AL-QADIM: CURSE OF THE GENIE by S.S.I.

Reviewed on: 486/66 Local Bus, 8MB Ram, Soundblaster Pro 
Recommended: 486, 4MB, sound card

I know what you're thinking: "Gee, another SSI role-playing game? Yeah, I'll check it out- when it hits the bargin bin so hard it's cheaper than preformatted disks!" And, just this once, it's wrong. I don't know what happened. Through some cosmic alignment of planets or other miracle, they've managed to produce a worthwhile game. Even a blind squirrel.. yeah.

Al-Qadim is the kind of game you'll either love or roll on the floor laughing at. It's the story of a young Corsair, returned from training on a remote island, come home to marry. But, guess, what, a huge magical conspiracy draws him in. And you get to fight the big wizard at the end.

Surprise!

But you don't play games like this for plot, and everything else is so well done it's easy for forgive them. The graphics are surprisingly good (did SSI kidnap Westwood's staff?), the music is beautiful and doesn't ever grate, and the sound effects not only match the action, they're pretty good. Gameplay is smooth and control of your intrepid hero easy and complete. There's just nothing wrong with how the game runs.

Al-Qadim starts well, runs well (though, like all computer role-playing games, you do sometimes feel like the plot's being force-fed to you) and ends extremely well. As you advance from weakling to stud-boy, you learn new combat moves from a qualified weapons master, more hit points and better equipment. The challenges grow, too, matching your increased ability to kill up stuff. But killing off stuff is not everything- making sure you talk to everyone, two or three times, to glean a valuable bit of information can save you a great deal of fustration.

All in all, it just works. It's got pacing, graphics, sound and gameplay to satisfy the manimal in you. It's solid, man. But 486/66 users beware! At certain points in the game, especially where it is neccasary to return to an exact point to call a creature or trigger the first plank in a magical bridge, you must (must) turn off turbo, turn into a weakling 33, walk to that point, trigger the event and then whisk back off into 66 land. I spent many a fustrated hour inventing new and colorful curses screaming at the monitor (oh, if only I had a Compaq Presario) before a friend suggested toggling my speed off. And, really, this shouldn't be something we have to do. Playtest it until it runs, guys, fustrating your users is what gave SSI such a bad rap in the first place.

Still! I must remain upbeat. If you like these three-quarters perspective RPGs, Al-Qadim is a worthwhile play. We can only hope it's not too late for SSI to start doing this consistently.