End is Nigh, The

WoW Software , Zenobi Software 1994

Language:: English
Authors:: Jonathan Scott , Stephen Boyd
Platforms:: Amstrad CPC , Spectrum
Genres:: Science fiction
Related:: Zikov Trilogy, The [1: Escape From Hodgkin's Manor, 2: Red Alert, 3: Beginning of the End, The, 4: End is Nigh, The, 5: Why is the World Round Anyway ...?, 6: Who Is Gordon Bennet]
Entered by:: Strident, Sudders, WhenIWasCruel
Added:: 10-05-2010
Edited:: 27-08-2020

Synopsis

Plot

In The Beginning of the End, the most recent Zikov escapade, our hero Fred successfully collected four components which, together with another three, will make up THE MACHINE OF TOTAL UNIVERSAL CONTROL, which the arch-villain Sir Basil Hodgkins PhD has disassembled so that he can take over the world!!! You've guessed it, the objective of this game is to collect the other three - before Basil has a chance to wreak the ultimate havoc.

Fred should have been walking home, looking forward to the best kids' programmes the BBC & ITV have to offer; but, instead, he was busy saving the planet from Old Baz! The most uncomfortable experience was he presently experiencing - a matter-transportation phase. This particular phase was made all the worse due to the fact that he was being teleported FROM a medieval world... the lack of a decent AC power-supply was a real drawback! That the international (dark ages') standard of Alchemists' electricity - for want of a better word - had been adopted by the misguided scientist was not on Fred's mind. What was on his mind was this: His anatomy wasn't being put back in the right order! He had toes behind his ears, his nose somewhere down his left leg, never mind what was on his forehead!!

The machine tried to compensate, being artificial intelligence based - its perception of the structure of the human body didn't quite match the poor lad going through it. In fact, it was on the verge of declaring him a mutant and sending him TO his destination! It was lucky, even jammy, for Fred that one of Basil's filtering subroutines put two and two together and realized that it wasn't functioning properly at Teleport Pad No.2 and used an emergency back-up to re-align Fred with the diagram in A Brief History of Humankind... So there was the poor kid, maltreated by one of Basil Hodgkins' gadgets! What was he to do? Sue? Maybe, but it's either her or Marion...

After a quick check to see if everything was where it should be, Fred gazed around his surroundings. He saw an old, empty house with a pedantic, singular detective, accompanied by a moustached doctor, scanning the room. "It ain't cricket," uttered the 'tec.

"It ain't rugby either, Holmes," replied the now very astonished Dr. Watson. He was, as usual, baffled by Holmes's deductive techniques. "I'm astounded but perhaps some day I'll understand your intuitive methods!"

"I know of the school Rugby, even Eton (yum yum! No, not her from The Mikado) - never heard of a school called Cricket," observed Holmes.

Watson, peering at his watch, exclaimed, "Drat! Now I'm late for my appointment with Sir Arthur about the possibility of serializing our adventures. He's considering calling it Ruddy Old Charlotte or something. Well that's another fine mess..." He dashed outside with alacrity.

Fred was surprised to hear Dr. Watson speechifying the immortal words of Ollie Hardy! He was positively amazed to hear Holmes, currently surveying him, witter, "So it's one of you dudes with stone-washed jeans, loud T-shirt and non-designer label trainers. Nice hairstyle, skiving off school are you, kiddo?"

"How do y--?" were Fred's inevitable words.

"Elementary, my dear Freddie," responded Holmes. "You see, I'd expect you to stand, wide-eyed, gaping-mouthed - you see, Watson and I are also Time Travellers. We've given it up now. It's rather boring solving cases by zooming back and watching the culprit in the act. So we destroyed the machine - Oh we've been to EuroDisney, nearly got run over on the M1, helped Inspector Thingy with a case what he couldn't solve. I kinda miss it. Still, our design didn't go to waste - Basil Hodgkins nicked it. I might take him to court for swiping of patent or something. Must be off! Can't miss the latest instalment of Dickens' work! Cheerio!" With that, the great detective ran off through the door.

No chance to follow Holmes, so on with the game...