Merk's Review: Adventure XT

The “official” version can be found at my website:
sidneymerk.com/comp07/advxt.shtml

I’d love to know why people keep playing his games. Is it the idea that, yes, his last twenty have sucked but his next one might be the masterpiece to knock Photopia off its perch?

I am under no delusions that Panks will improve; I play because I try to play every game in the comp.

Ditto that.

Also, I haven’t completely hated all his games. Quality varies, but I’ve found entertainment in the more offbeat stories (Nazareth) – and his writing is sometimes worth reading (Fireflies). Plus, I root for the underdog. In a way, yeah – I keep thinking he’s going to create something really brilliant, where the home-brewed parser isn’t even a factor. A delusion maybe, but as long as he keeps trying, I’ll probably keep playing – at least in the context of the IFComp.