Xref: utzoo alt.hypertext:267 comp.sys.mac.hypercard:1881 alt.cyberpunk:1702 comp.cog-eng:1038
Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!lll-winken!arisia!fischer
From: fischer@arisia.Xerox.COM (Ronald A. Fischer)
Newsgroups: alt.hypertext,comp.sys.mac.hypercard,alt.cyberpunk,comp.cog-eng
Subject: Re: StorySpace: Hypertext fiction
Summary: portal review
Keywords: story space portal
Message-ID: <721@arisia.Xerox.COM>
Date: 27 Apr 89 22:44:39 GMT
References: <82168EUA@PSUVM> <28896@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Organization: Xerox PARC
Lines: 23

An interesting attempt, but no cigar.  The portal computer "novel"
just contains a way to explore minor side points out of the track of a
highly linear storyline.  Its also slow because you're required to
play it from floppy disk.  In my opinion there was no enhancement of
the story by this presentation technique.

You're shown what is supposed to be the user interface (downgraded
20th century version) of the world network.  There are various nodes
which specialize in topics like health, history, technology, etc.
Each has an icon.  Clicking the icon opens a list browser which shows
topics.  As the story progresses new information is "dumped" into the
various nodes and you wander among them them.

I found this annoying because the basic storyline is completely
linear.  It also stopped dumping information and left me stranded at
one point in the story.  Since there are no obvious means for
"advancing" or rules for doing so it was unclear (aside from a bug)
what might have caused this.

In summary: the portal computer "novel" is a flawed repackaging of a
regular novel and I don't advise buying it.

(ron)