BAD BLOOD 

 Billed as the "radioactive" game, BAD BLOOD is certainly hot hot
hot stuff! Set in a post-nuclear-holocaust world of mutants and
assorted creatures -- some human, some not so human -- BAD BLOOD
takes both adventure and CRP gaming to new heights. Are _you_ mutant
enough to prevent extermination of your fellow mutants by the
"pure-blooded humans"? Can you survive the real-time arcade-style
combat? Can you find your way around this vast wasteland of
bombed-out cities, tunnels, and villages? Are you willing to improve
your communications skills? If you answered yes, then pin on your
radiation monitor (provided with the game) and venture forth to seek
"The Oracle." (This review is based on the IBM-PC version.) 

 As a gamer experienced in adventure and CRPG environments, I am at
a loss to characterize BAD BLOOD as either type; I do know, 
however, that I like this game. BAD BLOOD includes elements of both
the graphic adventure and the CRPG, as did NEUROMANCER and KEEF THE
THIEF. Because of the type of interface (menu selection), puzzles
are necessarily simplistic and suffer from the lack of a
sophisticated parser. Like THE MAGIC CANDLE, game progress is
related to the protagonist's ability to find and question various
inhabitants of the gameworld. Like KEEF THE THIEF, combat strategy
and operator dexterity are important. Dexterity is not important
enough to categorize the game as having true "arcade" action, but if
a joystick is used, the game is close enough to arcade-type action
to add this variable to the categorization formula. 

 Unlike true CRPGs, in which a full party participates in the
enterprise, the BAD BLOOD expedition is limited to a single
"champion" who becomes more efficient and powerful as experience
increases. Just how efficient and powerful is uncertain, since there
are no character statistics for measuring progress. The graphics are
spectacular, tailor-made for a VGA display. Gone are the blocky
representations of locale and character. In BAD BLOOD you have a
bird's-eye view as clear as an eagle's: You can count the hairs on
the heads of the punks...really! Attention to detail is so good that
even the mattresses are soiled and torn. Of course, it looks like
the same mattress is moved to every house -- but hey, when you're
tired, who cares? 

 Since I played without a soundboard or joystick, I can only begin
to imagine what fun this game _could_ be, if only I had the
hardware! Even on my relatively basic 386 system under keyboard
control, the game is practically seamless. I found that every byte
of the 640K is required to run BAD BLOOD. All TSRs must be
bypassed, as should any RAM cache or RAM disk configurations. 

 The copy protection scheme is the least obnoxious I've seen in a
long time. The game asks two multiple-choice questions, the answers
to which can be found on a full-color poster that is packed with
information about the creatures who inhabit the gameworld. The print
is easy to read, and the answers are easy to find. Since some of the
answers are truly color-dependent, the scheme is practically
pirate-proof and, best of all, does not intrude upon gameplay. 
Game-saves are simple; you may save three versions, which you can
either name yourself, or allow to retain the default names. 

 BAD BLOOD, written by Chris Roberts, runs on all IBM-PC, Tandy, and
100%-compatible systems. 640K of RAM is _required_. A joystick is
optional, and a hard drive is recommended. The 5-1/4" disk package
contains a 3-1/2" disk upgrade coupon. The full 256-color VGA
graphics are superb. Other available graphics modes are MCGA, EGA, 
CGA, Tandy 16-color, and Hercules. The text display is practically
illegible in EGA mode, though, so I don't recommend anything less
than VGA. The game supports Roland, AdLib, Game Blaster (CMS), 
Innovation, Corvox, and Tandy soundboards. 

 Because of my general aversion to Origin games (acquired while
attempting to play the Apple versions of KNIGHTS OF LEGEND and TIMES
OF LORE), I was prepared to face another disappointment with BAD
BLOOD. Fortunately, I was surprised and pleased to find a game that
is fun, an interface that is logical and easy to use, graphics that
rival laser-disc arcade games, and an intriguing storyline. Game
setup on the hard drive (the _only_ way to play) is straightforward
and takes less than fifteen minutes. Compared to a few hundred hours
of fun, that's no time at all! 

 BAD BLOOD is published and distributed by Origin Systems. 

*****DOWNLODED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253