Necronomicon

I am a fan of all things Lovecraft, and the whole Cthulhu mythos, so I had very high hopes for this game. But even if I had bought this game simply looking for a bit of fun and a challenge I would have been disappointed. I think if I had simply bought this game looking for a fancy manual I would have still been disappointed... maybe if I had bough this game looking for two expensive coasters my expectations might, just might, have been lived up to. The manual was the first warning sign, being as it was woefully thin. Surely the game that would explore the dark mind of H.P. Lovecraft would go into his work a little? But no, just a simple explanation of commands... four pages. And that's it. Oh yes, you do get a quote... break out the champagne!

I was expecting a game somewhere along the lines of Clive Barker's Undying (a true masterpiece of horror gaming) but the fact that the installation period took about 2.5 seconds gave me the suspicion that the game was not particularly graphic intensive. And I was right.

The front end menu had some shocking French synth music accompanying it, like Jean Michelle Jarre at age 5, and there was a familiar sound when I selected the button to start the game. Yes! The Star Trek Elite Force selection sound. Not very 1920's...

By now I was dreading playing the game, just hoping that at least the story would be good.

The game opens with you in your front room. No introduction sequence explaining who you are or where you are... you're just there. You can look around, and the graphics have a sort of dreamy quality. I thought for a second that the game would just be a Cthulhu version of Realms of the Haunting (which has bad graphics but is nonetheless quite good) and my hopes were raised, but when I tried to move my expectations were dashed. It was the old Myst method. Point to a part of the room to get there. I hate this game.

I heard a knocking, and lurched around the room before finally getting out of the room and into the hallway (you can't go upstairs, or in any other rooms...) and I opened the front door. Then the story began, which the quite poorly animated zombie looking friend giving you your first item. Woohoo!

Now I must point out the game's one, yes one, redeeming feature. The game's story is actually quite good. It is very true to the feeling of Lovecraft's books, and I was actually looking forward to playing the game a little, but half an hour later I knew that playing was not really the name for the experience. Have you ever had the feeling that a game was so linear that you had no control? Well get ready to feel that again if you play this travesty. I walked around town talking to everyone, but they all said "go away" or something to that effect, until I found the one person I was meant to speak to, who told me to go to this other person who magically opened his shop whilst I was talking, and then you go to speak to the other person that they direct you to... and so on.

Now here was the one redeeming feature. The story is actually quite compelling; or rather it would be, if you were anything other than a bystander. Poor old William J. Stanton was a spectator in his own life! You can't even select options for different things to say... remarkably lifelike characters my sweet behind!

And there is no way that this is a terrifying turn in his life... the scariest thing about this game is the totally inappropriate disco soundtrack on the credits page. Maybe the designers are making fun of us...

I got all the way through to the second CD (of two) in about two hours of bored stiff linear play, so hopefully there is only another two to go. I paid money for this game so I'm going to finish it! But you shouldn't buy it. If you do, then I hope you are either rich enough so that money doesn't matter, or enjoy a badly animated semi-interactive totally fear free experience. You have been warned.