RotH is a horror adventure game with a dense atmosphere, an story that keeps you involved and great graphics. It was the game that made me buy my first 3DFX card. RotH begins at a mansion, only to let you plunge into a world that becomes more and more unreal. You will encounter strange and dangerous beasts, a beautiful 3D environment and weird characters. You will fight with conventional weapons, such as handguns, but also with magic daggers and (my personal favourite) even a magic muzzle-loader. Some of the riddles are hard to solve - although most of the time this is because you missed a switch or something similar. Fortunately this is not the case very often, most of the time you can solve everything you encounter by using your brain and considering the hints. Combat is quite fair, though it can be a bit challenging sometimes. But if you have ever played a FPS, you will have no real problems here. The gameplay is completed by FMVs, which do a good job to keep you involved with the story and the two main characters. RotH is a great game, if not to say a gem, worth buying and playing. Alas, there is one major flaw I just can not overcome, even after all this time - the terrible ending of the game. The story reaches a gratifying end... only to take one final turn that changes everything and leave you behind thinking "Wtf? WTF? W T F? I went through all the hassle for THIS?" and with a shallow feeling. Which is a pity, considerin how great this game is otherwise.
