Ripley's Believe It or Not!: The Riddle of Master Lu

The Riddle of Master Lu, in the English original Ripley's Believe It or Not! The Riddle of Master Lu, 1995, is a sophisticated point-and -click adventure by Sanctuary Woods. It is based on the comic book and radio series Ripley's Believe It or Not! the American comic artist and world traveler Robert Ripley.

Action

New York, 1936. During located in Europe, Nazi Germany almost at the peak of its power, the gentleman - adventurer Robert Ripley traveled the world in search of abnormal relics located in the Big Apple for his cabinet of curiosities.

Through a series of coincidences and the kinship relations of his Chinese girlfriend Mei Chen Ripley comes into possession of clues about the mysterious Master Lu. Lu was the highly intelligent scholars of China's first emperor Qin Shi Huangdi, one driven by megalomania monarch, and traveled for his lords for years the world in search of knowledge, power instruments and foreign cultures. Among other things, Lu researched several years after the elixir of life, a tincture, which a man - in this case the packed from the will to survive Kaiser - to give immortality. This is supposed to be hidden in secret Shihuangdis Qin Mausoleum - together with the imperial seal in the shape of a huge gemstone that for the Middle Kingdom has great symbolic power.

Ripley sets out with Mei Chen on the way, since Lu has firstly encrypted and secondly hidden everywhere on the globe his writings, which show the way to the tomb. So Ripley travels in search of the writings of, among others Egypt, the Peruvian Andes, Beijing and the Himalayas to Easter Island. But between he Browsed curiosities for his museum on - among others, the German Jetsetter Baron Strange in Gdańsk - and gets into dangerous situations with the quick-witted Asian henchmen of an unknown enemy.

Finally, Ripley and Mei Chen actually find the mausoleum in central China: an imposing domed building with a miniature version of the Empire, crossed by lakes and rivers of mercury and full of soldiers, subjects and animal figures in terracotta. Ripley comes after he could outsmart all death traps, actually in the possession of the seal - the elixir is just a myth. But it triggers a final safety measure, so that the grave is flooded with mercury and destroyed. On the run from the collapsing walls Ripley meets then finally his mysterious enemy: it is the son of Baron Strange, who wants to use the Seal to unite the peoples of the Far East and therefore in the upcoming World War to have its own army. He manages to turn the son of the Baron and flee at the same time with Mei Chen.

Ripley returns with his girlfriend in the home, as their Zeppelin is attacked by fighter aircraft. The next adventure begins ...

Characters

Development

The game is similar in style as some Adventures Wanadoo (eg Vikings or Crusader - Crusades ), where real actors are trapped in their movements and their facial expressions by video camera and projected onto the lined playing surface. The script comes from Hollywood screenwriter Lee Sheldon. Many elements of the game are based on facts:

  • Robert Ripley, there was actually. He was a globetrotter, and had a well-known and popular radio program titled Believe it or not the radio of the 1930s in the United States. He also ran a curio cabinet like in the game.
  • Qin Shi Huang is a historical person and was the first emperor of China, as he united the peoples of the empire. The mighty imperial mausoleum Qin Shihuangdis was discovered in 1974 near the old imperial city of Xi'an. It houses a vast terracotta army, which is widely regarded as the eighth wonder of the world. In the grave there were also a number of cases, inter alia, by mercury.

Reception

Frank Heukemas of the Power Play awarded for the English version of the game 87 % and praised especially the presentation in SVGA optics and with the help of high quality videos, but criticized the control system. Petra Barren wall of the PC Games missed a game score of 90 %:

" Anyone who has played it will agree with me when I say ihne exaggeration: Such a good adventure has not seen since Fate of Atlantis. Heard in every well-stocked household! "

Roland Austinat of the PC Player awarded a total of 80 %:

"Once under the spell of this game, you can put the mouse not soon out of hand. In addition to the exciting story also convince the high-resolution graphics and the successful representation of the people. But to Master Lu is impressive also mysterious technical: crisp Puzzle Adventure let all veterans delighted to take the mouse and the control of Robert Ripley is despite the apparent limitation to only three icons slight of hand ".

Less convincing was found Jeffery Adam Young from Gamespot, the 10 points awarded only 5.7:

"All said, Master Lu is a giant game with good intentions and a number of the ingredients did make a successful adventure, but its unforgiving interface Ultimately led me to frustration, not recommendation. "

" In summary, Master Lu is a gigantic game with good intentions and a number of ingredients that make up a successful adventure; but his relentless user interface led me ultimately to frustration, not for a further recommendation. "

Other ratings:

Video game publisher Publication MS-DOS Single-player video game CD-ROM Point-and-Click Gdańsk Garry Chalk Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor Fight and Love with a Terracotta Warrior Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis MobyGames
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