Review: Treasures of a Slaver's Kingdom

Instead of actually working on level 2 (and thus, by definition, the sequel to ASE1) I've been playing Treasures of a Slaver's Kingdom.  It's an Encounter Critical adventure implemented as Interactive Fiction - like the old Infocom games I used to play when I was a kid.

Man that was a sweet, sweet game.  There are only a few commands to deal with (assail, parley, regard, seize, use), and the puzzles are fairly simple.  The gonzo-factor is over the top though, since it is Encounter Critical.

Things I really liked:

a. Functions as a play example for Encounter Critical.  Not the mechanics, but how monsters & society operates.  The Encounter Critical rules are really lightweight, so this game really helps illustrate some of the default setting.

b. Bee Queen encounter.  Wonderfully silly.

c. The secret identify of the Slaver King.  It was jaw-droppingly over-the-top.

I've only played through the one time, and while I solved almost everything, I did goof a few things.

1. I assailed Adam, so he didn't become a buddy.  Whoops.
2. I can't figure out how to get to the fifth encounter with the Delicate Doxy.  Maybe if I was nicer to Adam?  Or maybe there's something that can be done with the gold statue?

If anybody knows the secret to the fifth encounter, I'd love to hear it.

Game play lasted maybe 6 hours?  It's a pretty easy game, but well worth the time.