TaskMaker 2.0.2
Storm Impact, Inc.
2148 Rugen Road, Suite B
Glenview, IL 60025-5521  USA
Shareware - $24.95

“You’ve been on a long voyage from your homeland. You have come to rid this land of its terrors, and to grow to be leader of this world. The elders and citizens are expecting a mighty warrior to attend to their cries. Unfortunately, you are young and inexperienced. However, a powerful man named the TaskMaker has agreed to help you to grow stronger. Follow the cobblestone path south to Castle Hall, where the TaskMaker awaits you.”

Product Overview:
TaskMaker is an exciting sword and sorcery game where you battle vile monsters and complete tasks under the watchful eye of the TaskMaker. Both beginning and experienced players enjoy exploring over one-hundred million pixels of dungeons and villages. The program begins with an extensive, interactive, graphic tutorial, which teaches all the basics of the game.

Will you escape the clutches of evil by land, sea, or magic?
Can you grow to be leader of the land?

And in case of an untimely demise -- never fear! You can fight your way out of Hell (a randomly generated maze with four possible exits) to restore your player to life.

           

       Voted shareware game of the year for 1993 by Inside Mac Games, TaskMaker is a game that should not be overlooked.  Originally commercially released in 1989 as a black & white game, TaskMaker has been updated to take advantage of color.  The game also has been changed to shareware after a disagreement between the author and XOR (the company that originally published the game). 
     The object of TaskMaker is to venture through the kingdom and complete the assigned task.  You must first go to the castle where the TaskMaker will assign you your task and then send you on your way.  The best strategy is to wander around the castle collecting money and supplies for your journey.  Players must collect the money and deposit it in the bank after which the can go to the shops to buy more supplies.  Without these supplies, such as armor and weapons, the game will be quickly lost.  However, with a little patience the player will quickly gain the needed experience points that will help him endure the upcoming battles.
     There are many things about this game that are interesting.  First of all the game has an extensive tutorial that will teach you all that you will need to know.  Without this tutorial the game might be impossible to start.  Secondly, the game will only allow you to play the first two tasks if you have not registered the game.  This will give the player a reasonable amount of time to discover whether or not they like the game.  Overall this game is very well done and can lead to many hours of enjoyment. 

(Inside Mac Games 1993 Shareware Game of the Year )

DAVE'S RATING  ****1/2