"...The Riddle of Master Lu contains no fighting or arcade sequences, although there are moments when quick thinking is necessary. The program is a neatly balanced combination of puzzles and story-telling, proving that those two ingredients can co-exist in today's high-tech adventure games. Both story and puzzles manage to live up to each other's high quality, so that gamers who were disappointed in the past by minimally-interactive movies attempting to pass as games will certainly find Master Lu far more satisfying."

"Graphically, The Riddle of Master Lu features a fascinating combination of animation and live-action. It is often impossible to tell which of the two is currently on the screen, and the result is very impressive. The details allowed by SVGA, however, once again challenge players to carefully inspect and mouse-survey every pixel so that minute, yet critical, discoveries are not overlooked. Accompanying the graphics are a convincing collection of sound effects, and an enjoyable music score. The voice-actors, at times, sound a bit self-conscious, yet they still manage to turn in a respectable performance."

"The Riddle of Master Lu is a challenging piece of work that tells a good story and offers engaging puzzles. Highly advanced adventurers may whip through the game a bit too quickly for their tastes, but most others should prepare themselves for many evenings with Master Lu."

Computer Shopper, February 1996

"However, for those looking for a little mindless escapism, be wary of The Riddle of Master Lu, because you will probably end up learning something. Ripley has a habit of having long-winded discussions with people, which leaves this thinly veiled piece of edutainment lacking in the intense action department. And though the target audience for games like this starts at around age 10, The Riddle of Master Lu sometimes makes you feel like you need a degree in engineering to solve the puzzles.

"Definitely a game for the thinking person, The Riddle of Master Lu incorporates a simple interface with slick visuals to provide a fresh third-person gaming experience. It is a mentally challenging, sometimes frustrating, but highly entertaining adventure game."

Just Adventure by Randy Sluganski

"Sanctuary Woods has transmogrified the real life Robert Ripley of Believe It or Not! fame into the Indiana Jones of PC gaming. ... The plot line is not original, and the thematic element--world domination--has been seen many times before, but this undertaking is a joy for the experienced adventurer. Why? An almost perfect blend of humor, puzzles and storytelling has been intricately woven together to create an unforgettable gaming experience. You, playing in the third person as Robert Ripley, must traverse the world in an attempt to find the "key" that will unlock the secret of Master Lu's tomb and obtain the world's most coveted treasure. Along the way, you must be on a constant lookout for bizarre exhibits to display in your Odditorium, keep your cartoon series updated by sketching interesting objects in your journal and stay one step ahead of the nefarious foes who are intent on taking your life and the "key" you have discovered that will open the door to eternal life. A blockbuster of a surprise ending awaits those whom solve the riddle and the knowledge that the world can again sleep in peace thanks to your vigilant efforts."

"Real-life characters, environments and historical situations greatly strengthen the appeal of the game and even, dare I say this, make the game educational. I often found myself searching the dictionary and encyclopedia for more information on prayer wheels, steles and Danzig, Germany. In fact, the excellent instruction book included with the game goes to great lengths to detail what is and what is not historically accurate in the game. It also includes a fascinating short biography of Ripley. This is definitely a man with the potential for further adventures. "

"One thing that will stall the adventure, though, is if you attempt to run this game from Windows 95. Sanctuary Woods has included special installation instructions for Windows 95, but even after rigidly following their directions, I was experiencing lock-up during gameplay. Once I quit being so bullheaded and decided to boot, install and run the game from DOS, I had no further problems with any of the technical aspects of the game."

"If you are an experienced gamer, you will love The Riddle of Master Lu. If you are a novice, you will find the going tough at times and may need help in one or two spots, but will ultimately find it a rewarding experience. I have to admit, though, that, regardless of the maze, this is one adventure I would truly like to see a sequel to ... Believe it or Not!"

 Quandary, February 1996 by Gordon Applin

Quandary rating:

What an excellent little gem! And I am not just referring to the great seal of China's First Emperor, Chin Shih Huang-di, which is Ripley's ultimate goal in this quite delightful adventure game from Sanctuary Woods. The Riddle of Master Lu has received very little publicity (at least here in Australia) yet it deserves to be near the top of every dedicated adventurer's shopping list.

Based loosely on the life of cartoonist and collector of oddities, Robert L. Ripley of "Believe It or Not!" fame, this game is a fitting tribute, mixing fact and fiction to create a story that Ripley, no doubt, would have appreciated.

Trouble brewing
It is 1936 and fascism is on the rise in Europe whilst on the other side of the world Japanese forces occupy Manchuria. Meanwhile, in the Sahara Desert, Ripley is pursued by two 'baddies' intent on relieving him of his 'treasure', and his life. Once back in New York Ripley learns that men of evil intent are seeking a 'key' to unlock the tomb of China's First Emperor in the belief that the great seal, which is said to rest there, will give them access to unlimited power. Therefore, Ripley must find it before they do to keep it from being used for evil purposes. But first he must solve the Riddle of Master Lu.

You can learn about Master Lu and Emperor Chin Shih Huang-di in the manual that accompanies the game, so I won't go into details here. As Robert Ripley you must follow the ancient trail of Master Lu through fascinating locations where mysteries and puzzles abound. Who knows? You may even pick up a 'treasure' or two which you can send back to your Odditorium in New York. (This is strongly recommended otherwise your funds will dry up and you'll be halted in your tracks.)

Variety of challenges
From the opening sequences you are drawn into an adventure that will keep you thinking all the way through to the very end. The problems and challenges Ripley (and you) will face are intelligent and varied. They are also logically solvable if you have been paying attention to the story and listening to the things people tell you. Not all of the puzzles are fiendishly difficult, of course. Actually, there is a good balance so that at times you seem to be whizzing along and making commendable progress -- then wham! Another stone wall and you have run out of ideas. I particularly enjoyed the rather complex dual problem in the Baron's secret laboratory in Danzig where first you have to rig a mechanism to get the gem, then rig a second mechanism just to get out.

There are one or two pixel hunts, so you must search some screens very carefully and there are, from memory, two time limited puzzles, but you do get the first one out of the way right at the start. I am usually highly critical of puzzles with a time limit as often this device is used to make easy puzzles seem more difficult. However, that is clearly not the case here where the time limit has been used sparingly and appropriately to heighten the dramatic tension and provide variety.

If you are not careful it is possible for Ripley to get killed in this game. You don't die too often, but if you do the game automatically restores you to a place just before your 'fatal' action.

The Riddle of Master Lu also features a substantial maze, though it is not too difficult as long as you are patient and are prepared to map it with pen and paper. I know that some players hate mazes, but I am not one of them and I had some fun with this one.

Simple interface
At first glance, I was a little disappointed with the interface as I thought it was rather limited with only 'pick up', 'use' and 'look' icons plus inventory. My experience with similar interfaces in other games is that this tends to make the puzzles too easy to solve. Not so with this game, however, and it just goes to show that with a bit of thought and effort game designers can give us challenging and entertaining problems to overcome and, at the same time, provide an interface that is easy to use.

I found the transitions between locations to be a little on the slow side, but then, I didn't have the space to install all 620MB to my hard drive. A quad speed CD ROM may have helped too. Unfortunately, I had to make do with a 34MB installation and a double speed CD ROM and slow transitions. Moving Ripley around the screen was, at first, also painfully slow as he tended to saunter. That was, of course, until I read the manual. (Tip: Always read the manual!)

There is a quick way to move around. Simply point the cursor where you want Ripley to go, click the left mouse button to start him moving then right click immediately and he will jump to that spot. This is especially useful to zap through the many, excellent scrolling scenes. Make sure you have searched them first, though. This feature can also be used to have Ripley carry out an action. For example, you want him to use an item across the room. Select the 'use' icon, left click on the object then right click and presto! No more sauntering. About the only time this feature is partially negated is when Ripley is accompanied by Mei Chen. Sure you can still click/jump Ripley, but Mei will not be hurried.

Conversations too, will not be hurried. I tried clicking the mouse buttons and pressing the 'Esc' key, but to no avail. Fortunately, there are very few drawn out conversations and I can only think of one that, perhaps, went on for too long.

Adventurer's dream
But these are just minor 'criticisms'. The game overall is an adventurer's dream. There is so much to see and do. The rendered 3D settings are superb and remarkable for their detail and, for the most part, the characters look like they are really there. The sound effects add a measure of realism and atmosphere and the music is very good without being intrusive. I particularly liked the quite stirring theme when you finally enter Chin's tomb and the enormity of it unfolds before your eyes in a very impressive scrolling sequence.

Ripley is portrayed as a sensitive and intelligent man, not a wooden action hero and the female characters, Mei Chen and Dr Samantha Twelvetrees, are refreshingly presented as capable and intelligent women, though for some strange reason both seem to have a slight lisp. That apart, the voices are very clear. However, I still prefer the option of on-screen text. Only the 'thugs' who pursue Ripley are stereotypes and that is quite acceptable in an adventure game of this sort. Speaking of 'baddies', I must admit that I did not anticipate the twist in the plot right at the end, but I am not about to give anything away here. You will just have to play it through for yourself.

All things considered, The Riddle of Master Lu is a top-notch adventure combining an absorbing story, challenging puzzles and mysterious locations in a well thought out and well presented game. Thoroughly recommended.

Gamers Zone by Rich Cunningham

Picture in your mind the Sahara Desert in Africa, boiling hot sun, ancient ruins. A single man is running, pursued by two individuals intent on doing him bodily harm. He is trapped in front of some ancient ruins, when suddenly the wind comes up and........ Does this sound like the beginning of an Indiana Jones film or game? Well, it isn't. It is the opening sequence from the Sanctuary Woods' game "Ripley's Believe It or Not: The Riddle of Master Lu".

Set in the mid-1930's, this game is based on the real life adventures of Robert L. Ripley, who in my opinion, is as close to a real life Indiana Jones around. Ripley gave the world the renowned Ripley's Believe It or Not cartoons that have been popular in daily newspapers for over 60 years. These cartoons featured little known or odd facts that appeared to be too odd or unusual to be true. But they were, BELIEVE IT OR NOT. The collecting of these items earned Ripley the title the "modern day Marco Polo" and he took great pride in never having one of his facts disproved. Throughout the game, the player has a chance to see some original cartoons, as well as items that Mr. Ripley collected throughout his life.

 This game is not an attempt to recreate history, but to have fun with it. Ripley is set up as a struggling museum owner (Ripley's Odditorium), and is looking for more exhibits to draw crowds so he can pay the bills. With his assistants Mei Chen and Leng Li, he tries to unravel the Riddle of Master Lu. I won't go into great detail here for risk of giving the game away, but it involves a lot of travel to exotic locations and several puzzles to unravel. Oh, yes, there is the usual cast of villains, henchmen, thugs and troublemakers along the way that make this an enjoyable game to play.

 The artwork is excellent, far superior to any of the other role playing programs of this sort I have played. Real actors were used as models for the characters, but when they were animated, the programmers didn't use real video, but cartoon drawings. They look very life like and are very enjoyable to look at and watch. There is no jerkiness in the motion of the figures, which makes the gameplay more realistic. The sets are very detailed and have a 3-dimensional quality about them. There is an interesting feature that adds an enjoyable nostalgic touch. Whenever the game pauses, the scene fades to black and white from color. This is a very nice touch that I enjoyed. The voices are of good quality, the music is suitable to the script and the period.

The game interface is very user friendly, and is not difficult to master. The entire game can be played by point-and-click, with no keyboard interaction required. There are some keyboard commands described in the manual, but they really aren't needed. The manual that comes with the program is very good for the basics, describing the installation and interface. There is also a short player's guide to help get the user familiar with the game controls. In the edition I purchased, the full version of the official player's guide was included at no cost (a $14.95 value). This can come in handy, but is not really needed.

 Installation was no problem. The game can be installed as a minimum (5mb), standard (34mb) or full (620mb) set up on a hard drive. I used the standard and it worked fine, no major delays in finding the data from the CD needed to run the game. I installed it under Windows 95, and it ran flawlessly. There are detailed instructions for installing it under Win95 for those that are technically challenged, and they are accurate. The only problem one may run into is with the publisher themselves. Sanctuary Woods has recently gotten out of the entertainment software, and is concentrating on their excellent educational titles and products. They say they will continue to provide technical support for all their products, but haven't said for how long.

I was very impressed by this game. I have enjoyed playing games of this sort ever since I picked up Police Quest 1 for my Atari ST. This game more than holds it's own with any of the Sierra On-line or LucasArts titles that are currently out there. I am sorry that Sanctuary Woods is not in the entertainment software business anymore, because I was looking forward to a sequel to this one. Oh, well, I guess this one will have to do. My advice is to buy this one and enjoy it . I did.

Mr. Bill's Adventureland

Back during the first half of the 20th Century, there lived a real-life adventurer whose worldwide travels to over 200 countries and whose encounters with the bizarre became legendary. That man was Robert Ripley (1893-1949) of 'Believe It or Not!' fame, and for 30 years he documented his extraordinary discoveries in a cartoon strip, which was published by 300 newspapers and read religiously by 80 million people every day. He also collected as he traveled, displaying his many weird and unusual artifacts in several wildly popular nationwide museums, called 'Odditoriums'.

But of all the countries which he visited, the one which fascinated Ripley the most (its history, its culture ..... and especially, its women!), and to which he returned time and again, was China. This game is drawn from some of those true-life adventures, an expert blend of historical fact and imaginatively extrapolated fiction that will keep you engrossed from beginning to end.

The year is 1936, that very dangerous period preceding World War II when megalomaniacs everywhere sought the secret to world domination. As the game begins, you (Ripley) and your female traveling companion, Mei Chen, are in the Sahara Desert, running for your lives from two thugs who are bent on killing you for some reason. Exhausted and cornered, you finally collapse against a giant stone statue. But just as they raise their rifles to finish you off, the statue itself moans(!) ..... it is the 'Speaking' Statue of Memnon ..... and the startled would be killers grab your satchel and run.

Upon your return to your ransacked New York office, you eventually discover what they are looking for: the 'Key' to the tomb of China's first Emperor, said to contain his Imperial Seal, a 2000 year old talisman which will bestow unlimited power on whomever possesses it. You must find it first, before it falls into the wrong hands ..... and the world is doomed!

To do so you will have to travel from New York to 6 exotic world locations: Peiping, Pomerania, Peru, Easter Island, Sikkum, and the Emperor's Tomb. The graphics are beautifully rendered (we could have stayed at 'The Temple of the Hidden Way' for weeks), and both the music and the sound effects effectively evoke the mood and romance of the period (turn on your speakers and refresh to hear some now).

The story is absorbing, with occasional moments of delightfully true-to-life humor (we loved the exchange between Ripley and Twelvetrees!), and the professional voice actors manage to convey both the renowned boyish appeal of Ripley and the strength and intelligence of Mei Chen, among other expert characterizations. And the historically accurate details included about the man and his era are fascinating: be sure to look at some of Ripley's actual circa 1930's cartoons and artifacts in the Odditorium.

The puzzles are the kind that we love: fun to do, ranging in difficulty (with some advanced puzzles), and requiring the logical and sometimes creative use of your wits, not your reflexes. There are some moves that will get you killed, but the game has an "auto-resurrect" feature that restores you to the point just before that fatal mouse click. However, do make sure that you save before entering the Baron's lab at the Ace of Spades castle: it's a very difficult puzzle, and you can't leave until you solve it.

It is a 2D, 3rd person, point and click game, with icons for various actions, inventory (a steamer trunk!), and a journal in which to note clues and make sketches. And yes, you do need to continue to sketch cartoons and ship unusual artifacts back home to your museum because, just like in real life, you have to keep yourself solvent even when you're busy saving the world!

One of the great classic adventure games, with a super ending. We thoroughly enjoyed it!