A ‘Flipper’ for the 1990s

Sierra jumps on the ecology bandwagon with its graphic adventure “Ecoquest, the Search for Cetus.” It’s a lot like being revisited by a ‘90s version of Flipper and Bud, except this time, the dolphin has learned English. On top of the similarities between the main characters, the opening sequence of the game smacks strongly of the ‘60s TV series.

Touted as the first in a series of ecological adventures, the game strives to entertain and educate at the same time. Adam, the modern-day version of Bud, follows his father around the world to ecological disaster areas. Being a bit of a loner, he prefers his father’s company or that of the lab’s rescued livestock to making new friends.

One day, he makes friends with the lab’s sick dolphin. The adventures of the boy and dolphin are both entertaining and manage to teach young players a lot about different kinds of undersea life and simple ways to change their lifestyle while keeping the ocean safe for its inhabitants.

As usual, Sierra makes this game easy to use and the story is suitable for both kids and adults. The company provides both simple, consistent documentation and plenty of help in the way of available hints. However, one of the really nice features of this game is that you can become involved in the adventure without becoming too frustrated or bogged down in trying to solve frustrating or obscure puzzles. It’s a good enough game to keep parent/child co-players interested to the end.

Free hint: Don’t despair when you can’t pick up the soap and rag to clean the oil off the sea gull. Pick it up from the enlarged graphic.

Ecoquest,

the Search

for Cetus

Rating: ****

IBM & compatible; 640K; mouse. List: $59.95.

Computer games are rated on a five-star system, from one star for poor to five for excellent.