ZTAB Player

With the advancement in computer technology, software components started to flourish as well, becoming more and more user friendly and rich in features, with video games making no exception. The are multiple genres, each telling stories and interacting with you in a different way. Based on an application used to create text-based adventures, ZTAB Runner lets you launch such games in a friendly environment.

One of the main advantages is that you can use it on the go, with no installation being required in order to take advantage of its features. What's more, game files it supports also hold all media components in a single file, so you can keep the application, as well as games you want to play on a removable storage device and enjoy them anywhere you go.

Needless to say that in order to fully take advantage of its features, you need ZTB files that are created using a design application called ZTAB Editor. Through a simple interface split into three panels, you can easily go through tales you create yourself or told by others. A preview section displays media content, like pictures, story elements being cleverly displayed in a center panel, while the lower part is dedicated to controls.

Opening a file is only done by using the dedicated file explorer, with sadly no support for drag and drop. In terms of visual customization, the application comes equipped with no options whatsoever in this regard and it would have been neat to see at least several color themes to make it blend in with specific stories.

You need to go through a whole story once you start it, because there is no implemented function that lets you save progress in case you stumble upon a tale that does not seem to end. It's also disappointing that there's no option to switch to a full screen mode for an enhanced experience, nor hotkey support for quickly choosing answers and action options.

Taking everything into consideration, we can say that ZTAB Runner is a practical utility for text-based video game enthusiasts that create stories with ZTAB Editor or enjoy projects created with the corresponding tool. Although you cannot switch to a full screen view or customize the interface to enhance the overall experience, the application is definitely worth a try.