Eschalon, Book I

Okay, I'll admit it... I've always enjoyed playing turn-based computer games. Of particular interest are the games where you're wandering around in a monster-infested kingdom, swatting away killer bats while trying not to let your hit points dwindle to zero. I grew up on the great old Texas Instruments game "Tunnels of Doom." As the years passed the games became real-time adventures where more often than not, a quick finger on the keyboard was more important than spending time trying to figure out exactly how you were going to open that treasure chest with nothing more than a wooden cudgel, leather sandals and a vial of purple liquid.

So a few months ago I discovered a game called "Eschalon, Book I," a great turn-based game by Basilisk Games that brings back all that geeky fun and endless hours of adventuring in dank dungeons wondering when your torch will die out.

What does this have to do with mushrooms? Well, as you can see in the screenshots, there are lots of mushrooms and molds. And not just your typical cap and stem variety... oh no, there are also green undulating slimes that inhabit marshy areas. Once they get close enough they can start bombing with you with large globs of green slime. Oh sure you can fight back with your copper hammer but your best bet is to fight long range with a bow... or run!

At one critical part of the game you come across a poor (dead) soul near a large pit and two treasure chests. So what exactly happened here? Well naturally I'm thinking mushroom poisoning. I mean, look at the contorted body. The mushrooms in the vicinity sort of look like the highly-sought after and edible King Boletes... but that's doubtful. What would be the point of risking your life day in and day out fighting fanged salamanders if there were thousands of King Boletes just scattered throughout the countryside? I'd just set down my adamantine sword, pick up a weaved basket and spend the day foraging. Right? Of course. So I'm still trying to identify these mystery mushrooms. They're growing in grassy areas under what appear to be evergreen trees, the size of a boot, in clusters, orange-brown. Hmmm....

Anyway, a demo of the game is available on the Basilisk website for Mac, PC and Linux. It took all of an hour or so playing the demo before I decided to spend the $27.95 to download the entire game. A sequel - "Eschalon, Book II" - is in the works. Here's hoping they continue to make fungi an important part of their world.