Game Review

Dr. Dumont's Wild P.A.R.T.I

Ever wondered what would happen if you got stuck in a particle accelerator that allowed you to see the subatomic world in a series of mental metaphors? Oh, you haven't? Well, Dr. Dumont's Wild P.A.R.T.I. will fill you in on what you've been missing.

The game's basic premise concerns a machine called the Particle Accelerator and Reality Translation Integrator, the P.A.R.T.I. of the title. The machine puts you into a subatomic world. But instead of seeing protons and quarks, P.A.R.T.I. creates mental metaphors. Dr. Dumont shows you this machine secretly in hopes of taking your body specifications in order to run the machine. He wants to find the mysterious "Particle X" which has eluded scientists for years. As you step into the machine, you get worried and try to escape, but by doing this, you accidentally send yourself to this subatomic world.

You find yourself in a bedroom with nothing but a dirty pair of jeans. From there, you must find a way out of the machine without killing yourself. There are five elements you need to shut down P.A.R.T.I. and return to the real world. In order to get these elements, you need to go through the UnFairgrounds, a Diploma of Thought, some ducks, a large cat, a floating professor, a kite race, and other abnormalities. The scoring system in "Dr. Dumont" has been replaced by just an indicator of how many elements you have.

This game's atmosphere is reminiscent of Infocom's "Nord and Bert". There are different "worlds" inside P.A.R.T.I. that all offer there own set of puzzles and comic relief. Unlike "Nord and Bert", you can don't "win" worlds; you can return to each world even after you have solved all the puzzles contained within. The comedy in the game is also kept under control so not to create completely farce situations (although, "Dr. Dumont's Wild P.A.R.T.I." itself is farce).

"Dr. Dumont" has all the aspects of a professionally- written game. It has obviously gone under weeks or even months of beta-testing to make sure everything was right. It also includes virtual "feelies," the various items that came with many Infocom games that will help you along your way.

Highs: Good plot, great use of comedy, relevant puzzles that don't require countless saves, and "feelies".
Lows: The $24 price tag
Overall: This is a great game that is professionally done. If you have $24 burning a hole in your pocket, and you want to play some great IF, this is the game for you.

-- Joe Merical

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