Remember when the children of a certain toymaker's village started to die? No, not at the North Pole... NO, not Pinocchio's dad, jeesh! Apologize to Santa and Gepetto. NOW! There, that's better. OK, I'll give you a hint: "There once was a lad from Nantucket..." Oops, never mind. All right then, the gentleman (?) to whom I am referring is one Henry Stauf, the depraved toymonger of The 7th Guest. If this does not ring a bell, no matter. And if it does, then perhaps you are one of the pacers and droolers who have long been awaiting the sequel to Virgin Interactive's aforementioned hit title. Finally, here it is. The 11th Hour sits on your drugstore shelf (you do get your drugs of choice from software distributors, I hope), providing you with a passageway back to the Stauf mansion. And what a journey it is. Trilobyte, Inc. has done it again -- in spades! A puzzle game it is, certainly, but with production values rivaling any interactive multimedia title on the market today.
We are presented with over 65 minutes of full-screen, full motion, high resolution video unraveling the mystery behind the bizarre murders which have been occurring in Stauf's hometown. You play the character of Carl Denning, investigative reporter for television's "Case Unsolved." Your producer, Robin Morales, has disappeared during the murder investigation, and since she is also your lover, you feel compelled to search for her. Sure, producers are a dime a dozen, but after all, hot babes like Robin (said heat being an assumption from a steamy opening scene) can be found only after tireless evenings at singles clubs, perusing limitless personal ads, spending billions of hours at church socials, signing up for mambo lessons, or undergoing an embarrassing appearance on "Love Connection." Better to risk your life in Stauf's clutches.
The first person graphic perspective is back, but 11th Hour's tech team has outdone itself with remarkable depth perception and scrolling views. You're not just watching û you are THERE. You view Stauf's dark world from behind your battery powered torch, and it really appears as though you are holding a shaky flashlight as you progress through the shadowy mansion. What you do watch, however, are the video clips of the story's progression. And they are absolutely top-notch, most of them having been filmed on location. In fact, only 18 minutes of footage consist of "blue screen" video.
One of the main differences between this production and its predecessor is that in addition to solving puzzles, you are on a scavenger hunt of sorts. You receive clues along your journey about certain objects that you must find in order to progress. The clues are often in the form of puns or anagrams, and upon selecting the correct object, you receive another clue to take you on your way. Some of the findings result in a video flashback scene involving Robin's involvement in the investigation, or reveal other pieces of the murder mystery. All scenes are stored for review in your portable video recorder. Take notes, though, folks. There are over 250 selectable objects throughout the mansion, so you might find yourself wandering about forever saying "now where did I see that thingamabobbit?" Luckily, there are online hints and a nice online mapping feature to keep you on track.
Diehard puzzle fans might flinch a bit at the need to solve 42 scavenger-hunting quests along the way, but the straight puzzles themselves (13 logic puzzles and 6 AI games) are satisfying. Many are very reminiscent of the puzzles from The 7th Guest, chess and pattern puzzles, math logic, etc., with a few additional innovations, and vary in difficulty. Again, online hints are available, in the form of your "Techno-Psychic Ally." And this is a REAL psychic, my friends û none of those hotline phonies or cheap imitations. The Amazing Kreskin and Dionne Warwick would be proud. Your Ally will render everything from a task description right down to an offer to solve the game for you. But be warned that her psychic abilities wane when taxed (kinda like our incomes) and if relied upon too much, she will be unable to give you the help you may need at a later point.
Some might argue that for a puzzle game, this is way overproduced. Why do we need all of these bells and whistles? The puzzles should be the heart of the game, after all. Well, don't worry, they are -- all accompanied by an evil voice to taunt you during what are certain to be some hapless attempts at solution.
Add a bigger story? Sure, why not? More than the children are dying here. And hooray for that. Stauf's back -- with a vengeance!
