The Lurking Horror (DOS)

100 point score based on reviews from various critics.
5 point score based on user ratings.

User Reviews

Lovecraft-lite Terrence Bosky (5237) 3.67 Stars3.67 Stars3.67 Stars3.67 Stars3.67 Stars
One of the last great text-only games ever made Afterburner (477) 5 Stars5 Stars5 Stars5 Stars5 Stars
Horror Text Adventure set in ‘M.I.T.’ David Ledgard (63) 4 Stars4 Stars4 Stars4 Stars4 Stars
Become the protagonist of a Lovecraft-like tale jgdjgdg jsjgsgsjhfdj (1) unrated

Our Users Say

Category Description MobyScore
Overall MobyScore (21 votes) 3.7

The Press Says

Happy Computer
An den Rätseln von The Lurking Horror gefällt mir, daß trotz der Horror-Fantasy-Handlung jedes Problem streng logisch gelöst wird. Es gibt hier kein wildes Rumhantieren mit Zaubersprüchen, das mir bei Fantasy-Adventures immer mißfällt. Die Handlung ist immerhin so gruselig, daß ich mich beim Spielen sicherheitshalber ab und zu umgucke, ob nicht doch irgendwo ein Monster in meinem Zimmer aufgetaucht ist. Außerdem lasse ich jetzt immer alle Lichter in meiner Wohnung an... Obwohl ich anrügen sollte, daß Infocom mal etwas frischen Wind in die Adventure-Szene blasen sollte. Im Augenblick brillieren Infocom-Adventures durch Handlung und Puzzles, nicht durch technische Perfektion. Da hat Magnetic Scrolls ("Guild of Thieves") zur Zeit die Nase vorn.
The Games Machine (UK)
What's beyond any doubt is the quality of the puzzles. They're imaginative in many different ways, very logical and usually of just the right (moderate) difficulty. The only small problem is the protagonist's motivation for the small subtasks he has to fulfill. The main task should be finishing the paper, but that's little more than a 'McGuffin'. Sometimes, you'll find yourself wondering what you're supposed to do next and then if you find out, it's hard to relate that to your ultimate goal at times.
Adventure Lantern
Lurking Horror's parser is, as expected, up to snuff. The writing is excellent; the game is firmly rooted in the Gothic horror used by Lovecraft and Poe. Dave Lebling has captured the essence of the genre well. The plot, however, is not as well developed. It contains some nice elements, but at times the disparate plot elements felt unconnected. The characters also lack flair.