The h2g2 Critique: John Milton's Game of the Month Review - Satan Online

0 Conversations

Virtual reality? Pah! John Milton knew all about it.

If you don't understand the footnotes, you're probably not a gamer. Ask Magwitch or Tavaron to explain.

John Milton's Game of the Month Review: Satan Online

A devil changing the letters of a word
At last his sail-broad vans1
He spread for flight, and, in the surging smoke2
Uplifted, spurns the ground; thence many a league,
As in a cloudy chair, ascending rides
Audacious3; but, that seat soon failing, meets
A vast vacuity4. All unawares,
Fluttering his pennons vain, plumb-down he drops
Ten thousand fathom deep5, and to this hour
Down had been falling, had not, by ill chance,
The strong rebuff of some tumultuous cloud6,
Instinct with fire and nitre7, hurried him
As many miles aloft. That fury stayed –
Quenched in a boggy Syrtis8, neither sea,
Nor good dry land – nigh foundered, on he
fares,
Treading the crude consistence, half on foot,
Half flying; behoves him now both oar and sail9.
As when a gryphon through the wilderness
With winged course, o'er hill or moory dale,
Pursues the Arimaspian10, who by stealth

Had from his wakeful custody purloined
The guarded gold; so eagerly the Fiend
O'er bog or steep, through strait, rough, dense, or rare,
With head, hands, wings, or feet, pursues his way,
And swims, or sinks, or wades, or creeps, or flies.
At length a universal hubbub wild
Of stunning sounds, and voices all confused,
Borne through the hollow dark, assaults his ear
With loudest vehemence11. Thither he plies
Undaunted, to meet there whatever Power
Or Spirit of the nethermost Abyss12
Might in that noise reside, of whom to ask
Which way the nearest coast of darkness lies13
Bordering on light; when straight behold the throne
Of Chaos14, and his dark pavilion spread
Wide on the wasteful Deep!
With opal towers and battlements adorned
Of living sapphire, once his native seat;
And, fast by, hanging in a golden chain,
This pendent World, in bigness as a star
Of smallest magnitude close by the moon15.
Thither, full fraught with mischievous revenge16
Accursed, and in a cursed hour, he hies17.
The Literary Corner Archive

Dmitri Gheorgheni

08.06.15 Front Page

Back Issue Page

1This new feature is available from the Guardian in the Heaven's Portal playfield if you do the Sail-Broad Van Quest. The quest is really tedious. We recommend an online purchase. At two euros, it's a steal, and makes getting around much easier.2The developers assure us that the surging smoke is a 'feature', and not a bug.3There's a macro for 'audacious'.4The developers assure us that this empty playfield will soon be filled. Wait for the upgrade announcement on the next patch day.5Requiring +3 aerial skills.6Spot the tumultuous clouds with your X-ray goggles, available only to Level 40 and above wizards.7A tradeskill item.8Her name is Marina. Isn't that cute?9This walkthrough courtesy of hellhathno42.10This Monster is best tackled in a group raid. Assemble your team with care: tanks are important.11Satan needs better Teamspeak discipline here.12The designers have outdone themselves with this awesome Monster.13Refer to the walkthrough for the correct dialogue choices in the cutscene.14The Throne of Chaos is an awesome playfield.15We told you it was awesome.16Mischievous revenge should be kept within limits during PvP, which will be strictly monitored by the GMs, 17Hieing speed can be controlled with up and down arrows.

Bookmark on your Personal Space


Conversations About This Entry

There are no Conversations for this Entry

Entry

A87854971

Infinite Improbability Drive

Infinite Improbability Drive

Read a random Edited Entry


Written by

Credits

Edited by

h2g2 Editors

References

h2g2 Entries

Disclaimer

h2g2 is created by h2g2's users, who are members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the Not Panicking Ltd. Unlike Edited Entries, Entries have not been checked by an Editor. If you consider any Entry to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please register a complaint. For any other comments, please visit the Feedback page.

Write an Entry

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."

Write an entry
Read more