Reviewed May 19, 1999 by Fractal
I faced revewing New Olympus with trepidation. I adopted the original Olympus on MA1 as my temple to get as far away from the 'herd players' of Shire and developed a fondness for the area. I was pleasantly supprized when I walked through the area. It is, for the most part, well written and pleasantly presented. I do not know if it the quality of the area is a reflection on the development of the author or of the clan builders.
Your first exposure to New Olympus are the fields around the town. The fields provided me with an experience I rarely enjoy as a reviewer, good room descriptions on mazes. Every room in the fields and forest surrounding the town is unique. Room names are repeated but you can easily navigate by room descriptions. This was the first hint that the area may be worth visiting. The town itself has a nice layout and all the amminities of home can be found. Trainers and practitioners adorn the town. Shopkeepers sell all sorts of usefull as well as useless items. The only items I can find that did not make it from the old Olympus to the new are ambrosias, grapes and the equipment on the town crier. Ambrosias and grapes will be missed.
All in all, the area is an improvement over previous work by Kethry. The area still shows her immature tendencies (naked philosophers running through town) and sadistic tendencies (mobs who tear-up with regular physical hits), but the presentation of the area is a vast improvement over her earlier work. Room descriptions are superior to the ones in her earlier work although they do violate several fundamental building rules. Many of the rooms attempt to describe 'how the player feels' and a few of the mobs 'long descriptions' indicate action. No mob's long description should ever suggest that the mob 'looks at you as you enter the room' as this description is invalid when the player is in the room.
All in all, New Olympus is above average. I give it three stars.