We all know of a few cult classics when it comes to movies: Ed Wood flicks, the later Tim Burton movies, Tommy Wiseau's "The Room" - there's plenty of occasions where shlocky horror and horrendous writing can combine to create something that's strangely palatable. It happens frequently enough on the silver screen, but not that often on the CRT monitors of the nineties. The Phantasmagoria series is the exception to the rule. Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh spins a fairly thin plot. You are Curtis Craig (Paul Morgan Stettler), a seemingly milquetoast copywriter for the Wyntech pharmaceutical firm. Your circle of friends is comprised of softcore actresses unconvincingly breaking their own mold and of a straight man's hackneyed portrayal of a gay colleague. None of them are entirely convincing, in that endearing, cheeseball way that motivates you to keep clicking along. After a fairly humdrum opening act involving a surprisingly dexterous pet rat and clerical nonsense, Casper the Friendly Ghost sucker-punches you in the jaw, calling you a freak. As it turns out, our boy has a history of mental illness. Just how real are your resurfacing delusions? Who can you trust? More to the point, who can you love? It all plays out in typical Roberta Williams fashion, wherein nonsensical solutions to improbable problems are required. Click and combine away, folks! It gets sexy, then gory, then Cosmic Horror rears its betentacled head... To keep things short and spoiler-free, let's just say that if you're looking for something that plays like King's Quest and looks like an un-aired pilot for "Tales from the Crypt", you're in luck. It has the chops the first game in the series never had, and an even greater staying power, all thanks to its unabashed awkwardness. Leave all semblance of logic at the door; you're in for quite a ride.
