Game Lounge Archive

• Pilgrim
• Egypt. 1156 B. C.
• Myst
• Lighthouse
• Golden Gate
• The Curse of Monkey Island
• Leisure Suit Larry
• Ark of Time
• Frankenstein
• Shivers
• Forgotten
• Riddle of the Sphinx
• Sanitarium
• Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars
• Road to India
• Post Mortem
• Dark Fall
• Game engines links

Pilgrim

The pictures are nicely done, voices are excellent, interface is very simple but non-standard and operating it needs some time to get used to. As for puzzles... Most of them are all right. These are puzzles of classic type: click one object on another or just click on the object. But others are beyond any logic. There are hints that (and it was a surprise) were helpful once or twice. But don't expect much from them! There is also a situation in the game, which requires some extra-game information, but in order to get it you can use the encyclopaedia included in the game.

Obviously the first part of the game is much better than the second one. The last episode is the most idiotic and frustrating as every wrong action leads to the death of the hero so you'll have to restore the saved game. It's all right if you do it only twice but if you should do it more than twenty times... it's too much. It's difficult to play Pilgrim without consulting hints not because of difficulty of the puzzles but just to save time and nerves. As for passing the labyrinth I'm not sure it is possible to pass it at all without hints. The same can be said about the right hole where you should input a stick.

But the most amusing thing is that the title is wrong. Its main character is not a pilgrim, at least not in the proper sense of this word, rather a simple traveller who fulfils the last wish of his father (who obviously doesn't deserve it). Playing this game I couldn't help thinking that perhaps burning the heretics in the Mediaeval Europe was not so wrong an action...

In general I would say that what began as a promising buoyant adventure in the end turned out to be the disappointing trial both for the character and the player.

Egypt. 1156 B. C. Tomb of the Pharaoh

The story is interesting but there are some bad points too. First, the game is strictly linear. Second, it demands a lot of moves and actions just to find the right one. The story itself is a little bit obscure and not too logical. But let it be. There is no game without flaws.

The best thing in the game is the graphics. They're super. You'll see pictures of the ancient Egyptian temple Karnak, the tomb of Sethi II, houses of ordinary people and other places. And not ruins but like they were at their best. And I hope you'll be enchanted by the characters' appearance, the portraits are excellent. There is encyclopaedia in this game where you can learn more about the life and habits of ancient Egyptians. It is not necessary for passing the game.

Music also has oriental tunes but all these tunes don't differ much. Animation fragments are very irritating and I advise just to skip them. They don't give any clues but just test a player's patience. The same can be said about numerous repetitive voice fragments which have no sense at all.

Puzzles are not difficult but some of them are solved by luck. One warning. In this game there is a very unpleasant action fragment: you must throw the boomerang (from where in Ancient Egypt could appear a boomerang?) at the enemy and if you fail to do it at the certain period of time (very short) you'll die. You should find the right point so don't try them all for several times.

So this game can be an amusement if you appreciate beautiful graphics, historic settings and obscure detective stories. Otherwise it'll be just a frustrating experiment.

Myst

But this is not all yet. If you think that plot is the only lame thing, you are mistaken. The graphics are very poor. About the voices I cannot say anything as I played a non-original version (anyway there are not many "voices" and they are intentionally distorted). The music I didn't like too much. There is no scrolling and what I don't like is that you'll have to play with a small screen. Another irritating thing is that on the CD that I had you should have always switched the colour mode on your computer (if it doesn't correspond with the required one) as the program does not do it automatically.

So, many people will appreciate it, others will hate this kind of game. But it seems to me that numerous comparisons with Myst that are so fashionable now often are not adequate. And the problem is not even in the characters. If you know the game Golden Gate, you'll understand what I mean. There are no characters in this game either but there is an inventory and you feel adventure from the very beginning when you've read the first letter. Besides the settings are not fantastic, it's the real city of San Francisco (graphics are gorgeous there!) though the plot is mysterious. It creates an exciting combination. Nothing in common with exploring dull islands (where there is not much to explore anyway) and turning towers. So it is.

Lighthouse

First, some words about the plot. It's very interesting and grasps you from the very beginning. This is a mysterious and thrilling story about parallel world in pseudo-scientific style. You are playing a woman writer. You came to a quiet place to get some rest and think about a future book but of course things demand your active participation. Forget about any rest! You listen to a message from your acquaintance Doctor Jeremiah Krick and set off on a dangerous journey.

Unfortunately Sierra could not do without its favourite tricks. The problems were serious: pixel hunting at its most monstrous form. It was not quite puzzle solving. It would be more properly to call it a torture. Logic is fairly good in all the game but some moments were hopelessly lame and meaningless.

As in other Sierra games the beginning was pretty good: puzzles in the lighthouse were interesting. But as the game progressed the quality of puzzles dropped until to the very end we had the weakest and idiotic puzzles. The game has technically oriented puzzles and some of them are really exciting. For example I liked very much a submarine. Usually I don't like games with mechanical devices and similar stuff a-la Myst. Comparisons with Myst are partly justified but Lighthouse has quite a strong story and far more interesting puzzles. This game grasped me in completely. In general the puzzles are not very difficult and most are all logical. Though the bad ones partly kill the pleasure you get. There were also some technical bugs in my version.

Graphics and music in this game are good. Animation fragments add some excitement. Music is not superior but ok. As for me I could not listen to it for long. Voices are all right too. Maybe the creators gave them too much reality. But the appearance of characters is great: Doctor Krick looks like a maniac (he is), Lyril is a sympathetic cripple, but the best of all is the Dark Being!

So I would recommend this game to any serious player though for novices it can be too difficult. It will really make you think but you'll get much enjoyment too.

Golden Gate

I'd like to tell about the other features of this excellent game. The graphics are stunning, made in watercolours. They give you a wonderful sensation of reality. Music is above any praises, I can only say that I've never heard in any other game such a wonderful music. It corresponds the setting (landscape or indoors) and creates the atmosphere of the game, sometimes gloomy and mysterious, sometimes light and slightly melancholic, sometimes there will be Chinese tunes as you enter Chinatown and so on. But it is always enchanting. Another moment that I can't help mentioning is the opening of the trunk. The instant (the first time) is so frightening that you feel it quite naturally to find yourself outdoors.

There are no characters in this adventure except yourself (it's a first person game) and some other guy (who actually composed the music for the game). This guy appears only twice or thrice and he is not important for the plot. But as you unravel the mystery you learn about tragic fates of other people. You'll find different notes, letters and diaries and if you get a magic necklace you'll be able to see some exciting episodes. With the help of the documents you'll be able to reconstruct the thrilling history of love, horror (yes, horror!) and mystery. At the beginning it requires some time to get used to the interface and to understand the intrigue (it is rather painful moment but your efforts will be rewarded) but once you've got it you'll never leave it. I played this game a long time ago but it is still alive in me. There are few games that unite all excellent features.

The game is peculiar for creating mystic atmosphere but the puzzles are mostly logic of easy and medium difficulty like magic square, tile puzzles, etc. Actually you don't care much about them as the main thing in this game is exploration and its peculiar misterious atmosphere. That is the most attractive element in it. As for the flaws of the game I can point only one. In order to enter the cave you should solve the puzzle that logically is not necessary since you've found the cave. In other aspects this game is non-linear what means that you can solve puzzles in any succession.

As a conclusion I would recommend this game to those who love mystery and puzzles. I don't think that every player will like this game but I believe that if you don't like the game you should not play it. Don't make your duty to pass every game. There are so many of them that sooner or later you'll find what is really to your heart.

The Curse of Monkey Island

The plot is well done and the puzzles are typical like in other games of the Lucas. The "action" fragment is not too frustrating as soon as you realise the right strategy. The puzzles of the game really make you think but on the other hand they are not too difficult. Though there are some of them, which I didn't like because they are logically unmotivated. But on the other hand you'll enjoy humour of some parts of game. Frankly speaking I liked the second part of the sequel more because it was new to me (I didn't play the first one) and very interesting. The plot was better organised, there were no illogical moments at all. In my opinion it is one of the best adventures ever made. But in the third part there are many motifs from the second, for instance in both parts there is a motif of entombing, in the last parts of both games you should perform actions for a restricted period of time - the only unpleasant part. Also the finish was much better in the second part.

In general this is a game that is liked by everyone as it has everything to attract any gamer, both novices and experienced players. But I would recommend the second part first to enjoy the original design and interesting puzzles. Frankly speaking I like the graphics of the second part too. The fourth part is all repetitious, players complain about 3D engine there and not a very convenient navigation. Perhaps it's time to think of something new.

Larry

But Larry is really a good game. It describes the adventures of a fellow named Larry Laffer who is trying to find a girl. He meets several of them but only the last one seems to be a success (though we know how spectral this success is, since it would become a standard final episode for all the games in the series). There are several different settings in the game and you can move from one to the other with the help of a taxi. There is no infinite loop setting (rather dumb) like in King Quests. What else is good is that this game is humorous though of course its humour is specific. The game is "protected" from children and this protection seems to me rather amusing. You should answer several questions concerning American culture, which are supposed to be difficult for children. To me this is much better than the system of passwords and codes. I found out later that you can also skip the test.

It's hard to recommend this game to anyone since it's inconvenient to play comparing to the new ones. Yet it is worth attention for its antique value.

But what I can recommend is the last game of the famous series: Larry 7. Love for Sail. It is excellent. In fact strangely enough I think this is the best one they made. Certainly it has some typical features of all Larry games but it's humorous and now you can hear the voices of all the characters. The graphics are excellent: well-done cartoons. The aim is the same as in all the previous games. This time our friend Larry is going for an exciting cruise where he will meet many beautiful girls and women. And the thing in the game that I like particularly is that Larry is always accompanied by the narrator known from the very first game.

One of the most amusing things in this games are personal names. It can be an example of a brilliant humour, perhaps a little bit specific, you should be familiar with modern American culture in order to understand it. But there is nothing crude or abusive in this game.

This game is funny and you'll spend a marvellous time playing it. The only thing that personally I don't like much is that they give you scores for every right action. But it is one of Sierra's favourite features though I don't particularly like it. Reminds me of grading in schools. It's a game and not an examination test so the score system is not too good and besides you can easily do without it. It's clear when you did a right action: you see the results. Some people like it though and it's a minor fault. There are also some "bonuses" in this game, like finding easter eggs and dildos. They'll give you special surprises.

The puzzles are not too difficult and if you try absolutely everything on all the objects you have, you'll solve any puzzle. But if you are stuck just think about the situation. Perverse logic may work in this game. Feel free to cheat people (you'll have to in order to finish properly). The final episode as I have mentioned before is the same as in all the previous parts. So this is the last Larry game.

Ark of Time

The game is pretty much linear though several tasks you can do in any order. Most of the puzzles are easy, but there are a few with dubious logic. Some of them are solved by mere luck. Also, there are two purely mathematical puzzles but they are easy... As for the rest: if you try everything you will probably solve any of them. What is also good is that in order to do anything you must get instructions first. Talks are automatic and often you need to talk to somebody to go further.

The most unpleasant thing in the game is that changing decorations takes a lot of time. And if the picture is wider than the screen then you feel much like watching a very slow movie. Voices are OK but graphics are poor. It is all right when you deal with the general views, but large faces are especially dumb.

So if you like games of old type with a lot of characters to interact with and a lot if things to carry, with easy puzzles and an interesting story you will surely like this game.

Frankenstein. Through the Eyes of the Monster

Speaking about other features I'd like to add that it's difficult to point to any flaws in this game. The gloomy music creates a proper atmosphere of horror and mystery. Most puzzles are of a technical nature but they are not difficult. Some sets of actions also demand a certain consequence otherwise you'll never be able to complete them. The game is linear what means that you should do actions in certain order. Usually something unexpected happens, surrounding factors change and it means you did everything right.

In my opinion this game is close to Golden Gate, they have such common features as first person action, horrid and mysterious story, documents as a main part of the inventory and a lot of exploration which at first is the only thing you can do. Frankenstein has a very few characters (except you) (actually there are only two you interact with: Doctor Frankenstein and Sara) instead of one like in Golden Gate. Another difference is that in the latter game you explore a whole city and island while in the former there is "only" one castle.

This is a serious game, not very difficult but I would recommend it only to experienced players because it may cause difficulties with novices. But it is worth time and effort. You'll get much enjoyment.

Shivers

Well, the plot is the following. You are inside the gate of a museum, your friends grimace at you for some time and leave you alone. You must investigate the disappearance of some people. Naturally you try to enter the museum but it is closed. Actually there is no one there. So your first task is to find another entrance. And then...

Then your adventures begin. And it can be even irritating sometimes. For example every time you want to take a lift you should solve a puzzle. So sooner or later you prefer to walk. Almost every door is also opened by solving a puzzle. One puzzle, the most difficult, is actually unnecessary and for such things Sierra should be hung. Nobody should torment players for nothing. Actually the only thing this opened door gives to you is saving little running around the building. There is no map you can use for momentary transportation like in normal games!

But what is really good in this game is the museum itself. It looks like a real museum with exhibits and plates. There are many rooms in it too. The music is also fine.

Your actual task is to gather ten pots and ten lids so every pot would have a suitable cover. With the help of these jars you must catch ten monsters called Ixubis which have been brought into the museum by the professor, the owner and the founder of the museum and then released by two stupid teenagers. But your task is complicated by the fact that every time you can carry but one jar or lid unless they match each other. And of course almost every item is locked by a puzzle. Can you play Chinese checkers? You'd better learn how to do it otherwise you won't be able to complete your task. And then with a whole set you have to search for the proper monster. Each of the monsters can have two or three locations and change them every time. So this is why there is a lot of running around the museum and no transportation map.

I think all this was unnecessary. The creators made this just to make you play this game longer. And Sierra's statement about the replayability of the puzzles sounds, to say mildly, an exaggeration. Don't believe it.

The finish of the game is one of the worst I've seen and it does not give you any satisfaction, rather a sense of futility. Futility of completing the task, futility of playing an unworthy game and futility of playing games at all. In a word you can play this game if you like the type of puzzles like making a picture out of many ones (puzzles in the narrow sense of the word) (personally I hate this type), sliders, arranging balls in the right holes, Chinese chess, labyrinths (another puzzle that I consider especially dumb) and so on. I suppose we should probably thank Sierra for sparing us from the game of ordinary chess. It might seem interesting for the first time but I won't play Shivers II.

Forgotten

What is so bad about the plot? First of all it's too misty. You don't know whom you are playing and what's going on. Then a story itself. It involves something vague connected with magic cards, curses and a similar trash. But what is it all about—it's hard to say. I've got an impression that the game creators didn't think over the story of the game themselves but they are going to make succeeding parts. Well, let's hope they will make some sense out of it.

I was about to throw this game at all when suddenly I became interested. Not in the story but in some puzzles. It is very original to use the keys in order to make the lift work. Diaries in this game are not really important to get hints, you can easily do without them.

What else? Puzzles are easy enough, I would say, I finished the game for a very short time. But to tell the truth it's rather short than easy though it occupies the whole CD.

I didn't like the interface: scrolling scenes are a nuisance and it takes time to get closer to the object when you can manipulate it. You have a bag in your inventory and you cannot pick up the next object until you put all the previous ones in the bag. I could not solve an evident puzzle for some time because of that. Then something was wrong with lightening a match: just didn't work properly. I hope that in the next games the creators will fix these minor but irritating problems.

So this is a mediocre game. You won't miss anything if you don't play it unless you have absolutely nothing to do. It has nothing to attract the player except that it is very easy and if you haven't played games without consulting hint for a long time, try this one and you'll be surprised how quickly you finish.

Riddle of the Sphinx

To tell it short, this game is worthless. Yet, I played. I'd finished playing Grim Fandango shortly before this game and the games like Grim Fandango are my favourite. The Riddle of the Sphinx belongs to the category of Myst type games which personally I can't endure. One should admit though that it is a little bit better than Myst.

I would not have played through this game without consulting hints all the time. Some puzzles are ok but the others are so dumb that you can't help thinking about the connection between a certain scroll and the solving of the puzzle. Because what you think logical enough didn't seem so to the creators. But let it be.

The dumbest thing in this game is navigation or to be more exact the control.. It is the same as in the other games of DreamCatcher (that also released such games as Forgotten and The Crystal Key (the tendency of this company as I can conclude is to produce games with no people with a plot that involves magic so to spare them thinking and developing logic and characters of the invented world. All you have to do is to draw pictures, the story does not matter a bit) but in this time there is a useful option to pass all the previous scenes for one step. Sounds great, the only point is that it can be caught only from the certain position and if you miss it... pass it again or go back and search for this point. There are many long passages in this game. You should pass long corridors, what it actually means is that you should just click the mouse up to many times. It is irritating. Some people would consider that it creates the imitation of reality but I don't think so. The only function of these long passages is to make the player curse. But the most stupid moment in the game together with its finish is the moments when you sleep: the screen is becoming jerky and you hear the hideous sounds of yarning (I do hate it). It takes a long time for this nightmare to finish. Needless to say that there is no option to skip this minute of ultimate stupidity. I can only advise the creators not to repeat this episode again if they take courage to produce another game.

Actually the plot is the weakest element in this game (though it is really hard to say what is the weakest element here). It begins by your arrival to an archaeological site near the Great Sphinx. All the archaeologists suddenly disappeared. All you'll find later will be just several corpses. Where and how they disappeared is not quite clear (if not to take into consideration the curse of course). All you should do is to solve numerous puzzles (which are rather dumb) passing from one chamber to another and collect different objects and scrolls that are scattered around the pyramid. The scrolls are intended to help you to solve some of the puzzles but don't expect too much from them. Your ultimate purpose is to open a door in the cave near the Sphinx. The game can get you involved but I didn't get real enjoyment from it. Some puzzles are repetitive, some things you should repeat up to several time to accomplish the task. The story is proclaimed to be based on archaeological researches but there is as much "research" as in the Star Wars movie. Also the creator's statement about non-linearity of the game sounds rather boldly.

The finish of this game as one can expect is no better than all the other game. Well, what could you expect? After entering this cave (for god knows what reason) you listen to some voice and then are given a long lecture in hardly intelligible English (at least for me) by some fat guy (supposedly an archaeologist) who suddenly appeared in this deserted place. A worthy reward, indeed. Even Sierra would never make a finish like this.

I'll also mention that even voices and music are not impressive as usually the voices are good even in bad games. The only element that one can praise in this game is graphics. Unfortunately beautiful pictures do not make the game. Though I think some people can like it. In my opinion it is the worst game after Myst I ever played.

No need to say that there are hints neither on the CD nor on the site in order you could enjoy this game in the full degree. To put it briefly the criterion is the following: if you are fan of Myst you can boldly buy this game and there is high possibility that you'll enjoy it. Take into consideration that there is no story, jerky puzzles and a very stupid end. But if you prefer the adventurous and hilarious world of LucasArts games, if the embodiment of archaeologist for you is Indiana Jones than I think you'd better not waste your time and money on this game.

Sanitarium

Well, it is strange. On the whole well done, everything seems all right but somehow the general impression is not too favourable. I'd say the game does not grip, it lacks atmosphere. This is just my impression of course, I don't know… perhaps it is because the game is old… or maybe all these elements are not connected together. Yes, there is a story consisting of several episodes (chapters) but it is all just scrambled together without cohesion. The character imagines to be this or that thing (crazy, you see), he does not remember much about what has happened, yet occasionally he sees flashes that gradually restore his memory. And the story of the bad doctor is such a cliché. That's it: there are not twists or surprises in the story, and I guess that accounts for the lack of gripping. On the other hand there is a firm connection between different chapter by the character's associations that all in some way reflect his situation. And the end is very ordinary, I've been waiting for something interesting to happen… it never did.

I don't relate much of a story because I don't want to spoil that little that there is there. There is really not much. I liked the way of sudden flashes that are made in form of cinematic fragments. But these stories of bad doctor and sane(?) patient are so standard. Not only that but they mixed in some Aztecs as well. Looks like all the games should have Maya, Aztecs, Druids, Templars or any similar staff. Not that I mind but… in this case it is boring. The same story repeated in different costumes. And these obligatory (tradition started by Sierra and carried on by all the others) timed final sequences… boring and stupid. Did it become a law of the genre?

All right, the story is not too gripping but what about the puzzles? The vast majority are of inventory type though there are few based on dialogues. Dialogues are not masterpieces of literary writing by the way, in fact the character asks the same questions to all the other characters he meets. And to make matters worse there are couple of cases of very bad pixel hunting that are not justified logically. There are some mechanical puzzles as well but they are easy (not Lighthouse level). The inventory is small, when the object is used it disappears from your pockets and most items can be used only once. Items in the inventory cannot be combimes with each other. Oh, yes, there is a couple of action fragments, but again, they are not hard. And one puzzle requires making a melody without seeing notes, just by listening. What about people who are not much of musicians?

The character cannot die: the game conveniently returns you to the point of start. It is possible to get stuck though but these cases are obvious. What I did not like at all was the navigation. You have to drag your character by right clicking the mouse. Sometimes the character does not want to go in the direction you indicate and that is a bit irritating.

So what do we have? A decent game that could have been much better. They have an embryonic story but nobody got into trouble to develop a plot or characters. They worked out associations all right but unfortunately that is not enough. Easy puzzles. It will do for novices but for veterans like me I think it'll be just passable for the lack of something better. I'm going to buy Post Mortem.

Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars

Well, installing the game was the first puzzle. It decided that that my computer didn't have enough memory. Searching the vastness of internet I found the solution. The interesting thing is that the solution involves copying both CDs on the hard drive the program still wanted to see CD in the drive (didn't matter which one though). Shall we begin with the story?

The story is pretty standard. It involves Tempars of course but like in most games of this kind there is no real cohesion between real Tempars and the farce it ended with. Well, I just don't like stupid stories. The plot of the game is all right. You are George Stobbard, an American on vacation in Paris. You're enjoying a cup of coffee on a sidewalk of a Parisian café when suddenly a clown enters a café and a few seconds later you witness an explosion. One person is dead. So naturally like in all games you start looking for this clown and this search will gradually lead you to Templars.

The game story is pretty good though by no means perfect. Almost at the beginning of your travels you meet a sharp French chick Nicole, or, like you call her, Nico. Her apartment becomes a sort of headquarters for you where you stop between your travels to different countries, give her your report and get some scraps of information from her. Another good source of information is a guy named Andre but for some reason George does not like him (I can't see why). Anyway, Nico becomes really useful only a couple of time but you can visit her any time when in Paris or give her a call.

The graphics are very good even by today's standard. Very nice good old 2D like we all like. They say the third part uses 3D and it does not sound too exciting. But we'll see. May be.

The music. Well, I didn't like it at first: for example you enter some location and start talking and right at this very moment music plays really loud. But then it became all right. Voice acting ranges from really bad and artificial French accent of Nico and policemen to very good voice acting of Spanish gardener. Actually except the French others are pretty good. Take Irish boy Maguire or a smart kid Nejo on an Arab market. As for the jokes there are all kinds. Most of them are sophomore jokes but there are a few funny ones. Depends on your mood too.

Any game review would not be full without a gameplay description. But here where it becomes really bad. There is a standard cursor that changes its form: magnifying glass to look, hand to grab, or cogwheels to do something. Well, there are times when you have to do something and there are no cogwheels. That would be perfectly all right if the cursor was general and a player would decide what to do with any particular object. Right click on the object means to examine it too and sometimes there are cases when you have to do so though in most cases there is no need for that.

The game is overwhelmed with talks and dialogues. Sometimes it becomes really tedious. Yet, you have to talk any available subject if you want to progress. Conversation subjects appear as icons at the bottom of the screen and sometimes you have to talk about some particular item in the inventory. Dialogue segments can't be missed but at least you have an option to skip separate phrases.

The puzzles are relatively easy. At the very beginning I even though that the game was more like intreractive fiction than a proper adventure, so obvious the puzzles were. Luckily later normal puzzles appeared. Inventory and dialogue-based though sometimes artificially complicated by involving false shape of cursor. In some of them you also have to click the right button (to look at the object) to trigger the right reaction. In general puzzles are like they should be in all adventure games unless it is a Myst clone. Just do not mix these too types. Personally I can't stand games of the Myst variety.

Overall, the game is pretty good. It has a long way to go to be the best game of all times but it is quite decent. I was a little disappointed in the story. Also fragments involving death of the main character are very unpleasant (and can't be skipped). Another weird and really illogical moment is that one of the characters is about to kill you and then some time later almost save your life. He never gives you any reason for doing so. This is very corny and illogical.

I just remembered what it reminded me of. The Templars' plot thread in a core is very close to the one in Foucault's Pendulum (Book Reviews section) in the novel of Umberto Eco. It has one of the best written intriguing detective story and the same disappointing and dumb end. Even the idea of using telluric energy is present. I wonder is there a borrowing or just thoughts are flying in the air?

Road to India

The game does not have any historic pretensions and uses the Thugs just as frame. The brochure that comes with it gives you a very brief history of the sect.

The story could be interesting and even fascinating if for one thing: the game is too short and too easy. I passed it for 3 days playing for less than 2 hours a day. Considering that game takes 2 CDs and there are not many animation fragments and the sound is quite simple it really makes you wonder why it took 2 CD instead of one. Actually this shortness kills all the positive effect it produced. The game is good by all its components: a story well fit for an adventure game, beautiful graphics, logical puzzles. The plot has an interesting organization: you have to solve puzzles in two layers of consciousness: dream and reality that are mingled together. Opposite to ordinary the puzzles in dream fragments are as logical as in reality. That was nice. Another pleasant moment for me was that you cannot die in this game though often send others and are sent to knockout. But everything is so simple there: it does not make you think even a little bit and you don't have any satisfaction by completing it. And whatever else can be said but passing an adventure game for 6-7 hours can only characterize this game like too simple. Understand me right: I am not against simple games, in fact I prefer them to the game with crazy puzzlez that no logic can explain or what is much worse games with logic puzzles that became so popular of late. So this game can be recommended only for absolute novices who want to get a good introduction to the genre. In fact even interface is done for novices: all the active zones are shown on the screen. But if you're a hard-core veteran like I am, you'd better skip it unless you just want to plunge yourself for a few hours into the exotic world of India.

There are some argument points about the plot too. Let us not consider deserted streets, it's just a game after all though my friend who'd been there told me that street are crowded there even at night. In fact, he said that you can't even see streets there because of so many people. So this game gives you the chance. The second point is that the streets are amazingly clean for India. And the third: I can't believe that any beggar and rickshaw in India can speak perfect English (even with an accent). Well, well, it's just a game, I know. And our hero speaks Hindi so that's ok.

That is the first time I've played the game that would be excellent in every aspect but that it was too short and too easy.

Post Mortem

First of all, it's a murder mystery by story, unfortunately not very well done. Many reviewers noted the famous Templars theme similar to the one in Broken Sword I (Circle of Blood) but let me say that this theme is the only thing that they have in common, and mainly because both use the name of Baphomet.

The beginning is quite promising: you play Gus MacFerson, an American in Paris. You are a former detective who by now decided to settle in France and devote your life to painting. But of course somebody wants your services as a private detective. Two American tourists were murdered in the hotel room and a woman that appeared on your doorway asks you to investigate the murder. The case also deals with a certain artifact that she claims has been stolen from her. Very quickly you get into the matter and see that the things in this case are not at all what they seem. Appearances are deceiving. But while the story started well, in the middle if not even earlier it became weaker and weaker until it came to an abrupt and disappointing end. Standard and banal finish and no twist like I expected. Sort of what you see in Hollywood movies. There is no real replay value, just two endings, sort of like in Blade Runner.

Some fragments are quite good though but dialogues… Judge for yourself: a friendly waiter refuses to help you to give a detailed description of a suspect (he just does not talk to you any more) while a person who is not disposed to talk to you at all can be bugged again and again. And the information they give you is hardly enough to go on: it is too generic and unspecific.

The gameplay is much to be desired. The unrealistic dialogues are a nuisance enough but also the way they are handled is bad. For example you cannot skip the lines and if there is nothing more to say you still have to listen to the phrase the designers assigned to this or that particular character. It would be better if Gus just said “I have nothing else to say to him/her.” Another moment: you find some documents like diaries and books that cannot be read while others can be. I just like to be able to have better control over the gameplay.

The puzzles are mediocre. Some are easy, others are artificially complicated by pixel hunting, and misty clues. Some pieces of information are discovered several times while the major topics are never properly revealed. You just get a general idea but the game does never give you any details. That spoils the process of playing. Like the Templars theme is just for decoration, it is really not necessary. Motivation behind the actions is also poor. Though one have to admit that the authors tried and there are some glimpses of inspiration but too few to make it good. On the other hand if you don't find some items it's not a big deal, the game can be finished without them. So there is an attempt to non-linear approach. One task can be even solved in two different ways. Unfortunately this attempt is but an attempt, it does not go very far.

The graphics is good, rather standard. The music is very good: mysterious and sometimes gloomy. The voices are ok, quite nice, at least they did without that awful artificial French accent like in Circle of Blood.

So it is a game that had a great potential which unfortunately it never developed. Who knows...if it had a better developed story, more integrated puzzles and several non-linear tasks, it could probably be something compared to Gabriel Knight 3. As a result we've got an average game.

Dark Fall

Briefly about the plot. Nothing original here: the game starts with your listening to a voice message from your brother who is very alarmed that something strange is going on. He asks for your help. Naturally you immediately arrive but find the place desolate. You hear some voices though and very soon understand that you are about to investigate another "ghost case". Yes, the place is haunted, the ghosts surround you. At least you cannot see them or really communicate. About communication a little bit later.

What is the game about in general? I'd define is as a mixture of Golden Gate and Forgotten. It bears resemblance to both of them that you are the only character there and get the information about the case mainly through numerous notes scattered about the place. The main settings are a hotel which is a popular cliché. I don't know how many times you visit each room in search of clues.

Your major task will be to collect 12 symbols and accompanying words for each (something similar to ancient runes and their names). Dark Fall is a name of unexorable force that is barely definable (another popular cliché is to use this mushy thing as a kind of universal enemy that nobody knows about.). And of course while somebody worked hard and collected all the necessary information to complete the task of destroying dark forces, naturally at the very last moment they fail in order to give you a chance to do the job. Or just to play a game?

Anyway, the first two thirds are pretty good but closer to the end the game starts falling apart, as usual in the games of this kind. Puzzles lose their interest, story becomes mushy and it just gets boring. The finish is standard idiotism that very few game can do without nowadays, so we won't even discuss it.

Okay, nobody's perfect. But how is this ghost world operate? Mainly through voices: you hear one as soon as you arrive and hear a few more while investigating the rooms. Nothing scary, on the contrary, they try to be helpful. Not that they really are but that's another matter. What else? You see shadows once in a while and hear telephone. In fact it will ring almost every time you step into reception area like you'll often hear a train whistle as you step into one of the train halls. The only annoying thing is that you can't move while the train is passing by.

To get a real glimpse into the world of ghosts you have to use special goggles. It'll give you the opportunity not so much to speak but to listen to more conversations and read graffiti on the walls. These goggles are important to solve a couple of puzzles, it would be better if you could do without them. The idea is similar to the magic necklace in Golden Gate, only in the latter we could see picturesque video fragments.

Sound? I don't remember any background music but there is background noise which is supposed to be spooky. Remember, it's a low-budget game. The same refers to the fact that you won't see any spectacular ghost appearances. Sorry, no ghosts in the ghost game. Nada. But the graphics in general are pretty nice. We can't help mentioning though that the game messes up you monitor frequency every time you launch it.

Overall: not a bad attempt to make a Myst type game. It is definitely better than Riddle of the Sphinx but worse than Frankenstein. If they could maintain the same level of puzzles and not make some of them too obscure it would have been better.

Some helpful links

• AGS
  This is the best program that stood the test of time and there are many decent (and not so) games that are made with AGS. The engine is fairly easy to use to make your own point-and-click games of old school Sierra/LucasArts style . Games might look like Larry or Monkey Island games. Programming knowledge is required but it comes with good tutorials. It also has big forum to help you.
• Game Creation Resources
  A list of other available engines, but lots of links are obsolete. Very old.

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