I'm thinking of maybe trading on the trading post for Rama. But I want to know: Is Rama hard? Is there a lot of math conversions (base 10, hexadecimals) involved, mazes, dying/fighting/self defense, timed puzzles, slider puzzles pertaining to sound (I'm hearing impaired) and I can't solve listening/sound puzzles. If so, then I won't get Rama. Does Rama come on a CD or a floppy 3.5-inch disk that goes into a: drive? I'm thinking of eventually getting Rama on a CD to play in Virtual PC on my Windows XP laptop.

Yes there are a lot of math conversions -- octal as well as hex.
It's a very math-oriented game.
There are also a lot of pattern matching puzzles.
There is some dying, but you are returned to the point before you made your mistake, after a short lecture by Arthur C. Clarke.
No fighting or self-defense.

The last part of the game takes place in a very mazelike place.
The part of the game toward the very end of the game is timed, but the timer operates on how many moves you make rather than your speed. Clicking faster won't do you any good.
I don't remember sliders or sound puzzles.
RAMA comes on 3 CDs.

Rama was one of the first PC games I played. I liked it though I would say it is a bit hard with quite a few puzzles. The math conversions didn't bother me much. Balmoralsoftware has a pretty detailed walkthrough.

http://balmoralsoftware.com/rama/rama.htm

Kelly, There are two reviews in the Review Forum.

This one is by Jenny100.

And this one is from a member, Betty Lou

Reading them both may help you with some of your questions.

Actually there is a music puzzle SPOILER



In the Avian Lair you will get a squawk box which you need the right notes to open a door and to go up and down a elevator panel.

John

In one word....YES. However, it's so interesting it's worth all the sweat.

joanieS, do you mean Rama simply isn't for me regarding all trouble I'll have while playing it, which will make me frustrated? Is so, I'll pass on this and aim for something else.

Kelly, I think that what Joanie meant was "yes, the game is hard, but it's well worth playing". (If I'm wrong, Joanie, please correct me... )

Thanks. I'll pass on this game, then.

Only in spots is it hard. Overall it's a good game. But then, maybe, I'm prejudiced because the Rama series in book form are all-time favorites of mine. Heck, with wt's, you can breeze through those spots and enjoy the game. Especially if you have a good price for the game and like science fiction to any extent. If it were me, I would buy it.

Nah, there's Prominence that's coming out soon. I'll probably get that.

I have it and will trade or sell it for a decent price. But, I've never finished it. I LOVE science fiction, too. Looking forward to Prominence myself.

BubbaJake, I write sci-fi comic books using comic book creator with my DVD movie screenshots and Internet images that I edit in Photoshop where I am an alien boy named Wa Ag who has pure black skin and 6 fingers and 6 toes, and I'm currently working on a comic titled, "Technoma Termite Season One." If you would like to see my latest work on it, you may PM me.

P.S. Why don't you check out my thread in the Trading Post? I have some games for sell.