IF Comp 2007: Reconciling Mother

So, I decided to judge in the annual Interactive Fiction Competition and keep my notes here.
This was the first game I tried.



This is supposed to be some Lovecraftian romp. Ah, it's even set on the campus of Miskatonic University!
Tragically, it's not very good.
There's much walking through nearly empty rooms, and reading of nearly understandable descriptions. It would be nice if any scenery would be implemented at all. In this state, interaction works something like this:

Snow Cave South Fork

You travel a long time in this cave only to reach a dead end. Near the end, you see an ice sculpture.

>x sculpture
You come upon a large ice sculpture. It is of a complex and polymorphic shape. It reminds you of a belly dancer. She is holding a large brass key with a pick-ax on one end and a chandelier on the other. There is a river of bats flowing out of her mouth. Each bat is wearing glasses and has a symbol from the atomic table of elements on its back. The river of bats flows into a giant orifice. Its rim is lined with tiny palm trees.

>x key
The word “key” is not necessary in this story.

(If this was an accidental misspelling, you can correct it by typing OOPS followed by the corrected word now. Any time the story points out an unknown word, you can correct a misspelling using OOPS as your next command.)

>x brass
The word “brass” is not necessary in this story.

>x ax
The word “ax” is not necessary in this story.

>x bats
The word “bats” is not necessary in this story.

>x pick-ax
The word “pick-ax” is not necessary in this story.

Nope, I haven't got a clue either how this statue is supposed to look. And I am not entering any orifices here.
Oh, instant death rooms (with a slight warning, but still not excusable in this century).

And this is the point where I quit:

>w
Receptionist Area

You are facing a small office with pictures of children and horses on the walls. There is a lamp in the corner. Go East to return to the lobby. There is a faint whiff of perfume in the air.

You see a Receptionist Desk here.

The Receptionist Monica is standing here.

>greet monica
Hmmm, why hello there good looking. My name is Monica and I must say that I am pleased to meet you. I am the receptionist here. She pauses for a moment. Takes long, slow sip from her drink. She picks up her pen and asks you to sign in.

>sign in
The story doesn’t understand that command.

>take pen
The word “pen” is not necessary in this story.

>x desk
The desk has a dozen red roses in a vase on it. There is a pad of pink stationary on the desk. This is what the letterhead reads. Whatever Monica wants, she gets. There is also an image of a lipstick kiss on the letterhead.

>ask monica about roses
The Receptionist Monica does not respond.

>ask monica about science
The Receptionist Monica does not respond.

>ask monica about scientists
The Receptionist Monica does not respond.

>ask monica about university
The Receptionist Monica does not respond.

>ask monica about herself
The Receptionist Monica does not respond.

>ask her about reception
The Receptionist Monica does not respond.