Loom is a strange and beautiful adventure game. The hero is Bobbin Threadbare, a weaver. In the world of Loom, everyone belongs to a guild. Apart from the weavers, there are sheperds, blacksmiths, glass makers.
When Bobbin embarks on his quest, he has no inventory (very unusual in an adventure game), he will solve problems not with items, but with "drafts", spells consisting of four notes of music. These drafts can be written down in the beautiful Book of Patterns that is present even in later jewelcase editions.
Loom first came out 1989 on floppies with EGA graphics and a 30-minute audio prologue on tape. The next year it was ported to Mac and Amiga. While the black & white Macintosh version is rather interesting, the color ports are rather crude. 1991 saw a new DOS CD version with VGA graphics and CD music. If possible, play this one. It's the one I took the screenshots from. Thanks to the SCUMMVM engine, it can now be played on a wide variety of platforms, including OS X (but not the older Mac systems) and Linux.
If you ever find a CD version, snag it immediately and treat yourself to one of the most fascinating storylines ever created for a computer game.
A lyrical and wonderful story, combined with a very unusual format, creates a spellbinding experience that both seasoned adventurers and novices alike can enjoy.
The game's intriguing plot is enough to ensure its "classic" status: you are Bobbin Threadbare, the mysterious "Loom child" and member of the Weaver Guild who must embark on a perilous journey to follow his guild members who were turned into geese and flew away from the Loom island. Moriarty raised the game's originality even higher by giving us no inventory. Instead, all puzzles in the game are based on "spells" cast by playing notes on a magical staff. Add a wonderfully memorable soundtrack, and the game is destined to stay on my hard drive. The enhanced CD-ROM version, as you can see from the screenshot, has vastly improved VGA graphics and great voice acting. Definitely a must-have for all adventure enthusiasts.
Despite the drawbacks, Loom is a game that I'd recommend just because of its originality. Certainly it's a pleasant way to while away an afternoon or two.