If the Martian Chronicles CD-ROM remained true to the spirit of the Ray Bradbury novel, the gaming action would be oriented toward the annihilation of both Mars and humanity. Instead, the creators take some artistic license by sending players on a treasure hunt for a lost archive that holds the secret of universal peace.
While navigation can be slow, the landscapes and buildings are so engaging that I became immersed in Bradbury's lost city of Xi. Backed by eerie melodies, the 3-D artwork evokes an apt otherworldly feel, leaving me with a nervous sense that invisible martians were lurking around every corner. Best are the points where the game and the book intersect, with animated sequences from the novel joined by a narrator's excellent interpretation of the text. It's a good example of how the simplicity of the spoken word readily complements the yahoo thrills of computer animation.
In an interview on this disc, Bradbury reminds us that mankind does not voyage to space to find the alien but to find itself. Indeed, while I explored this CD-ROM world, I was reminded of this. I wasn't playing the game to pick up sticks but to revive the spark of imagination that can make unseen worlds seem more alive than the mundane one we live in.
Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles Adventure Game: US$49.95. Simon & Schuster Interactive and Byron Preiss Multimedia: (800) 910 0099, +1 (212) 698 7000.
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