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This is an excellent fanmade game that stars one of LucasArts' most beloved characters: the hapless reporter Zak McKracken. The game started seamlessly where LucasArts' game left off more than 14 years ago. No sooner than Zak came home from his harrowing save-the-world-from-aliens experience that he learned Annie has been kidnapped. Once again, it is up to Zak to find his beloved and save the world in the process. Anyone who has played the original game (and you simply must play it if you consider yourself an adventure gamer) will feel right at home with TNAOZM. The interface, style, and sense of humor are faithful to LucasArts' classic, right to the smallest details and in-jokes that are generously sprinkled throughout the game. You even use the F5 key to call up the save/load/quit menu :) The graphics are very nice, and look similar to the 256-color version of the original Zak McKracken that LucasArts made for Japan's now-defunct FMTowns console. You interact with the game by clicking on verbs from the bottom menu, and an object in your inventory or on screen. The puzzles are not as ingenious as in the original game, but they are pretty decent and not repetitive. It would have been nice to be able to use keyboard shortcuts (e.g. "U" for "Use"), but that is a small complaint. The original German version contained a tasteless and perverted ending, which fortunately has been removed in the translated version. If you liked Quest for Glory 4 1/2 and other fanmade adventures, you will still have a lot of fun with Zak in his new adventures. A wonderful and polished fanmade adventure that remains true to the spirit of LucasArts. |
