Kingdom Without End

Winner of the 2001 LOTECHComp and deservedly so, Kingdom Without End is a wonderfully well-written CYOA (Choose Your Own Adventure) game.

The setting is none too interesting – like in Infidel and countless games, you are exploring the excavated ruins of an ancient civilization. What makes KWE stands out is the very innovative use of CYOA’s multiple-choice format: rather than telling a story with broad, unrelated options like a) go to the fair, b) fight the thief, or c) play piano, KWE instead offers options that are what you would write had this been a normal text-parser IF games. For example, the game will ask you to choose from a) look at the relic, b) look at wall painting, c) look at ceiling, d) go south, e) go north, et cetera. What this means is that the game has many more multiple choices for each room than in a typical CYOA book or game: instead of 3-4 choices, you get at least twice as many in most circumstances. This makes for a very interesting gaming experience that’s augmented by excellent writing and clever puzzles (including a nice variant of one well-known weighting problem). The game even allow the use of inventory objects (similar to Fighting Fantasy books, for example), thus giving it an added layer of complexity. If you enjoy CYOA books or IF titles in general, Kingdom Without End is simply a must-play. Two thumbs up, way up.

Review By HOTUD