I never played I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream in its original release, but the game was frequently recommended to me by people who share my love for science fiction and horror. The game is a point-and-click adventure title, loosely adapted from the eponymous short story by Harlan Ellison (one of two Ellison works that "inspired" James Cameron to create the Terminator series). The writing and voice acting are excellent, in part because Ellison himself helped design the game and provides the voice of AM with twisted, hateful gusto. Visually, the game is very nice, full of lovely pre-rendered art and excellent spritework. The music is nothing to write home about, but it is nicely atmospheric and gets the job done. The gameplay is much like other point-and-clicks of the time, with a series of command buttons to alter the use of the cursor and an inventory of items used to solve puzzles. Much like similar games of the time, the puzzles can be illogical and even seem unfair at times; some of the games challenges simply have to be worked through via trial and error. This can be a problem, though, since IHNMAIMS is one of the only point-and-clicks I've played where it's possible to die by making the wrong choice...in fact, there are a LOT of incorrect choices that can kill you. Death is just an inconvenience, though, as AM wants to keep his players alive to torment further; dying just means you have to start that character's story over, which is itself kind of a pain, so save early and often! On balance, though, in spite of the occasional moon-logic puzzle or cheap death, this is an excellent game, for its writing and presentation if nothing else. It's a great adaptation of a classic sci-fi story, and a worthy addition to any adventure gamer's library.
