he most luxurious starship in space has been lost during its maiden voyage, and it's fitting that the ship's name is Titanic. The Titanic is a fully automated pleasure liner, a mixture of the Queen Mary, the Ritz, the Chrysler Building and Tutankhamen's tomb. It's populated by the usual weird characters and surreal situations players might expect from game creator and SF author Douglas Adams.
As in the classic computer game tie-in to Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, players join this adventure with little knowledge or background of the unfolding situation. As the game begins, the Titanic literally comes crashing down on the player's home, and the butler-like Doorbot recruits players to board the ship and save the day. A first-class cabin and access to all areas of the ship would have been nice, but what players have to settle for is third-class passage and the ability to work their way up the social order. Only when they attain first-class status can they fully explore the ship.
Gameplay is accomplished in the typical point-and-click style of Myst or Riven mixed with an advanced text interface for talking to the various bots that act as crew of this luxury liner. There are over half a dozen bots to talk to, but most will be difficult to work with until players figure out how to alter their moods. As the game unfolds, the bots seem to speak cryptically, but it's important to listen carefully to what they say, as they actually provide more answers than it first appears. Being the only passenger on this huge ship, players will be able to explore the massive setting with ease but without much aid.
Talk, talk, talk...
The first-person view of Starship Titanic allows players to become engulfed in its epic and expansive setting. The various bots and other characters (including a parrot voiced by Monty Python alum Terry Jones) fill players in on the plot and keep things moving. At times the bots will even offer help or point players back on course if they should stray. The text interface is reminiscent of pre-graphic adventure games, a style that faded from popularity because it was so annoying but that works well in this setting.
The voices of Jones and Adams (as the ship's mail delivery system), along with those of the rest of the cast, give the various bots an air of class and refinement matched by the game's stunning visuals. Starship Titanic also offers a variety of rooms to explore, each with its own unique style. Investigating the ship and using the inventory system is fairly easy, and even players who normally don't indulge in this style of game can participate with ease. However, there is a fair bit of drudgery involved as players run back and forth from one room to the next, solving increasingly complex puzzles.
The puzzles themselves range from merely difficult to nearly impossible. Because so little background is provided, things such as the seemingly simple task of getting a second-class upgrade become unnecessarily complex. This, added to the fact that the game requires players to talk to bots who may not understand questions, can often make playing seem like a futile experience. All this shouldn't be enough to deter gamers, but would-be galactic travelers should prepare for a rather bumpy and complex ride.
