

The humans misunderstood the Boozooks, and went to war with them. The humans were victorious and enslaved the remaining Boozook population. The Boozooks were forced to build the City for the humans. After its completion, the Boozooks lived at the bottom of the city, while the humans lived in the upper sections.

Objecting to the conditions the Boozooks were forced to work under, Professor Azimuth became committed to finding a way to free the Boozooks from their torture. He learned of a mythical magic called the Schnibble that's supposed to create peace in times of need. He began to search for the Schnibble in hopes of making things right.

Unfortunately, the evil Bigwig learned of Azimuth's plan and broke into his house, kidnapping him. Before they took Azimuth away, he was able to hide his adopted son Woodruff, and place the Viblefrotzer on his head. This device caused Woodruff to change into an adult. However, a side effect of the device was memory loss. And so the adventure begins with the player controlling Woodruff.

As one can probably gather, the story is very different, umm, original. In fact, the entire game is very twisted. Your goal in Adventure is to help Woodruff find Professor Azimuth and take the Bigwig out of power. Pretty easy task you say? Sure. I hope you are up to learning a new language.

That's right! As you travel around in Adventure, you will come across many items that have strange names. The Tobozon, for example, is your portable videophone. The Boozooks don't have the normal numbering system. Their numbers consist of 3 or 4 letter sounds. The number1 is KAH and the number 2 is ZIG. Luckily when you find a new phone number it is stored in the Tobozon's memory so you don't have to write it down. It's important to use the videophone as it will provide access to different areas in the game.

The control of Woodruff is pretty standard fare. It's almost identical to Sierra's other adventure game, King's Quest VII. As you move your cursor around, certain objects will be highlighted. Woodruff can interact with these objects. Many items can be picked up or read. Your inventory is easily accessed by pressing the right mouse button. Just place the item on the area you want to use it, then click the left mouse button. If the item won't work with the playing field, Woodruff will let you know by performing a funny gesture.

In order to progress in the game, it's essential for Woodruff to talk to the many inhabitants of the City. He will meet a lot of strange people. They often offer advice on what to do. Some, like the tax collection guy, do nothing but add comical relief. It's important to talk to the same person more than once as they will often have new information. Sometimes they may even help you out by giving you an item.

There are many puzzles for Woodruff to solve. As in any Sierra adventure game, they range from very easy to extremely hard. At least if there's a puzzle that can't be figured out, there are usually other areas ready to explore. If you get stuck, it's usually a good idea to move to a different area. Often the item you need will be there.

Graphically, Adventure is pretty nice. The backgrounds are especially rich in color. If you sit around in one area long enough, you'll see a lot of humorous things taking place in the background. Woodruff is animated fairly well. His strut as he walks is a sight to behold. Most of the other characters don't move. Many of them just sit at a counter motionless, as if they were pasted to the background.

The voices in the game are very well done. Woodruff almost sounds like Bert from Sesame Street (yes, I've seen Sesame Street once or twice). The voices fit all the characters nicely. The sound effects are zany and managed to make me crack a smile more than once. They easily could have been taken right from a cartoon.

As good as the voice and sound effects are, the one area that needs improvement is the music. There really is not one good music track in the entire game. The music repeats every 30 seconds or so and doesn't set the mood for the game. It was such an annoyance that I ended up shutting it off (a point for including that option).

Overall, Adventure was a descent game. There wasn't anything ground breaking, but it was fun nonetheless. The humor is very off the wall and I guarantee that you will be laughing along with this game. However, if you were looking for a really funny game, I'd suggest Sam and Max over this title.

Even with all the humor, something was missing. It really didn't keep my attention like other Sierra games usually do. Perhaps it was due to the zany storyline. I suggest buying Adventure only if you like games with bizarre twisted humor and a mediocre quest.

Gamer's Zone Scorecard

Product:	The Bizarre Adventures Of Woodruff and the Schnibble
Company:	Sierra On-Line, Inc. Bellvue, WA 98007 (800) 757-7707
Cost:	$39.95

System Requirements:

Windows 3.1, CD-ROM, 486 or better, 4 MB RAM,
5 MB HD Space, 640x480x256 colors,
Supports all major sound cards.

Breakdown:

Fun Factor 3
Graphics 4
Sound 2
Interface 3
Replayability 2

Overall Score:

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