Ghost in the Sheet

Cardboard Box Entertainment, 2007

Ghost in the Sheet is a waggish adventure game with a storyline that will certainly put a broad smile on your face. Play as a ghost and experience an exciting and unique game plot in which you perform all your tasks by using an innovative paranormal array of actions known as "telekinesis" or in simple words, by using your thoughts. In the beginning you start with just one telekinesis power, but more telekinesis powers add on as you progress in the game.

The game starts after a truck runs over your character and ends his life. A black & white slideshow intro shows that instead of crossing over the bright light to your life after death your soul is received by an ugly looking creature that calls himself your boss and orders you to investigate an abandoned factory named as Sector Omega. Your mission is to enter the factory wrapped merely in a dirty sheet, meet and interact with other employees' ghosts trapped inside the factory, unlock closed doors and sections in order to find out the true nature of Sector Omega's operation and why its operation was stopped. Also, unravel the truth about what your soul is doing in this godforsaken factory and what should be done to free yourself and the other ghosts from the captivity of this ugly Boss.

The game interface is traditional point and click. Surreal graphics are still images pre-rendered in 3D and spiced up with ambient soundtrack and spooky music eerie enough to raise the hair on your neck. The cut-scenes are mostly slideshows created in black & white. Puzzles are the main attraction of this largely non-linear game and most of them get triggered by interacting with the game characters. Overall, Ghost in the Sheet is a game not to be missed by any serious adventure gamer for it is all exciting and entertaining in every way.

Connections: Getting it Together

Discovery Channel Multimedia, 1996

Connections, also known as James Burke's Connections is an excellent educational as well as traditional title based on a famous TV show and a book by the same name, hosted and written by James Burke respectively. James Burke is a famous broadcaster, who hosts many excellent shows on technology and social sciences. In this CD-ROM version of Connections, James Burke introduces himself as your guide and asks you to help him in reorganizing the technological history in a Web, which is disturbed by an evil character. Your quest lets you explore five different timelines in history that starts from galloping the vast and Wild West to exploring the medieval ages of our world and to venturing the Egyptian mythology in the ancient land of Pharaohs. Dig up clues and find links or connections between the technological races of these times. During the game you will meet many live character from different times and places, which will help you solve the puzzles and challenges in the game. James Burke, as your host will also pop up at many points and guide you on your quest.

Puzzles are mostly traditional and logical, while they are very informative and thought provoking and can be solved using different inventory items. Some mind-boggling slider puzzles and lock-combination puzzles are also thrown in for extra fun. Excellent graphics are 3D rendered and quite dated in standard. Real actors presented as game characters are acting quite well in the game. Interface is traditional point and click in a 1st-Person perspective. Overall, keeping in view the excellent educational value of this adventure game I highly recommend it to all the fans of the genre and especially to the viewers of the James Burke's TV shows.

The Case of the Cautious Condor

Tiger Media, Inc., 1990

The Case of the Cautious Condor is an interactive drama and the second game from Tiger Media, which is utilizing the vast capacity of CD-ROM. The game is set in the summer of 1937 aboard a huge flying boat Condor when the dark clouds of war were gathering on the distant horizon.

Rich industrialist, Bronson Barnard, who owns Condor, is launching its maiden transatlantic jaunt from Baltimore to Lisbon and a select group of guests are invited to celebrate the launch. You play as Detective Ned Peters and old war buddy of Bronson Barnard. As the champagne flows and the pampered party-goers revel in the elegance and splendor, no one realizes that their gracious host is setting a trap for a murderer.

Bronson's hidden purpose was to demonstrate his abilities as amateur sleuth for Ned Peters by exposing the killer of the U.S. Customs Official who was, in fact, Branard's own illegitimate son. But when a sudden heart attack foils his plan and the plane must be turned back, he entrusts his secret to Peters, imploring him to step in and solve the crime before the plane lands. With only thirty minutes in hand can you help Ned Peters in unraveling this mystery?

The game has a unique mouse-driven interface and the player explores the various rooms of the Condor using the blueprint of Condor found on Peter's Desk and talks to every guest, most of whom are considered suspects. There is a notebook on Peter's Desk to enter significant details about every guest as and when you gather it. The graphics in the game are very nice for the time and give an interactive-comic book experience to the player. Speech and digital audio soundtracks are excellent and enjoyable throughout the game. Though the puzzles are quite hard for novice adventure gamers I only recommend this game to professional gamers and also to the fans of whodunit adventure genre.