Larry Laffer is back in town and since it has been over a decade since his last escapade (spin-off games omitted), one would expect him to be better preperared for his third trip to Lost Wages. Fortunately he isn't! The developers have done a great job making bringing the visuals up-to-date while making sure that Larry is just as out-of-date as he always have been. Most of the time, the game works just as well as it did in its previous incarnations and the graphical overhaul helps to spark new life into the franchise. While the new content dosn't add up to much, it keeps the game for being just a nostaligia trip and creates some challenge for experienced gamers. Puzzles are relativly simple and players with just a minimum of adventure games under their belt will easily complete the game in just a couple of hours. This being said, the current price of $19.99 shouldn't scare you away as this is a game you buy because of the athmosphere, not the challenge, and LSL: Reloaded is sure to give you a good night out.
The Police Quest series features the perhaps most realistic and most authentic adventure games ever to be made. Designed by former police officer Jim Walls, the first three games all takes place in the fictional city of Lytton, where you follow detective Sonny Bonds, as he battles his arch nemisis Jessie Bains aka. The Death Angel, and at the same time keeps the street of Lytton safe. The VGA remake (which is the version included in this package) of the first game "In the Pursuit of the Death Angel" and the sequel "The Revenge" both features compelling stories as well as some memorable characters, with certainly makes them worth playing, even though they offer very little challenge. Unfortunately i can't recommend the third game of the series "The Kindred", as it got ruined by a failed attempt to include some sort of real life clock (in many situations the game jumpes back and forth in time, and in one situation a dead guy even revives, if you visit the same place twice). By the time of the fourth game designer Jim Walls, was replaced with former LAPD Chief Daryl F. Gates, and the game moved away from Lytton, and into the big city of Los Angeles. That also meant, that Sonny Bonds no longer was the main character. Instead the player stepped into the shoes of Homice Detective John Carey in his hunt for an brutal serial killer, witch first victim was non other than Careys best freind and colleage Bob Hickman. Feacturing scanned photographs of real life locations, motion captured video of actors and a much more mature story than it preceders, Police Quest: Open Season took realism to a whole new level. Besides the improved graphics and the inclusion of voice acting, another mayor improment, especially compared to Police Quest 1 and 3, is that every object on the screen can be examined, sometimes revealing a valuable clue or maybe a silly comment from the narrator. Such a thing is vital in an adventure game, especially when you spend a lot of your time, searching the surroundings for vital evidence and clues. When you finally the game (it's much longer than its preceders), you will undoubtedly be satisfided, simply beacuse the difficulty is that much higher than in the earlier games. Overall this is a great package, and i would certainly recommend it to every adventure game fan, and everyone with just a slight interest in crime stories out there. Police Quest: Open Season is really the highlight of the series, but the other games will surely entertain too.
