Simon the Sorcerer is a game you can quickly fall inlove with, with thick humor and quirky characters to just draw you in to a place you will never want to leave. Its simple story only serving to bring you make you see the sights and all the glorious one liners Simon will spout next. In fact like other similar games, like Monkey Island, the dialog alone makes up the majority of the enjoyment you will get out of the game. Where this game is weak however is in the game department. A point and click adventure can be forgiven for being tough if the solutions make sense. Simon the Sorcerer however is just flat out unfair. Pixil hunting objects that blend perfectly into the background (or that are part of the background in a few cases) and nonsense solutions far beyond that of ordinary point and clicks infect large portions of the game. You will develop a habit of pushing every object and looking across every floor near the end of this and be wise for doing so. The puzzles often leave a sour taste in your mouth. Mind you that even while I say this there are difficult yet satisfying puzzles in the game. The music will quickly get on your nerves and many of the sounds are sharp. This isn't a problem in the short run but over time you may want to turn it down. It isn't exactly a issue, but I have noticed that even I stopped playing so I didn't have to listen to it anymore. All in all this game is a good game and maybe worth looking into especially if you have no problem with using guides or using the old tricks of looking everywhere and trying everything. My personal Rating is a 2/5 since it could not be beaten satisfyingly. Yet for a review it is 3/5 since I am sure you the reader will not have any qualms about using a guide.
Lets not mince words, Phantasmagoria 2 might as well be an entirely different game when it comes to the first. So lets treat this as an entirely seperate game. The story of Phantasmagoria 2 is terrible absolutely dreadful, but that is the appeal. The sheer hammyness and terrible lines and plotlines along with the transparency of the plot makes for an enjoyable experience. At times it doesn't seem to know if it is a horror game or a drama. The main character is so lovable in a punching bag sort of way that you want to see him succeed just as much as you want to see him bumble at the most easily avoided moments. Don't let this fool you into thinking it is a mediocre adventure game with a wonderfully bad storyline, if the game has one failing it its gameplay elements. If you arn't using a guide I hope you enjoy walking around to every location looking for single objects or scenes to activate. I hope you enjoy needing solutions to simple puzzles with the worst kind of Point and click nonsense that has ever graced the genre. While it can lead to funny moments, one of the very first puzzles, this wears thin rather fast. While I did give it a 2/5 I also think the game deserves a 4/5 at the same time. If you only play Point and Clicks for the story and generally guide your way through them, then Check this out. Though I personally don't think this game is scary it does feature a lot of gore so keep that in mind.
If you are looking for a game that captures you from the start and enthralls you in total horror... then you should look for another game. Phantasmagoria doesn't so much shock you as lets its little tendrils seem in slowly over the course of the game. Then once it gets outright scary it has some of the most chilling scenes of almost any videogame. Impatient players should stay away but patient players will find the pacing to be almost ingenius.
