Sun and Moon Written by David Brain Reviewed By John Ferris This game finished 21st in the 2002 Interactive Fiction Competition. It is a web-based game, played online via your web browser. However, it isn't a traditional game by any means, more like an online detective mystery. Essentially the method of play is the same as browsing the web; the locations being numerous different web-sites set up by the author, mirroring real life. Game web pages have a Sun and Moon footer line, real life web pages don't, so you can tell what is real and what's in the game. The game begins by clicking on the supplied HTML file (this is a 2KB download, folks!) which will give a brief explanation and the link to the game's web site proper. You then click on the "new players" link and you are off into the prologue. You receive an email from Wayne Jennings, who seems to know you from "Friends Reunited" but you can't recall him. The email invites you onto his web page. You then realise his name is familiar, he was in the paper having killed himself in his house. On the same day as sending the email. Hmm. And so you are off, trying to put two and two together, obtaining passwords, wandering through a corporate web site picking up information. There is a maze, with a difficult but logical solution, but not very rewarding at the end. You need to be able to solve cryptic crosswords as well. Generally, the puzzles are pretty difficult. It has more the atmosphere of those graphical puzzle games that I see the folks at the convention engrossed in. But the puzzles are not graphical, if you see what I mean. Personally, I liked this game because of the novel presentation. The game content itself was all right, but there is much more potential in this idea. Naturally to play this game you need an Internet connection, but you will be spending some time on the game. Not for those who pay by the minute. - o -