Systems > Apple II > N > Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It > User Review
Sign up for a free user account and you can leave feedback for this review or even submit a game review of your own!
Review by aschultz
September 05, 2009
Nord is certainly less vicious than the average Infocom game: it's possible to get stuck, but quite often dying requires a clever abuse of the English language. Some scenarios don't require full points--no blanket catch phrase knowledge needed--and the passwords negate the need for a save-game feature. Since each scenario focuses on one figure of speech, the player knows what to focus on. Also, Nordthe in-game hint menu--which can be shut off--won't reveal anything too odd, and many puns give an amusing groan on solving or using the hints.
The Shopping Bizarre features the worst/best of the lot, such as changing a moose to mousse or 3.14 to pi. I shudder thinking how forced and overdone this would be with graphics and possibly sound effects, but with text, it's more just an abstract puzzle. Shake a Tower features original spoonerisms--how to open a house with a can of peas? Buy the Farm and Eat Your Words test catch-phrase knowledge by finding a needle in a haystack or jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Play Jacks gives the player one item--a jack--and has him turn it into a jacket, a jackknife, and so forth.
They're not all clever: the Manor of Speaking seems out of place, as it is the shortest and relies on stupid anti-communist stereotypes, and Act the Part is a cute if vapid spoof of fifties comedies--unfortunately, missing a chance to torment your chiseling brother-in-law Bob can make things unwinnable. The finale, Meet the Mayor, feels rushed too, with some drawn out jokes and puns that work but aren't as quick-witted as the more thematic scenarios. Harassing the poor waitress in Eat Your Words is much more fun.
Naturally, I understood very little of this as a young preteen when I first tried tackling Nord. It certainly made me more cautious of catch phrases and their potential for abuse. Once I'd heard them in context, I was able to laugh, and I still am. When a new catch phrase pops up, I sometimes wonder how Nord would abuse it, and I enjoy mental spoonerisms. This isn't all the game's fault, but it certainly helped focus my mental wanderings. It did so much more efficiently and playfully than some admittedly useful vocabulary, grammar or writing style books. In this aspect it was more successful than many educational games I played. They taught me something. Nord left me trying to figure, how did just words DO that?
Rating: 8/10
|
|
|
Most recent video game reviews written by aschultz
Dragon Wars (Apple II) [February 06, 2012]
Eternal Dagger (Apple II) [January 21, 2012]
Othello (NES) [January 09, 2012]
Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny (Apple II) [November 15, 2010]
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (Apple II) [November 14, 2010]
|
You can click the tabs on the above bar to choose whether you wish to read comments from visitors who have posted on Facebook, or from registered site users who have left feedback on the forums. Please leave a comment of your own if you have anything to say!
|
|
|
Follow Us |
Advertise exclusively for 1 month... only $1000!
Recent Forum Discussions
+ Alpha Olympics 2012
+ JoeTheDestroyer's Tales of Phantasia review
+ holdthephone's Final Fantasy XIII-2 review
+ Where's SkyWard Sword's review ? And please bring back the rating feature.
+ JoeTheDestroyer's Area 51 review
+ zippdementia's Mega Jump review
+ [News] Schafer has pitched Psychonauts 2, Minecraft dev says 'let's make it happen'
+ playstation vita, yo.
+ RotW January 29 - February 04 2012
+ Games to be added to the database...
+ The Final Fantasy XIII-2 thread
+ [News] Final Fantasy X HD will be a remaster, not a remake
Staff Game Reviews
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim |
| SoulCalibur V |
| The Simpsons Arcade Game |
| Quarrel |
| Star Ocean: The Last Hope |
| Pushmo |
Site Staff
 |  | ||
 |  | ||
 |  | ||
 |  | ||
 |
Featured Reviews [+]
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Rayman Origins |
| Othello |
| Scarface: The World is Yours |
| The Last Express |
| Golden Axe II |
| Assassin's Creed: Revelations |
Exclusive User Reviews [+]
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Tales of Phantasia |
| Mega Jump |
| White Knight Chronicles |
| Dragon Wars |
| F-Zero GX |
| Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door |
Info |
Help |
Privacy Policy |
Contact |
Advertise
© 1998-2012 HonestGamers
None of the material contained within this site--from reviews, guides, cheats and editorials to message board posts--may be reproduced in any conceivable fashion without permission from the author(s) of said material. This site is not sponsored or endorsed by Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, or any other such party. Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It is a registered trademark of its copyright holder. This site makes no claim to Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It, its characters, screenshots, artwork, music, or any intellectual property contained within. Opinions expressed on this site do not necessarily represent the opinion of site staff or sponsors.
