Space Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulon

Simply said, Space Quest 3 is a textbook example of what a "classic adventure game" is (and by textbook, I mean "Adam's Book of Stuff," to be published sometime in the near future). Great plot, decent graphics (even today), and a jammin' soundtrack make this an excellent, if short, game that all adventurers should play, especially if you're a fan of science fiction or parody.

Come the end of October, Roger Wilco will be back in action again, with the Amiga release of Sierra's Space Quest III. After his recent brush with Sludge Vohaul, Roger manages to cobble together a spacecraft from bits and pieces in the space breakers' yard and is soon heading light speed for the planet Phleebhut. A desert planet of sand and rock, Pleebhut is a tourist attraction in the form of a giant statue, if only you can reach it. Nestling between its huge feet is the World 'o Wonders gift shop, run by a sleazy blue alien who drives a hard bargain. Try to sell him something, and the game enters 'Haggle Mode'; you'll need to pitch your price about right to keep up his interest until you can extract enough cash for your needs.

Once again Roger Wilco inadvertently finds himself in the thick of things. Following his gnat's-whisker escape from Vohaul's asteroid he's been enjoying a restful kip within the sleep tank of an escape pod which currently drifts aimlessly through the vast emptiness of a cold, black space. Empty that is save for a huge junk freighter which catches sight of Roger's pod (not a pretty sight) and believing it to be space junk, beams it onboard to let it rust amid the decaying shells of other unfortunate machines. Roger slowly comes to his senses (difficult for a guy like him) and leaves the now-defunct pod to explore this space-age rag and bone cart in the hope of finding a way out.

The game also includes colourful characters, like Arnoid the Terminator Annihilator who has been sent to set things straight… (Remember that slot machine you broke in Space Quest 1?) Well, Arnoid is here to make sure you never do that again! (Or anything else for that matter…) The graphics and music in this game is excellent, not to mention the story which is both funny and good, making the game a valuable member of the Space Quest series.

By 1989, the Space Quest series has entertained countless adventure fans for nearly 4 years. Previous games of the series, Space Quest I: Roger Wilco in The Sarien Encounter and Space Quest II: Vohaul’s Revenge, have gained much praise from both fans and critics. Seeing a winning series at hand, the developer Sierra On-Line urges “The Two Guys from Andromeda”, the designers of the series who are known to mere mortals as Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe, to create a third title. Space Quest III: Pirates of Pestulon is the result of this calling. It proves to be the most popular and best installment in the Space Quest series.

Wir schreiben das Jahr Zweitausendirgendwann: Roger Wilco, Held zahlloser Abenteuer aus Space Quest I und II, hat sich endlich zur Ruhe gesetzt, das heisst, eigentlich gelegt. Er treibt nämlich in einer alten Schrottmühle, die sich so gerade eben noch als Raumschiff bezeichnen lässt, im Tiefschlaf durch die Galaxis. Ob es sich dabei um unsere heimatliche Milchstrasse handelt, war leider mangels astromischer Vorbildung meinerseits nicht festzustellen – vielleicht, wenn ich in der Schule besser aufgepasst hätte…? Auf alle Fälle scheinen die Abfallprobleme auch in fernerer Zukunft nichts an Aktualität verloren zu haben: Rogers Gefährt wird von einem gigantischen Müllsammler aufgegabelt und an Bord geholt, wo es dann zusammen mit einen Haufen ähnlichen Schrotts seine wohl letzte Ruhestätte findet.

Space Quest 3: Pirates of Pestulon está muy lejos de ser una aventura perfecta pero fue un buen precedente para juegos de la calidad de los dos Space Quest que vendrían después, dos aventuras bastante sobresalientes ya no sólo en lo que Sierra se refiere sino en todo el género aventurero. Como digo el argumento es uno de los más divertidos y pulidos de la saga y el final es de antología. La dificultad se les fue un poco de las manos y el interfaz de texto ni facilita las cosas, ni es de lo más amigable que se ha visto. Pero tampoco se le puede pedir más a un juego del '89 (ya quisieran otros)