Treasure Mountain

Having effectively taken the day off from everything yesterday, I found myself cycling through some old-school computer game sites. Initially the plan was to find something that my fiance and I could just curl up on the couch and play, revelling in nostalgia, ignoring our cold-induced misery. Things didn't really go that way when I got ahold of "Treasure Mountain" and barely left my computer for the rest of the day.

For anyone who doesn't remember it, "Treasure Mountain" is a side-scrolling educational game from The Learning Company. How it works is by capturing elves with a net, who will then ask you a question which you will have to answer correctly in order to earn a clue. These clues lead you toward objects on the level, which you have to throw coins at in order to see what is behind them. The one item on each level that matches all three clues contains a key, which will allow you to move onto the next level. Each game contains three levels and one final stage, where you have to climb a series of ladders in order to confront the Master Of Mischief. Then the process starts over.

The game doesn't really "end" until you have earned 300 "Treasures", which can be found on each level by locating items that only match 2/3 of the clues. Anyone who has played the game remembers this being a seemingly impossible goal, which you come back to the game week after week to accomplish. I did it in one day. After scouring each level, and embarrassingly getting the occasional question wrong, I finally found my 300th treasure, which resulted in not a whole lot different from finishing a regular level. Instead of blowing steam out of his ears, the Master Of Mischief falls out of the window, leaving the crown that he has stolen on a pedestal for you to look at for about three seconds. The game then congratulates you for earning the rank of "Champion" and encourages you to keep playing to see how high you can score. "Never again," I said to narrator butterfly Flutter, "Never again will I scale this mountain."

Nevertheless, as tedious as the process became (it was never meant to be played for as long as I played it), the gradual increasing difficulty of the levels at least keeps things interesting. Certain elves start to steal your coins (the mischievous bastards), bridges start to collapse, and the questions get trickier. They never get what anyone would call "hard," but they make sure that you read the question carefully so that you don't get caught by a trick answer.

That being said, this was a beautiful day in my life. I spent a day rolling in childish wonder, with no responsibilities other than to save Treasure Mountain. I suggest you do the same (search for it at abandonia.com).

Rating: 4.0 stars