Cracking the Conspiracy

The Good
You get to explore the mysterious Roswell Area 51 in this science fiction adventure game. It is played directly from one CDRom, since nothing is installed onto your computer except the save game files. The point-and-click interface is intuitively simple and the cursors are so easy to use that there is virtually no learning curve. The game also played without a hitch - no bugs whatsoever - a refreshing change.

The characters are animated, but their features are pleasant and their voices are well done. Conversation is minimal, but when you do have the opportunity to speak, you type the reply which gives the game a nostalgia that I welcomed. The graphics are smoothly rendered and the environment realistic. Full motion videos were entertaining and informative. One of my favorite cuts scenes happened when I picked up a headset on a Virtual Reality machine and was plunged into space flying an alien spaceship!

Motion is not 360-degrees, but I didn't miss that feature at all. The music adds just the right atmosphere and suspense where needed.

Puzzles were intricately woven into the plot and I never thought any were added in as fillers. Only one puzzle wasn't necessary for solving the game, and it was so cute I didn't care. The puzzles are logical and challenging, some more difficult than others. For the most part, the game is not linear so you can explore freely.

The Bad
In my opinion, there should have been more game save slots. While playing adventures, I save often and alot, so I thought they were stingy by limiting me to only 5 spaces.

The Bottom Line
If you enjoyed any of the Broken Sword or Tex Murphy games, I think you will enjoy Cracking The Conspiracy. It has an intriguing story, wonderful graphics and music as well as logical and challenging puzzles. I hope the boys at The Pixel Shop will make more adventures for us to enjoy.