Alone in the Dark - Infogrames RRP œ44.99
              (3D Arcade Adventure for IBM PC)

                 Reviewed by Mark Bradshaw

                      Review hardware:
               IBM PS/2 Model 50 (286-10Mhz)
         TI'KO PS433C (486-33Mhz with Soundblaster)

Alone in the Dark is a 3D arcade adventure with a new twist: all
the locations are viewed as though from a movie camera! As you
move around rooms and down passageways, the view changes to give a
cinematic feel to the proceedings. The plot is nothing out of the
ordinary for horror buffs: the owner of the house 'Derceto' was
found in the loft having apparently committed suicide. No note was
every found, but the authorities were happy enough with the cause
of death. After all, the owner had been behaving strangely
recently, so the death came as no surprise!

In this game, you have the choice of playing one of two
characters: the first is the niece of the owner of the house
'Derceto', Jeremy Hartwood, who is convinced that there is more to
her Uncle's suicide than a simple suicide. The second is a hard-up
private detective, sceptical about the whole deal but happy at the
money being offered to him. He has been hired to recover a piano
from the loft of that same house.

The game is sent in a Lovecraftian atmosphere with zombies, ghouls
and other nasties patrolling the house. Atmospheric sound effects
accompany your every step as you pace the floors of the possessed
house. I love the effect on the sound of moving from wooden
floorboards onto a rug and then off again! It's the little things
that make a good game shine!

To conduct a fair review of the software, I played it on two very
different computers. First, I used a 286 to see if it would be
playable! Most games which are released now require a 386 or
better, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a game which ran
well(!) on such a small machine. The graphics, though a little
jerky, were extremely good in comparison to other games and the
jerkiness was soon forgotten as the atmosphere took hold. The
sound effects came through the normally useless PC speaker
clearly, although the music was lost.

The default settings for the game were a little strange - it would
have taken minimal effort to set the 286 games player up in a
usable mode. The default detail level for all machines is high,
which produces a very jerky screen update. If you do not have a
sound card, the sound is mysteriously set to off. This is weird,
because the game makes just about the best use of the pathetic PC
speaker that I have every heard. Note that this is only on some
machines - it can also be terrible, so experiment before using it
in anger!  These shortcomings were quickly sorted by setting
detail to low and the sound on. A small point, but one which could
be missed, making the game less enjoyable!

Second, I played the game on a 486 with a Soundblaster. This is
the best way to play the game, with super-slick graphics and nifty
sound effects and music. It must be said, however, that it is more
impressive to see a game work well on a 286 than brilliantly on a
more powerful machine!

The puzzles contained in the game were pitched at the right level,
and logical up to a point. Progress could be made with a bit of
thought, though experimentation is required if all the books found
around the house are not read before attempting the puzzles. The
main sticking point seems to be the first major puzzle, located at
the top of the main stairs. This involves a couple of nasty purple
creatures which will not die through force alone! Once past this
puzzle, you will find that most of the puzzles are straightforward
enough and you can progress through the game at a fairly brisk
rate.

The books scattered throughout the house provide vital information
about what has happened to Jeremy, and how to beat the nasties at
their own game! I really liked this way of presenting information,
allowing you to do a bit of research into the occult leanings of
the game, and to actually understand why a solution to a problem
works! Too often I find an adventure is solved by trial and error,
often leaving you wondering WHY a particular object has achieved
the desired result.

Some of the actions which can be performed are optional - there is
usually a way of avoiding fighting individual creatures through a
bit of thought, though this was not always the case!

There is no scoring system, a welcome change so that you do not
lose some of the involvement in a game. It becomes - "great, I've
solved another bit of the game so I am closer to getting out of
this place" instead of the increasingly common "great, I've solved
that puzzle to raise my score to 120 out of 300". I prefer the
former as it lets you totally immerse yourself in the game and
forget the real world for a while. This is what games should be
doing!

The game proved to very addictive, hooking myself and a couple of
friends for three frenzied weeks. Unfortunately, here lies the
games weakness: it is too small, and I was left thinking "is that
it?" when the end game sequence kicked in. Also, the game only has
one solution so there is little point in playing again once you
have completed it.

I was initially wary of a game which has received such universal
praise in the computer press - this often seems to be the mark of
a well-hyped game and not of a quality piece of software. These
doubts soon left once I had installed the software and was viewing
the beautiful locations and the smooth animation. The attention to
detail is brilliant, with very little to moan about!

Size aside, I loved every minute of Alone in the Dark as have all
those I know who have come in contact with it. And now, I wait
impatiently for the next H.P. Lovecraft release from Infogrames.
This is apparently going to be an 'official' Lovecraft game -
whatever difference that will make! Anyway, if it is anywhere near
as good as 'Alone in the Dark', then I for one will be in the
queue for it!