Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster Review (Switch)

Hands up how many of you forgot that LucasArts made a quirky Western themed FPS with cool comic cut scenes. Cut scenes that look awesome and really remind us of classic Lucas games such as Full Throttle and Monkey Island. Outlaws has been dormant for a long time and didn’t create the biggest of stirs upon initial release due to the market shifting. Those that did play it though will remember a fresh take on a genre that was becoming a bit over saturated and generic and certainly one that was filled with character.

It's always helpful when the original game is solid to start with so Nightdive have been able to concentrate on polishing it for a new audience. Outlaws was released well into the point the FPS genre had taken hold and as such allows for things like jumping and ducking and some more precise movement and shooting. The transition to game pad has been handled excellently with controls mapped smoothly and you’ll be able to switch weapons and items easily with an in-game selection wheel. We did struggle to work out how to use the medical bags for a while though.

 The updated graphics and interface don’t seem like such a huge jump from the original due to its comic book style, everything is of course much more HD but switching between styles isn’t particularly jarring. The environments also lend themselves to the limitations of the time. While Doom would have you traversing labyrinthian areas of corridors, Outlaws it mainly set in farmsteads and Western towns meaning it gives a more open approach to levels and the environments without looking sparse or lacking in detail.

Levels themselves are well structured with plenty of action and an emphasis on key finding. Certain buildings are normally locked, so you’ll need to find whichever bandit has access to get in and continue. It rarely becomes a chore though as the Western theme lends itself to levels being more clearly laid out than some other first-person shooters. There is also a handy in game map to show where you have and haven’t been.  A whole host of secret areas are squirreled away to find as well and clever players will also note you can thin out the bad guys in a lot of locations by shooting them through the windows first.

One thing that might have been helpful is just a brief tutorial on how the controls work. There is an in-game reference card but that still doesn’t really explain things like how to select individual items or how certain interactions work. It’s not that difficult to work out but a few pages of explanation at a minimum would have really helped in sorting out the controls more quickly.  That said, we did work things out.

In terms of content, you not only get the addition of the extra missions included but there is also a whole host of gallery material. It’s always great to see how much the studio puts into its releases. It makes the games feel like complete and definitive packages and makes them all the easier to recommend. We can’t remember the last time we wanted more from a Nightdive Studio release as they are always so well curated and put together.

Overall, Outlaws is another example of Nightdive Studios taking a slightly niche game and really giving it the love and attention it deserves. It is likely to have a limited audience again, but that is a real shame. If you missed out on Outlaws, the first time this is the perfect way to get into it. It’s a game that really deserves much more praise and attention and this version of it is well put together, fun and essential for FPS fans.

Overall 8/10

Return to Monkey Island Review (Switch)

It still seems barely believable that this game actually exists. As long time Monkey island fans we have played through the original four games, the two remakes and even the episodic series, so to have another full entry arrive is as wonderful as it is surprising. Even when we were reviewing Thimbleweed Park and Broken Age it never really even crossed our minds that a new Monkey island would even be possible at some point in the future. But here we are. No pressure on the team then!

For those new to the series, the games follow Guybrush Threepwood, a wimpy aspiring pirate who continually clashes with the ghost pirate LeChuck as he searches for the Secret of Monkey Island. The opening menu will get you up to date as it gives you access to a scrap book where players can have the previous four main Monkey Island games explained to them through a host of amusing anecdotes told by Guybrush.

After choosing to play on hard or casual (which removes key chains in the puzzles that need to be solved), you’ll be thrown into the game seemingly at the end of the Monkey Island 2. After a genius resolution on how that game ends you’ll then embark on your new quest in what is about as traditional a point and click adventure as you can get these days.

In terms of the new graphics style it has a paper/card element to the design which is similar to something like Tearaway or a sort of digital pop up book. It works really well and adds to the feel of an old tale being told with players sort of moving through the pages. It also helps to make the environments looks absolutely stunning at times.

Presentation mimics much of the original games with it playing out over what essential amounts to a 2D set of screens. Each screen has point of interest for you to interact with and you can select these by pushing the analogue stick or have Guybrush walk close to them in order for them to highlight.

Puzzles are solved by finding and combining objects and then taking them to where they need to be used. An early example of this is needing to get hold of a key to open a door. Here you’ll need to find a magnifying glass to read the lock serial number then take the number to a lock smith to have them make you a new key. Exactly how many steps each puzzle has depends on if you are playing on casual or hard.

The puzzles throughout are of an excellent standard and carry on the tradition of players needing to think outside the box but not descending into the trope of needing to try everything in your inventory on everything else in the hope that something works. There is a kind of strange logic that runs through the game (and the series), and it remains consistent throughout.

Much of the early part of the game will be familiar to long time fans as many of the locations from the first game are back with the initial section set exclusively on Melee island. It’s great to see the original screens recreated here and a fair few of the jokes play on what has or hasn’t changed. While the game is welcoming to new fans there is certainly a lot to be gained from being familiar with the other games as well as nostalgia plays a big part in much of the dialogue.

Overall, Return to Monkey Island is better than we could have ever hoped for. It can happily sit alongside the other games in the series and may have hopefully shown there is life to get another game or two going, or at least get the HD remakes on the Switch. It’s an essential experience for those who have grown up with the series, but it is also welcoming to newcomers and will likely create a lot of new fans as well. Maybe there isn’t anything here quit as genius as insult sword fighting but the writing is great, the puzzles are clever and the audio work is second to none.

Overall 8/10

Day of the Tentacle Remastered Review (PC)

A long time ago in what seems like a galaxy far, far away point and click adventure games used to be all the rage. Lucas Arts were well known for its skill in making graphic adventures and Day of Tentacle is one of its most famous titles. Now in its new spruced up form we get to see if the game still stands up today.

The sequel to Maniac Mansion, Day of The Tentacle starts with Purple Tentacle drinking some toxic sludge which causes him to develop super intelligence and the urge to take over the world. Enter our three heroes Bernard, Laverne, and Hoagie who arrive fresh from receiving a note, delivered by hamster, from Green Tentacle asking for help. The original Maniac Mansion is also hidden away in the game but it hasn’t had the same graphical overhaul sadly.

Dr Fred, the man responsible for all the trouble attempts to send the three back in time to yesterday so they can turn off the machine polluting the water. However, something goes wrong and Hoagie, a fat rock loving stoner and Laverne, an insane spaced out drip, end up stuck in the past and future respectively. Players have to solve the puzzles in the different time frames to bring everyone home and then work out a way to stop Purple Tentacle.

The game has a unique graphical style which has really helped it to keep its place in many people's hearts. No other game out there looks quite as weird as Day of the Tentacle and the oddball graphics help portray the characters and complement the twisted humour really well. The HD re-working of the graphics sticks to the style well and give the player more of the game on screen by removing the interface commands at the bottom. If you just want to experience it in its original glory you can do that too at the push of a button.

There are a few new interface options to replace the old system. You can use a controller now if you wish or mouse commands which now revolve around holding down the right button to bring up an action wheel. It’s similar to the interface used in Full Throttle and most ‘classic’ styled point and click games now.  We found ourselves naturally slipping into it and it certainly does the job well.

The biggest plus about game, the crazy humour, can also be its biggest frustration. It's almost impossible to get through Day of the Tentacle without using some kind of guide as the puzzles often require you to think in the oddest and most obtuse ways possible. This would be a major problem if it wasn't for the fact that the game is so incredible hilarious. Every line is delivered perfectly and the three main characters all bring their own quirky nature to proceedings. The excellent voice cast also adds a whole new level of genius to the game.

The puzzles, although quite clearly programmed by the insane, also raise a smile. It's hard to describe any without giving the game away. Needless to say, Hoagie crashing the signing of the declaration of independence and Laverne being sent to a future where earth is run by tentacles and humans are kept as pets offer up a plethora of opportunities for madness. Throw in a hamster and a talking horse and you really can't go wrong.

It's good to see that after all these years that Day of the Tentacle is still worthy of all the praise that gets lavished upon it. There has never been a funnier game and if more titles had characters as well thought out as these then the industry would be a much brighter place. Even though the puzzles can drive you to madness it's all worth it to experience one of the most unique and original adventures out there.

Overall 8/10

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – The Graphic Adventure Review (PC)

Written by Dan Gill

Writing retro reviews can be a funny old thing.  As a writer you try to judge a game on its merits, on how it plays right now.  In some cases there will obviously be some bias towards a title due to having played and enjoyed it in the past, no matter whether it was any good or not.  For example, I quite enjoy Gremlin’s C64 version of platform/shoot-em-up Future Knight, despite the fact it isn’t a particularly well designed title (and received a critical panning and little commercial success upon release), and a close friend (who shall remain nameless) enjoys 3DO’s mostly awful Army Men titles.  Still, despite all this we reviewers need to put our past selves away and play a game with fresh eyes.  With that in mind, I take on one of Ron Gilbert’s early titles for Lucasfilm Games.

Readers of my somewhat sparse and sporadic past wordblurts will know how fondly I look upon LucasArts’ point-and-click library, of which I still feel the pinnacle is The Secret of Monkey Island, a game about which many words have already been written. The same can be said of Maniac Mansion, the debut of the SCUMM engine.  However, poor old Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – The Graphic Adventure (a snappy little title if ever there was one), is often overlooked in favour of the aforementioned games, and its own sequel – the rather spiffy Fate of Atlantis.  Despite being a movie tie-in, Crusade manages to avoid the early nineties trend of only being loosely affiliated with its source material and dressed up as a platform/shooter/beat-em-up (like Wayne’s World on the Game Boy for example).  Well, The Graphic Adventure does anyway (an Action Game was also released.  It wasn’t great)

The story follows the plot of the film where Dr Jones is on the search for the Holy Grail, all the while dodging troublesome Nazis, reuniting with his father and bumping into Hitler.  The game looks pretty good for a title from 1989, losing the giant heads of Maniac Mansion and Zak McKracke  and recreating the environments from the film in 16 glorious colours (although I played the CD ROM re-release which uses an eye-melting 256 colours).  Given the limitations of the time, the team did an impressive job of creating the locales.  From the university to the library, the backdrop to Indy’s search looks much nicer than anything being produced by Sierra at the time.

Of course, such things are moot should the game not play well.  Thankfully, Crusade retains the humour of its predecessors while tightening up the adventuring a little.  A point system is introduced (the Indy Quotient), which scores you on how you overcome obstacles with some puzzles having multiple solutions that affect the score you receive.  This is quite novel for a LucasArts title and adds a bit more replay value.  On the whole, puzzles are fairly logical and manage to keep the player thinking without being too obtuse.

The one aspect of the game I’m not particularly keen on is the awkward fighting system.  Using (ideally) the numpad on the keyboard allows Indy a variety of blocks and punches with which to take on opponents.  My trouble with this was that it deviated from the adventure gaming I was used to and seemed awfully fiddly and random.  On a couple of occasions fights ended up with me loading an older save to replay an entire section in order to attempt to retain health, or to avoid the fight completely.  Since this is an earlier SCUMM game it is possible to lose/die and after being downed by a single punch over and over I lost my patience and had to leave the game for a while.  Perhaps this is more a sign of how games have coddled me in recent years, or maybe indicative of how adventure game design has improved over time, be it Monkey Island’s insult sword fighting or The Walking Dead’s QTEs.  Either way, this is my only real gripe and it didn’t sully my experience too much.  It did also teach me to man up and get on with it; another trait required of retro reviewers.

So, is Crusade worth playing?  If you’re a fan of point-and-click adventures, absolutely.  It’s a game from a time that Lucasfilm was at a turning point, where they would lose the cul-de-sac trappings of adventure game design for future titles (at least for the most part), and one that shows the great writing and design the company later became renowned for.  Sure, Crusade would be improved upon by its stablemates, but it’s still worth revisiting.  And I say that on viewing it with a fresh pair of eyes rather than through the warm, fuzzy fondness often observed through the Retroscope™.  Should you choose to play this, be safe in the knowledge you’ve chosen wisely.

7/10

Grim Fandango Remastered Review (PS4)

It’s been a very long time since we last delved in the circle of the underworld inhabited by Manny and his Noire inspired friends. For those new to the game, Grim Fandango follows a simple salesman as he tries to sell the recently deceased travel packages to Heaven and thus work off his own purgatorial debt. However, all is not as it seems in the land of the dead. Why does Manny never get the good clients? And why when he gets a saint do they not qualify for the best packages? In line with all the best Noir stories something is rotten and Manny has decided to find out what it is.

Grim Fandango was the first Lucas Arts adventure to move away from the more traditional 2D point and click interface. Instead, players moved Manny around on a tank track system in 3D environments. Left and right would spin him around while pushing up or down would move forward or back. It was awkward at the time and we’re very glad to see it has been replaced with a more sensible system where the left analogue stick is used to move. For those that want to experience the old style you can always switch back in the options menu but you really don’t want to.

Aside from the controls the games characters, objects and movable parts have been given a bit of a facelift and smoothed out. It’s nothing dramatic or drastic but it does help to make things look that little bit more like a macabre cartoon than before. The static environments haven’t really had much done to them though so those expecting a super full-on HD remake will be disappointed. 

As Manny wanders around he will move his head to look at objects of interest which can then be examined, used or picked up. The ‘look’ system can be a little tricky to use as it’s not always obvious if there are objects around to pick up that you can’t really see. This can end up in an inch by inch movement and button press-athon but for the most part you shouldn’t be stopped too often by it.

You will however be stopped by the puzzles you come up against. Things start out fairly well with progress not that difficult to make once you get your head around the strange logic required. Indeed, there is little here players who have experienced other point and click series’ will find that taxing. But as you progress things start to get very odd and some solutions will leave you in disbelief as to how you were ever supposed to work them out. Tie this in with some objects being fairly difficult to spot and it can end up with players wandering around aimlessly for far too long before they eventually give up and head to a guide.

The real star of Grim Fandango is the writing. The script and story are excellent with an intriguing and engaging tale filled with excellent characters and excellent voice acting. From the sneaky sales men to the downtrodden residents and the strange elemental creatures left looking for purpose after they become obsolete, every character has something about them and they remain far more memorable than many other games.

It sets up an interesting and unique world that is difficult to find anywhere else and in this respect the game still stands head and shoulders above most others out there. The mix of Noir iconography and surreal fantasy also mix very well and shows how imaginative games can be when left in the right hands.

Overall, the decision as to whether you are going to enjoy Grim Fandango will come down to how much patience you have. There will be frustrating moments that stop you in your tracks but they are well worth persevering with in order to engage with one of the best tales that has been told through a video game. It’s a slow burning game of depth and invention and it may not be perfect but it’s certainly still well worth sorting through the mystery of what’s rotten in the land in of the dead.

Overall 8/10

The Dig Review (PC)

Written by Dan Gill

The Secret of Monkey Island. Maniac Mansion. Sam and Max Hit the Road. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. Full Throttle. Grim Fandango.  These titles – and indeed their sequels and prequels – are regarded by many as stone-cold classics; absolute pinnacles of the point-and-click adventure genre, and they gained LucasArts a reputation as one of the finest developers of the era, offering a friendlier alternative to the player-killing Sierra titles of the time.  While the aforementioned titles are well known by many, there are a few others which are often overlooked; Zak McKraken and the Alien Mindbenders and Loom tend to have a smaller yet dedicated following, but one title which is considered by some as the black sheep of the LucasArts flock is The Dig – but why?

Beginning as an idea by Steven Spielberg for his Amazing Stories TV series, The Dig famously had a protracted development.  Deemed too expensive to film for TV, the idea was passed to LucasArts as a pitch for an adventure game, development on the title starting in 1989.  The game went through a drawn out process of adding and scrapping ideas, and staff leaving and joining the project throughout its six year creation.  Alongside Spielberg, the story was developed by interactive fiction author Brian Moriarty (whose previous gig with LucasArts was Loom), and dialogue was written by sci-fi author Orson Scott-Card.  The pedigree was certainly there for a solidly written adventure game, but looking back it's clear to see how the game was to differ from its stable mates; who's writing the jokes?  This is The Dig's first issue.  The house that brought us Guybrush Threepwood and Purple Tentacle has developed a more serious tone, and fans at the time perhaps weren't expecting this.

The story involves three astronauts being sent to a potentially earth smashing asteroid in order to alter its trajectory.  As the game progresses the player discovers there's more to the asteroid than there seems, sending the team across the universe to another world.  There's no doubting the engrossing nature of the story, and that is one of the game's strongest assets.  Each development compels the player to make progress in order to see what will happen to the intrepid explorers next, and there's a desire to open up more of the alien landscape.  As expected from LucasArts, the background art and characters look great (for the time), and the 2D and 3D animated cutscenes have a distinct mid-nineties allure with their grainy, low resolution charm.

As expected, gameplay centres on exploration and puzzle solving.  Perhaps due to the game's setting, the puzzles differ slightly from the rest of the LucasArts catalogue, preferring to take inspiration from somewhere between the “use X with Y” approach of its peers, and the abstract headscratchers from aesthetically pleasing slideshow puzzler Myst.  This is a refreshing approach, but may dissatisfy those who didn't get along with Cyan's game.  The puzzles can sometimes be a little obtuse, but no more so than those of Monkey Island 2.

So far a mixed bag then, but I found my biggest problem with the game to be its voice acting.  A shame, since Robert Patrick and Stephen Blum are involved.  While Blum (a seasoned voice actor) plays astronaut Ludgar Brink well, Patrick's Boston Low and Mari Weiss's Maggie Robbins lack any kind of emotion in response to the game's events, really taking the shine off the title's presentation.  One can imagine the two of them stood in the recording booth reading the script verbatim whilst thinking of what they'll spend their fee on.  As such I'd recommend turning off the vocal track and sticking to the text.  The soundtrack's rather lovely and otherwordly, so it's certainly a decent alternative to the dull reading of Scott-Card's script, which itself is pretty good, but peppered with a dusting of awkward, stilted lines.

So, not one of LucasArt's finest (although it was their biggest selling title at time of release in 1995), but not worth missing out on.  I think it's fair to say that if The Dig were released by another developer it would have had much more critical recognition and praise.  It's a solid game that offers a good few hours of adventuring, a decent story, some reasonable (and slightly obscure) puzzles, a good musical score and some great environments and ideas.  If it passed you by first time round I'd certainly recommend playing through it now.  It deserves a place in your LucasArts point-and-click collection alongside those classics, just don't expect too many jokes.

7/10

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis Review (PC)

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is one of the more unique point and click titles. One of its key selling points is that you can play through the game in three different ways. As well as this there are multiple endings and the game even keeps a score of how well you are doing. The only way to get the perfect score is to complete it using all the available paths.

This games also shows just how seriously companies took the point and click adventure back in its prime. The amount of money and time put into the project simply wouldn't happen in this day and age. Luckily for us this is one of the few occasions when a game with a massive license attached to it turned out to be absolutely brilliant.

The plot contains most of the standard Indiana Jones devices such as Nazi's, the feisty female side kick and the search for a mystical McGuffin. The game starts with Dr Jones trying find and artefact in the university. This acts as a kind of tutorial and gets players used to how the puzzles work and the general feel of everything. Once the object is found it is then promptly stolen by a Nazi with a dodgy accent and thus the race starts to uncover the mystery of Atlantis before they do. The recent Kingdom of the Crystal Skull contains many aspects present here only, in this case, there isn't a load of dodgy CGI and script hasn't been written by a five year old.

The script perfectly captures the feel and style of Indiana Jones and the voice actors, as per usual with Lucas Arts titles, are excellent. Special credit has to go to the voice of Dr Jones himself. Unfortunately Harrison Ford wasn't used but his replacement does an admirable impression of the great man and the timing of every line is just about perfect.

As mentioned earlier the really unique thing about the Fate of Atlantis is that you can complete the game three different ways. Two of the ways involve solving puzzles, one on your own, the other with your partner Sophia who you can ditch at a certain point should you wish. The other way is much more physical and involves fighting your way to the end. The fighting involves using the left and right mouse buttons to punch and proves very tricky as you progress. The three different ways of approaching the title also take you through different routes of certain sections of the game and even to a couple of completely different locations.

Having the overall score for your adventure on the screen is a nice touch as it saves after you finish the game. You can then go through it a different way to add to your score. This encourages you to go through the game multiple times to find all the different solutions to the puzzles and search out every point. The puzzles themselves are excellent and require players to think without being completely random or obscure. The only slight gripe is that a certain amount of travelling back and forth can be needed if you miss an object the first time around. This is also one of the few Lucas Arts games where your character can actually die so be warned.

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is easily one of the greatest point and click adventure games of all time. Everything about it fits together just about perfectly to form a real adventure. The fact the game feels so at home with the Indiana Jones films is real testament to the skills of the development team and voice actors. Given the choice between playing through this and seeing Kingdom of the Crystal Skull we would go for this every time. It's unfortunate that Fate of Atlantis is so difficult to find these days in its original form as it deserves to be played by anyone who ever wished to move a cursor around a screen looking for tiny objects.

Overall 9/10

*As soon as we wrote this it was released on GOG making it much easier to find :)

Day Of The Tentacle Review (PC)

A long time ago in what seems like a galaxy far, far away point and click adventure games used to be all the rage. Lucas Arts used to be well known for its skill in making graphic adventures and Day of Tentacle is one of its most famous titles. We thought we should see if the game still stands up today.

The sequel to Maniac Mansion, Day of The Tentacle starts with Purple Tentacle drinking some toxic sludge which causes him to develop super intelligence and the urge to take over the world. Enter our three heroes Bernard, Laverne, and Hoagie, fresh from receiving a note, delivered by hamster, from Green Tentacle asking for help.

Dr Fred, the man responsible for all the trouble attempts to send the three back in time to yesterday so they can turn off the machine polluting the water. However, something goes wrong and Hoagie, a fat rock loving stoner and Laverne, an insane spaced out drip, end up stuck in the past and future respectively. Players have to solve the puzzles in the different time frames to bring everyone home and then work out a way to stop Purple Tentacle.

The game has a unique graphical style which has really helped it to keep its place in many people's hearts. No other game out there looks quite as weird as Day of the Tentacle and the oddball graphics help portray the characters and complement the twisted humour really well.

The biggest plus about game, the crazy humour, can also be its biggest frustration. It's almost impossible to get through Day of the Tentacle without using some kind of guide as the puzzles often require you to think in the oddest and most obtuse ways possible. This would be a major problem if it wasn't for the fact that the game is so incredible hilarious. Every line is delivered perfectly and the three main characters all bring their own quirky nature to proceedings. The excellent voice cast also adds a whole new level of genius to the game.

The puzzles, although quite clearly programmed by the insane, also raise a smile. It's hard to describe any without giving the game away. Needless to say, Hoagie crashing the signing of the declaration of independence and Laverne being sent to a future where earth is run by tentacles and humans are kept as pets offer up a plethora of opportunities for madness. Throw in a hamster and a talking horse and you really can't go wrong.

It's good to see that after all these years that Day of the Tentacle is still worthy of all the praise that gets lavished upon it. There has never been a funnier game and if more titles had characters as well thought out as these then the industry would be a much brighter place. Even though the puzzles can drive you to madness it's all worth it to experience one of the most unique and original adventures out there.

8/10

Full Throttle Review (PC)

This somewhat overlooked classic from Lucas Arts was one of their most ambitious projects. To add a more epic feel a band, the Gone Jackals, were brought in to supply the rock soundtrack and the cut scenes display a far more cinematic approach than ever before. Mark Hamill also adds his voice to the already impressive cast. Full Throttle follows the story of Ben, leader of the Polecats biker gang, as a chance encounter with Malcolm Corley, head of the last biker manufacturer in the country, ends up with him being framed for murder.

The world of Full Throttle is wonderfully original and it's like has not been seen since. The cast of back water hicks and bumpkins can't help but raise a smile as they spew out line after line of insanity. The script, as we have come to expect from Lucasarts, also never misses a beat and it helps to layer the game with an amazingly enjoyable atmosphere.

While most games of this type use a similar control style, the system was given a bit of an overhaul for Full Throttle. Instead of having a list of commands at the bottom of the screen you now bring up a menu in the shape of a burning skull between a fist and a boot by holding the left mouse button. This allows you to grab, look, speak and, erm, kick doors in. Clicking the right mouse button brings up your inventory. It works very well, with the only minor problem being that it doesn't actually display the name of what you are looking at unless you use the look icon. Instead your cursor will simply turn red to indicate something of interest is under it.

Graphically, the game really looks good. While it continues the cartoon aesthetic that other Lucas Arts titles have it retains its own, very distinct, personality. The artists have done a really fine job in portraying a dusty back road world and the game is all the better for it. Thanks to its use of music, cinematic shots and art design, Full Throttle is arguably the most distinctive title to ever be produced by the studio.

All this greatness does come at a price though. Full Throttle may be big on presentation but it is pretty short on length. Anyone used to this type of game should sail through it in under three hours. There is enough there to warrant visiting it again but every time you play you can't help but feel that the end comes around way too soon.

Puzzles, though requiring some thought, are nice and logical and there aren't any solutions that will seem completely bizarre. This may make it a little easy in places but we would much prefer that to having to try and solve something through constant trial and error. As well as the puzzles there are a couple of mini games such as fighting other gang members on your bike in a style similar to road rash. Even here you need to keep thinking as though it may seem like a simply action section there are still puzzles to overcome.

Overall, Full Throttle is an undoubted classic of the genre. Few over games have tried so much and succeeded so well. The game may be short but it is so enjoyable that you will want to come back to it again and again. It's a shame that the sequel was cancelled as there is certainly more that could have been done with the game world. The fact it stands out so well today is testament to the effort put in by the develop team and this really is something that every fan of point and click adventures should enjoy.

8/10