My character, Fost Longstrider, is back in action again as we saddle up for the next Eamon adventure.
Zyphur River was written by Jim Jacobson who also wrote Cave of the Mind. A famous scientist, Professor Axom, has been kidnapped and SFPOS (The Society for the Preservation of Scientists) is offering a reward for the safe return of the professor. It is rumored that the infamous Black Warrior is responsible for the kidnapping and that he lairs somewhere along the Zyphur River. You must traverse the river, find the professor, and bring him back alive.
The map is large with almost 70 different locations to explore.
Some of the encounters include a small dragon, Cerebus, a giant crab, a roc and the Black Warrior, of course, just to name a few. The Cerebus encounter doesn’t make much story sense but remember that the Eamon series is considered public domain and even one of us could still use the editor today to create an adventure.
I did not find any special items or weapons that I wanted to keep and carry over into the next adventure but I did find enough treasure to allow me to pay for the HEAL and POWER spells. My percentage chance to hit with the sword continues to increase and improve as well. Every time you score a successful hit upon an enemy it ultimately improves your combat performance.
I find these Eamon adventures to be extremely addictive. It is amazing how incredible the system is and the editor as well which allowed individuals to create their own adventures and contribute to a growing community. For those who love to advance characters and build upon skills; for those who like the idea of transferring your character from one adventure to the next; the game offers an intoxicating experience.
Zyphur Riverventure is an improvement over Jacobson’s Cave of the Mind. You’ll use a boat to traverse the river and you’ll be disembarking and exploring multiple locations along the river. It will be necessary for you to map out the scenario otherwise you might get a bit confused. The scenario was more difficult than Cave of the Mind however it was not as difficult as Lair of the Minotaur. It took me probably about 60 – 90 minutes to beat the game on an Apple emulator.
It looks as if Fost Longstrider is going to be busy as next up will be yet another Eamon scenario: Castle of Doom
Here Links to the other Eamon games I’ve covered: