Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon is a wonderful adventure game that was released by Legend Entertainment in the late nineties. The game is loosely based on the fictional works of Spider Robinson, a popular modern science fiction writer. The game centres around the tavern, owned by Mike Callahan, which is featured in so many of Robinson’s novels.
The tavern is a welcoming establishment and it caters to a wide variety of interesting alien species. Some of the regulars include a talking dog, a cursing parrot, a moralistic vampire and numerous extraterrestrial and mythological beings. Despite the odd conglomeration, the regulars are friendly, good at listening and mind their own business. They are full of puns and good humour, and obviously alcohol. The user plays one of these characters, and the narrator of most of the novels, 1960’s musician Jake Stonebender.
Jake has to complete five scenarios in order to help his friends from the bar and ultimately save the universe. The premise centres on the idea that the Earth is actually a functioning art display, created to entertain the gods. Gingranich, one of the powerful gods, sees no value in Earth, and wants to eliminate the funding that keeps it operational. The curator of this fine establishment/art display, is Jake. When he enters Callahan’s Place, he becomes entranced by the eccentric group he finds and begins his five mini quests. These vignettes self contained and can be solved in any order, creating a nonlinear story line.
The bar serves as the starting point for all of these mini-adventures. Jake is able to be briefed on the missions, gather background information and recruit friends to help him in the adventures. His quests include: preserving a rare chocolate bar by saving a rain forest; finding a vampire’s long lost girl friend to prevent him from killing himself; rescuing a kidnapped talking dog; time travelling to help a psychic…etc.
In total, Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon is a great adventure. The mini-adventures help to keep the user interested since they keep the plot moving along. The humour is offbeat, but very clever. The puzzles are challenging and the interface is the simple point and click system featured in almost all adventure games. The graphics are colourful and interesting, and the sound adds a degree of depth. This is a great little game and will keep the user entertained for hours.
Written by:
~dorento1
