The Prophecy

The Good
The game actually is the closest one to the Coktels' famous "Goblins" series, both in the stile of gameplay and in the style of artwork. And, while being far less known, it is not just remains the same quality, but at some points it acts even better, then the games in the series mentioned above.

Not the obvious fact, but the game is the sequel to an awful game of late 80th, that was made by Tomahawk and published by Coktel, - Legend of Djel. That game is even less known then The Prophecy, and, apart from rather original plot, it has nothing interesting to offer. And that's a big surprise that Coktel managed to change this situation in the sequel, so that it became one of the companys' greatest works.

The kingdom of Blue Rocks is in danger, and you, as a grandson of powerful royal wizard, have to save it from another powerful, but this time evil sorcerer, Kraal. Kraal has stolen the Revvus, the sacred sand watch of the kingdom, and kidnapped the Princess. Your mission is quite obvious - find the princess, defeat the sorcerer, save the kingdom.

The interesting touches of the game are a great number of different interactions with the game world. First of all, during your adventure you'll be followed by several characters, such as your trustful servant Petroy (who will give you information on different subjects you'll come across), two silly gnomes - Uki and Orbi - who are supposed to carry your luggage and help you in different ways, but they cause more trouble, rather then help you. And finally there is a cute bat, Urm, which has ability to produce gold in return for feeding him strawberries (it will help you in some other ways for other kinds of berries, though).

The other nice touches are the use of several sacred jewels and of several potions. From the very beginning you have a copper ball in your possessions. There will be three sacred jewels scattered around the world of Blue Rocks, and after you'll find them, you may combine them with copper ball, which will turn into a cauldron, long pipe or a sword (depending on the jewel). As for the potions, there are two main types of them: Venom and Pollen. Plus you'll come across some other potions. Each of them has its unique abilities, and by mixing them in your cauldron you'll get knew potions. See how many opportunities you are given?!

There is also one non-typical for Coktels adventures feature presented in The Prophecy: twisted passes. There are two occasions were you can choose among to ways to go (one is obvious, the other has to be revealed first), and one were you can reach your aim by different methods. A very nice touch.

The game has a variety of good and memorable characters, some of them appear to help you in your quest, while the others are just sent to you by evil Kraal. All of them are very well drawn, just like the all in-game graphics. There are some FMV scenes, though, which were the part of almost every game of that period by Coktel, but, IMO, they are out of place here.

The Bad
Well, the game suffers from the same symptoms as any other Coktel game: pixel hunting, non-obvious puzzles, bad ending. The game also becomes extremely difficult near the ending, so not many will finish it without some help.

The music in the game is also not top-notch, and the variety of melodies during the game is rather small. Also, the mentioned above FMV scenes are somewhat out of place.

The Bottom Line
Despite those tiny, almost non-existent downsides (OK, OK, I'm actually the one who really likes the Coktel games :)) The Prophecy is a very enjoyable experience. It may suffer from the cruel pixel hunting or some illogical moments, but it is a true gem and it is the second better puzzle/adventure from Coktel Vision (after the Goblins series, of course, which I present as a one game). Two thumbs up!

The Good
Ween: The Prophecy is a fantasy point-and-click adventure game, and it shares the same game mechanics as Gobliins 2, Coktel's comedic puzzle game released the same year. However it has a few more impressive features worth talking about here. It is also a sequel to Legend of Djel, released by Coktel three years before. Although it uses a similar fantasy setting and features the same characters, you wouldn't know it's a sequel just by looking at the title.

The Great Eclipse is coming in three days, and it is predicted that the evil wizard Kraal will return to reign over the Kingdom of the Blue Rocks once more. Ohkram, the good wizard, known to have banished Kraal years ago, is suddenly weak and has asked his grandson Ween to fulfill an ancient prophecy that will banish evil from the world. All Ween has to do is search for the three grains of sand and place them in the Revuss, the hourglass of power.

It isn't long into your adventure where you are introduced to a number of characters who will help you overcome the three obstacles blocking your way to the Revuss. Petroy can decipher any alien writings you come across, while Urm the bat can offer you gold (and do other things) if you summon him with a flute and give him strawberries. There is also Uki and Orbi, two annoying gnomes whose only purpose is to lose important items you have trouble finding it.

Ween is presented in first-person, where you don't see your character at all. Interaction within the game world is done using the mouse, mainly to pick up objects and use them on others, and to travel from one location to the next. A neat feature of the game is the ability to make use of jewels and potions. Jewels can be transformed into a range of items which you can make use of, and then use that item to overcome an obstacle. Potions can be mixed together in the cauldron you carry at the start of the game, and trying different kinds of potions produce a completely different potion.

I believe that Ween is the first and only Coktel game to allow you to reach your destination in several ways. In one scene, you come across a bridge halfway through the game that and you have the option of going across it or making your way underwater, bypassing an obstacle that would prevented you from crossing it. In another, you must choose one of two doors to go through, with each one presenting its own problems.

What makes Ween stand out from other Coktel games around its time is the use of full-motion video which is mainly used for cut-outs as well as important cut-scenes. For some reason, nearly all of the characters look as if they are wearing leather masks. The characters have a limited amount of facial movements before the game loops back to the first movement.

Most of the hand-painted backgrounds look fantastic, especially the outdoor scenes. Some of the backgrounds have a hint of sepia to them that blends well with the game's setting. Rarely do you do something that will change the backgrounds colors. The on-screen animations are good, and I enjoyed watching Urm fly around.

Sound-wise, most of the music is re-used for several of the scenes. The music for the basement is the same as the final scene, for instance. In my opinion, the best music is heard when the Prophecy appears on screen in the game's introduction. It's quite energetic.

The Bad
The transformation of the jewels into useful objects, although playing an important role in the adventure, becomes tedious near the end of the game when you are about to face Kraal. Also, the ending to the game is crap.

The Bottom Line
Ween is a fantasy point-and-click adventure with some neat features, such as the use of FMVs and multiple paths. The game has beautiful, hand-painted backgrounds; and good music. However, most all of Coktel's games it suffers from tedious puzzles and bad ending. Don't let that stop you from enjoying the game, though.