Post Mortem (PC)

The game has a nice 3D feel, with a move of the mouse changing the scene which is viewed as if from your character’s point of view (you only see your character in the cutscenes). The puzzles are varied, indeed some of them are refreshingly different (including picking a lock and producing an artist’s impression of a suspect) and can be difficult, but that is what you want from a good adventure game. There are no strange combinations of inventory items to contend with.

Unfortunately, this game is sadly let down by the dialogue. Much of the action is carried along by the questions that you ask of the possible suspects and witnesses. However, if you ask the wrong questions and upset your witness, they may refuse to talk to you. By saving before every conversation you can go back to a saved game and try again, but I was not able to fast forward through the dialogue and had to listen to conversation all over again. Bearable you might say, but sometimes a character might tell you something that they could not possibly know yet or your character might ask a question based on information he hasn’t yet received or that you might have failed to get earlier. The game designers, in striving for realism, achieved it in the look and movement of the game, but did not tie this up to the conversations which often don’t follow on. Depending on what questions you ask and answers you receive, the game has alternative paths for the story and four different endings that I have come across – I do not know if there are more.

I did enjoy the game and bought the game knowing about the conversational letdown. If you are prepared to put up with a little irritation from this angle, and you enjoyed such games as Broken Sword, or Mystery of the Druids, then I think you will find this game enjoyable too.

The cut scenes are also of high quality, and the game certainly starts with great promise and verve. Throughout, a number of the problems and puzzles are excellent, and keep you on your toes. You'll find there are a number of ways of doing something - so much so that web walkthroughs may not be able to help you.

However, there are a couple of limitations. Firstly, watch the control system. It's a mouse-only game, so you're dependant on the cursor changing to tell you when there's something interesting. Unfortunately, in certain cases there's more than one interesting thing side by side with another - and it can be hard to tell. So you can miss things even when you think you've searched well.

The other thing is that in the end the plot just seems a little limited. The ultimate evil you're promised sort of isn't (for example, Realms of the Haunting took you much further with regards to scope and weirdness). If I'm promised a conspiracy I want something dark, complex and horror-filled - this doesn't quite deliver.

Even so, I got to like it, so it gets 4/5.