Varicella
 Drama  Fort |
| Varicella | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Adam Cadre |
| Publisher(s) | n/a |
| Release date(s) | 1999 |
| Authoring system | Inform 6 |
| Platform(s) | Z-code 8 |
| Language(s) | English |
| License(s) | Freeware |
| Multimedia | |
| Color effects | optional |
| Graphics | none |
| Sound/Music | none |
| Ratings | |
| Cruelty scale | Cruel |
How It Begins
First, a menu: Choose to read the game help or credits, test how your interpreter handles color, or start a game with full color, limited color, or without color.
You are Primo Varicella, Palace Minister at the Palazzo del Piemonte. You are carrying a letter from the Queen and your master key. You are impeccably and fashionably dressed, to wit: a silk shirt, a purple doublet, an old-style jerkin, black hose, paned knee-breeches, a black cloak, shoes, and a Parisian hat. You are in the palace salon—an oasis of style that you yourself decorated—enjoying a manicure from a steward.
Alas, as the Palace Minister of Piedmont, you are little more than a glorified butler. But now that King Charles has died of a sudden illness, you have a prime opportunity to advance your position by becoming the regent of the five-year-old Prince Charles. Of course, the other ministers will also vie for the regency. They are certain to use unseemly means to eliminate their competition by bribery, or by treachery, or by force. You will succeed by using all three methods.
Notable Features
- The PC is an anti-hero and an accretive PC.
- Multiple NPCs with agendas.
- Conversation is ask-tell with three tones of voice: cordial, servile, and hostile.
Trivia and Comments
- Varicella is another name for chicken pox.
- Inspired the following:
- A Stegosaur's Night Out (Ravi Rajkumar as "Quentin D. Thompson"; 2000; Z-code). This not-very-serious DinoComp entry is set in the young Prince Charles's bedroom where the PC is a toy stegosaur.
Versions
Release 1.14
- Varicella (Adam Cadre; 1999; Z-code 8).
- Version 1.14 (31 August 1999) / Serial number 9339 / Written in Inform 6.15, library 6/7
- XYZZY Awards 1999: Winner of Best Game, Best Individual NPC (Miss Sierra), Best Individual PC (Primo Varicella), Best NPCs. Finalist for Best Puzzles, Best Story, Best Use of Medium, Best Writing.
Links
General info
- adamcadre.ac: interactive fiction (Varicella) - The section for Varicella in Adam's IF page.
- Varicella (archived) - at Baf's Guide.
- Varicella - at IFDB.
- Varicella (computer game) - at Wikipedia.
Reviews
- Varicella - at IF Ratings.
- Review by Jess - at Jay is Games.
- Exploring the 'Best Games': Varicella, by Adam Cadre - by Mathbrush.
Spoilers
- Let's Play!: Adam Cadre megathread at The Something Awful Forums. Forum members play Lock & Key, 9:05, and Varicella. Thread begun on May 8, 2012.