Code-Name: Iceman

The Good
It was coming to the end of the Eighties, and with two Police Quests under his belt, Sierra employee Jim Walls decided to step away from the gritty world of Sonny Bonds to focus on the real-life duties of a Navy officer. The officer, in this case, is Commander John Westland, who gets interrupted by his superior while on vacation in Tahiti to take on a secret mission involving oil reserves in Tunisia and the possibility of the president being assassinated if the U.S. government doesn't comply with the terrorist's demands.

You start on a nice Tahitian beach and eventually have to chat up a babe who happens to be an agent that you'll rendezvous with later. During that time, it is nice that the game uses elements that is influenced by the Leisure Suit Larry games. You see Tahitian women walking along the beach, and looking at them gives you a LSL-style close up. Also, that dance scene is taken right out of the first game.

The majority of the game takes place in the submarine, the USS Blackhawk, where you have to sit at its controls and do things such as bringing down enemy ships, navigating around icebergs, and such. There are many ways that you can die when you finally get behind the controls of the submarine. I remember when I changed the heading and depth when the hatch is still open. More points are awarded for correct procedure. Time is crucial, and if you don't do all the things by the time the game is ready to move on, then you will become stranded or killed.

The graphics are adequate for the time, and the submarine is laid out nicely. (I haven't been inside a real sub, so I'm guessing the layout is based on a real one.) One thing I really like about this game is watching the Russian destroyer on the horizon during a beautiful sunset.

Since around 1988, sound card support was introduced in most of Sierra's game. When it comes to Code-Name: Iceman, Adlib sound is okay, but quite poor compared to what the MT-32 was capable of. With the device, you can hear additional sound effects other sound cards aren't able to produce such as the waves at the resort, and the submarine's sonar just sounds real. Music is also enhanced. I quite enjoyed listening to the music when you arrive at Dulles Airport, as well as what you hear at The Pentagon.

Copy Protection plays a key role as far as Iceman is concerned, and anyone who tries to play the game without reading the manual will have trouble. You have to perform CPR on a girl very early in the game by reading the correct procedure outlined in the manual, but the major thing is decoding secret messages, which is so complex that you have to refer to a code book you pick up early on. It' great that if you happen to decode them incorrectly, you will get a parody of Little Miss Muffet or Little Boy Blue.

The only puzzles are figuring out what each object does and how to use them. The game uses the mouse for moving your character around the screen, and the keyboard to enter commands at the parser. Unlike most of Sierra games, you need to be specific in what you type.

The Bad
I found the first of the submarine battles too difficult, and the battles are a hit-and-miss basis. There is no way you can avoid missing your target, except to keep doing a S&R (save and restore) procedure and hope that you can hit it. There is no way you can avoid the torpedoes the enemy launches, except to use decoys (and even they can miss). Before the sub battles is a game of Boss Dice you are forced to play. Waste of time.

The Bottom Line
So, what audience would Code-Name: Ice-Man appeal to? Well, it appeals to anyone who enjoys James Bond movies, since both the game and the movies share similar elements. It is also for anyone who has a lot of skill and patience. Anyone else, like me, should steer well clear of it. If it was not for the sub battles, I would have completed this by now. Thank god there wasn't another Navy Quest.

The Good
Firstly, I'm in doubt that any gamer could finish Codename: ICEMAN in only a couple short hours without a hint book. While the game may be overly short, simple is one thing it's not. What's good about it? Enough to warrant a look, if little more. To my knowledge, an adventure game based on this kind of modern political intrigue hadn't been attempted before. That alone gives it some sort of value. The "mysterious girl" subplot was also interesting, and could have been developed further.

The Bad
It ends up feeling like a skeleton of an adventure game. Political intrigue, unrest in the middle east, a mysterious female spy, a silent running submarine, a secret mission... these are all things that ought to add up to a classic game, but none of these elements are as fully developed as they could have been. There are also too "few" adventure portions - too much of the game is played in the submarine simulator. And while the underdeveloped plot is still interesting, the game doesn't explain enough to you. Sometimes you find yourself wondering either what you need to do, or what you need to do to accomplish it. There's no sense of urgency in your mission.

The Bottom Line
It's not so much that I disagree with Mr. Gabel's review, but I think that to dismiss Codename: ICEMAN as a "ridiculous failiure" is to overlook its good elements. In playing the game, you can see what Jim Walls and Sierra were attempting. Unfortunately, the game never quite lives up to expectations.

The Good
Codename: ICEMAN ("CI" hereon) follows the Police Quest style of mixing reality with interactive adventure fiction. Instead of following police protocol, CI requires the player to follow some basic military protocol and procedures. Fortunately, most of that information is outlined in the manual, allowing you to work your way through the different scenarios with some study.

There are three main segments in this game. The first is the vacation in Tahiti, where you will begin. There, it opens up as an ordinary Sierra adventure, with above average 16 color graphics and a quick simulation puzzle (using the manual) that provides a glimpse of things to come. Later, you will board and command a nuclear submarine. You will spend the majority of the game playing this section, which adds a lot of simulation to the adventure. Finally, you will leave the submarine for the brief conclusion.

The interface to CI is a text parser, and it is a smart one. Most of what you will consider typing is handled by the parser, and when it is not, it usually indicates what words aren't working. Additionally, the mouse can be used a little bit. The puzzles usually make sense, and overall the gameplay is good, albeit difficult at times.

The Bad
In my opinion, the plot of CI is uninteresting. It is getting through the plot that provides entertainment, but many people will be turned off by the difficulty of the journey. Why? Instead of the typical "You wake up and are suffering from amnesia" plot, your character is a Commander in the Navy, and the game expects you to play along with that! You will be referring to the manual and the submarine chart for help, along with common sense. If you make the slightest mistake, it's Game Over -- or worse, you could become trapped and unable to complete the game.

For example, the submarine simulation has a very steep learning curve at the beginning. Any significant mistakes or deviations from procedure will immediately result in failure; if you don't like saving and restoring, this game may not be for you. Fortunately, once you have mastered the simulation, you will realize that it is actually oversimplified and you won't have so much trouble later on.

Other criticisms: You will need the manual and the chart that came with this game in order to play. The music is not memorable. The endgame is thin.

(note: An early review for this title on mobygames indicated a play time of only two hours. This is entirely inaccurate unless you are using a walkthrough or hint book)

The Bottom Line
Codename: ICEMAN is probably not an adventure game for beginners or those who give up easily; it would not be fun to play if you had to cheat or constantly read hints. For the more seasoned adventurer or for those who are interested in the military or techno-thriller fiction, solving the puzzles and finishing this game could be a rewarding, enlightening experience. Flipping through the manual might help someone decide whether or not to play. Keep in mind, this type of game is not for everyone.