Current Articles

Chris Jones

Chris Jones

It has been more than a decade since Tex is last seen donning his fedora. For more than once, the charming, wisecracking, hard-boiled P.I. has managed to save the dystopian future San Francisco, populated by the Norms and the Mutants, from its own near destruction. It is a thankless job, though Tex has learned to take it in strides—as Tex says, "Danger's like jello, there's always room for…

interview  Posted by Philip Jong.
Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen

Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen

Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen is the 26th game in the long-running Nancy Drew series of point-and-click adventure games from Her Interactive. This time, the sassy detective has been sent to Egypt to investigate an archaeology expedition gone horribly wrong. Are the problems at the dig site just accidents, evidence of a curse, or some troubles that are even more nefarious? All in all, Nancy…

review  Posted by Matt Barton.
Barrow Hill

Barrow Hill

Barrow Hill (also known as Barrow Hill: Curse of the Ancient Circle) is a horror mystery adventure game created by Matt Clark, an independent game developer from Cornwall, United Kingdom. This is the first game developed by Clark under Shadow Tor Studios of which he is also the founder. For Barrow Hill, Clark has chosen to borrow the history of Cornwall—an area that has been steeped in real life…

review  Posted by Mervyn Graham.
J.U.L.I.A.

J.U.L.I.A.

J.U.L.I.A. is a sci-fi adventure game developed by indie development studio CBE (formerly known as Cardboard Box Entertainment) from Czechoslovakia. The game features a good story, memorable characters, great looking cut scenes, wonderful music, and plenty of puzzles. All in all, it is a solid game that will likely please most fans of adventure games. The game's story focuses on a trio of…

review  Posted by Matt Barton.
The Sacred Rings

The Sacred Rings

The Sacred Rings (also known as Aura 2: The Sacred Rings) is an adventure game developed by Streko-Graphics based in Vancouver, Canada. The game is the second title of a planned trilogy for the series that includes Aura: Fate of the Ages and Aura 3: Catharsis. I am unapologetic in saying that I have thoroughly enjoyed playing such a deeply absorbing game. Having said this, I am emphatic in…

review  Posted by Mervyn Graham.

Past Favorites

Adventure game puzzles: unlocking the secrets of puzzle design

Adventure game puzzles: unlocking the secrets of puzzle design

For a lot of games, you can figure out most of what you need to know about them from simply looking at an in-game screenshot or watching a gameplay trailer. With a quick glance at the head-up display and the quality of the graphics, you can get a good sense of what kind of monster killing mayhem you will be engaging in and what kind of experience you will likely get from playing the game.…

feature  Posted by Mark Newheiser.
The rise and fall of Full Throttle: a conversation with Bill Tiller

The rise and fall of Full Throttle: a conversation with Bill Tiller

Playing Full Throttle is like tasting a rich bowl of roadhouse chili filled to the rim with biker gangs, chick mechanics (covered in engine grease too), and truckers with badass tattoos. An action packed, comical (albeit short), animated graphical adventure set in the backdrop of an apocalyptic future, Full Throttle touches on the subculture of motorcycle gangs and their steel horses. It is also…

feature  Posted by Marshall Ratliff, Philip Jong.
Roberta Williams

Roberta Williams

No adventure game designer had ever achieved the level of success as Roberta Heuer Williams (Roberta Williams) had. Born in 1953, she and her husband Ken Williams co-founded On-Line Systems, which later became Sierra On-Line, when she was only 26. Mystery House, which she wrote in 1979, was the first graphic adventure game ever created for the PC. Her portfolio of games, spanning over nearly 20…

interview  Posted by Philip Jong.

Random Picks

Casebook Episode II: The Watcher

Casebook Episode II: The Watcher

If Casebook could be penned down into a sentence, it would be a murder mystery where evidence would cleverly disguise itself by human hands. It would include the maddening pursuit of an artisan with exotic taste for architecture and human blood. It would also include the romance and madness of a painter who preferred literature to reality. Now, thanks to Areo, developer of the Casebook series,…

review  Posted by Julian Seale.