Dust: A Tale of the Wired West
$18.95		MACINTOSH ONLY! (Mac) (Retail) (DUSTMR) This is an older product and does not run on OS/X.

Cyberflix Incorporated / GTE Entertainment

Game

Ratings:

4 stars from CD-ROM Today

3 1/2 stars (out of 4) from HomePC

Thumbs Up from NewMedia

Five Days. One Town. No Law.

You're stranded somewhere on the digital frontier. On the run - without a friend, a gun, or a past. Just over the horizon is the key to your survival - in the form of Diamondback, a scruffy Old West outpost in 1882 New Mexico.

So begins Dust: A Tale of the Wired West. With more than 35 talking characters, dozens of puzzles, and an easy-to-use interface, Dust is a CD-ROM adventure like no other.

Amble down Main Street. Belly-up to the bar. Battle gunslingers. Help Native Americans recover their stolen heritage. Whatever you do is up to you. But when rumors surface of lost Spanish silver, mayhem follows. Can you save a hard scrabble band of pioneers from themselves? Or will you succumb to temptation in a town where you are the only law? Boot up and find out.

Requirements:

NOTE: WINDOWS VERSION NO LONGER AVAILABLE! Windows 95, Windows 3.1, or Windows NT 3.51, 486 or faster processor recommended, 8 MB RAM, double speed or faster CD-ROM drive, Super VGA with 256 colors, 100% Windows compatible sound card.

Macintosh, Color Macintosh, System 6.07 or greater, 68030 or faster processor recommended, Power Macintosh native, 8 MB RAM, color monitor, double speed CD-ROM drive.

Ratings:

HomePC, November 1995

"You're stuck in Diamondback, New Mexico, for five days with $5 to your name and a knack for saying the wrong thing to just about everyone you meet - which during your stay will include gunfighters and cowpokes, politicians and prostitutes.

"Welcome to Dust: A Tale of the Wired West, where 36 engaging Diamondback denizens await to assist and entertain you as you embark on a quest for the lost artifacts of an ancient Native American civilization. You'll get to know the owner of the local dry goods store, whom you can always count on in a pinch - after all, his name's Help. Then there's Oona Canute; she can hook a cowboy up with a fast card game or an even faster woman. And Jackalope Jones is around to offer a kind word, but not much else - he's about one horn short of a rack.

"It's this personal interaction that puts Dust head and shoulders above the average adventure game. The characters will chat you up, gossip about each other and help you when they can - if you give them what they want.

"Twenty buildings in town are yours to explore. Pick up anything you see and talk to everyone you meet. Just be sure to watch your tongue; the characters have very long memories. They will catalog everything you say and then act accordingly.

"Accompanying the usual adventure-game fare - finding items to solve challenging puzzles - the program blends in a host of other games. In Oona's saloon, for instance, you can play poker with a couple of card sharks; try your hand at blackjack with a beautiful, if underdressed, young lady; or hope to hit a jackpot at the slot machine. (Watch the poker players' faces carefully; they all have telltale tics that clue you in to who's got a flush and who's bluffing.)

"And whatever you do, be sure to get in a few rounds of target practice - in Diamondback the gunfighters come a dime a dozen; the game, however, is one of a kind."

CD-ROM Today, October 1995

"It may sound like every other adventure plot ever written, but Dust manages to break new ground in the adventure game field, and not just because of its Wild West theme. The town of Diamondback may be small, but it's rendered in stunning detail. The characters look, act, and speak believably for the period, and even shift their eyes back and forth or play with their hair while the computer waits for you to select your response in a conversation.

"In fact, Dust contains a depth of realism that completely surpasses any previous efforts, because the developers have paid close attention to the little details often overlooked for the sake of simplicity in most adventure games. Glasses clatter when you take a drink; bed sheets swoop when you turn them back; crows or shooting stars fly overhead at random intervals; people walk around with lives and missions of their own, whether or not you care to talk to them, and they remember what you said to them the last time. Like the classic movie High Noon, the game covers a stunning amount of the actual details of day-to-day living usually glossed over by most adventure titles."

NewMedia, November 1995

"You lose your gun, your knife and damn near your life in a rigged poker game. You hightail it on foot to the next hole-in-the-wall, a little town called Diamondback, New Mexico. But pardner, trouble is hot on your heels."

"Dust is a CD-ROM rarity: high-quality interactive storytelling. Its characters are unique and engaging. The story line is complex and has clever twists. Dust draws you in gradually, and, as with a good book, you won't want to put it down.

"Still, it's far from an optimal CD-ROM. The characters move spasmodically; their accents, though memorable, are forced and corny; some graphics are blocky; the colors are dull; and its game elements are unchallenging.

"But look beyond the shortcomings. Amble around, meet the townsfolk and set a spell. You'll be glad you did."

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