Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers

Like KQ5 (released the year before) SQ4 uses full mouse control, making the game much easier to play. As for the graphics and music in the game, they are far superior to any of the former Space Quest games. The scenery is beautifully made and every background is a work of art.

Grafiken är snygg, med konstnärligt handmålade bakgrunder och sådant, och Roger ser ut som en riktig perso istället för en liten streckgubbe. Nackdelen är att det blir lite rörigt ibland. Annars finns det väl inte mycket att gnälla på.

Today, where walkthroughs and porn are readily available on the web, SQ4 is still good fun. Graphics and music have aged well, the interface is one of the first point-and-click ones (just don’t hope for hotspots), the story is still great, and the puzzles tough as always. Download DOSbox and VDMSound and experience this classic in Windows XP. It will be worth it. And as Sierra put it: ‘It’s not just an adventure, it’s a convoluted mass of obstacles only the designers could ever hope to unravel. This 10 pound box of fun is sure to confound even the most dedicated computer game masochist’.

Ich versuche gar nicht erst, mein Schwärmen zu verheimlichen. Ich mache auch kein Hehl daraus, daß es mir die Space-Quest-Serie angetan hat. Und diesmal sind die Two Guys from Andromeda knapp vor meiner persönlichen Zwerchfell-Schmerzgrenze angelangt. Die Grafiken sind so gut, daß man sie am liebsten an die Wand pinnen möchte (Wie wär's mit einem Space-Quest-IV-Kalender?). Das Schärfste ist der Humor. Wer einmal beim Softwarehändler in der Kiste gewühlt hat (und sich ein wenig in der Szene auskennt), ist vor Lachen platt. Leider hat man den Spaß ziemlich schnell durch - dafür wird man noch lange Zeit von diesem Programm reden.

Aber was bedeuten schon Raum und Zeit, wenn man nur seinen Lieblings-Saubermann wieder zwischen die Maustasten nehmen kann! Und das geht hier eleganter denn je, da die bereits von anderen Sierra-Games her bekannte Steuerungs-Revolution nun auch auf die beliebte Raumreiniger-Reihe übergeschwappt ist. Ihr Markenzeichen ist diese praktische Icon-Leiste am oberen Bildschirmrand, die neben den obligaten Langweiler-Kommandos (Gehen, Sehen, Nehmen...) auch jeweils von Spiel zu Spiel unterschiedliche Spezialbefehle enthält. Bei Larry war das standesgemäß ein Reißverschluß-Icon, bei Roger findet man überraschenderweise ein Nasen – (Schnüffeln) und ein Zungen-Icon (Schmecken) vor.

The first thing which strikes you about Space Quest IV is that it is BIG. We're talking massive here - this is a game which spans a multitude of worlds throughout space and even time itself.

All in all, the idea of cruising through the space time continuum is interesting, but it doesn't justify bankrupting yourself or your parents by purchasing a turbocard, extra drive and a hard disk. Hopefully, Sierra will realize this and give their Amiga audience what they really need: affordable, challenging entertainment with dynamic graphics and stereo sound.

Asking 35 quid for an absurdly fat package with less game than even two years ago is simply asking a bit too much. Surely, Sierra can do better than that?

With Monkey Island and Indiana Jones adventures also available on budget, there's not much point bothering with this annoyingly linear effort.

In comparison with earlier Space Quest games this is a definite step backwards, both in terms of speed and gameplay.

Amiga owners, leave this one for the PC - you'd have to be warped to pay for this game.

Let us just come out and say it, shall we? When reading the documentation is more fun than playing the game, you know that you are on to a loser. In the packaging that comes with Space Quest IV is a fun little mock magazine called ‘Space Pistol’ that introduces the character Roger Wilco, ex-janitor, space hero, and star of the three previous Space Quest adventures, as well as providing other info which is handy to know when playing the game. It is colourful, well put together and quite humorous in places, three things the game miserably fails to be.