Lost Secret of the Rainforest

The Good
Lost Secret of the Rainforest is the second game in the EcoQuest series, although you wouldn't know it just by looking at the title. The game still stars Adam and Noah Greene , and it shares the similar gameplay mechanics with the predecessor. However, the setting has changed. You see, the Greene team have given up spending their life underwater for a trek through the rainforest. But Adam is separated from his father once again and Adam is lured deeper into the rainforest where he learns that the heart of the rainforest – aptly named “Forest Heart” - is dying, and only the Grove People can help Adam save her.

Inside the box, you have the disks needed to install the game and the usual game manual, plus a booklet known as EcoNews. The booklet makes for interesting reading, and when you finish reading it (if you choose to do so), you can pass time by doing a bit of coloring in or completing a word search. You have to get out this booklet when you first encounter the Grove People. You are asked a question, which the answer can only be found in it. Therefore, you can't get further in the game without it. This is similar to the copy protection scheme used in King's Quest VI, where the copy protection kicks in near the middle of the game.

Lost Secret is an educational game for two reasons. Sitting in the icon bar is a bat symbol. Click on this and it tells you some random information about the rainforest. You also have an device called the Ecorder that is stored in Adam' inventory from the get-go, and instructions on using it can be found in the EcoNews. The idea is to use it on every screen that you enter. The device identifies it, then you can use it to access information which you are tested on at the end of the game. You don't have to make use of it, but you score points if you do.

Some of the hand-painted backgrounds look stunning the moment Adam leaves the “slums” known as border protection, and you spend a lot of time exploring the rainforest, caves, and ruins. The character/bird portraits are detailed as well, and they are the most colorful I've seen yet in a Sierra adventure game. The same can be said about the conversation boxes that appear next to each portrait.

The puzzles are not very difficult to solve considering that Lost Secret is aimed at children. One of these early in the game involves the game playing a specific drum pattern, and you have to repeat the same pattern. This puzzle is simple enough as you have a few bars to work with. Another involves freeing a jaguar trapped in chains, but to free him, you need to read something on screen that describes an animal, then you choose the picture of the same animal.

The soundtrack is excellent, especially when it is played through a General Midi device, and it blends in with what you are doing quite well. I like the piece that plays when Slaughter comes and burns down the tribal village. When you walk into the rainforest for the first time, you hear the sound of actual birds, and this provides it a lot of atmosphere. And because of that atmosphere, I felt that I was actually walking through a real rainforest without leaving my living room and without realizing the dangers that are lurking ahead.

The Bad
The credits at the start of the game are way too long. There are some titles like “Voice Talent” and “Senior QA Analyst” that might as well be among the end credits (which they are anyway). Inside the game, the “recycle” icon still exists in the icon bar, but you only get to use it in two screens.

I am surprised at the way The Search for Cetus was available on CD-ROM, yet the sequel was not. Space Quest V was also in the same boat, but at least Sierra managed to include spoken dialogue. However, this was still a wasted opportunity since you only hear two spoken lines for a few characters and that's it. You don't hear Adam or Noah speak, or the birds you have to communicate with.

The Bottom Line
Although Lost Secret is an educational game aimed squarely at children, adults should enjoy it as well. Players have the opportunity to learn basic rainforest facts as they play through the game, and this is what they are tested on much later. The graphics and sound are terrific, and the atmosphere is excellent. The game itself is much larger than its predecessor, meaning that there are more areas to explore and more characters to interact with. The game teaches science and ecology, so anyone who likes these two subjects will find this one entertaining.