A quick review of this game which I consider one well worth your time. This version is the Adventure Company's "Murder in the Abby".

The game is your basic third person point and click with no action requirements. It is alt tab friendly and you do not have to have the cd in the drive to play the game. There appears to be a long load time when you initiate the setup.exe file. I am guessing the file loads the full cd in memory before the install activates. You may have to wait a bit before install begins.

Graphics are well done and movement from location to location is assisted by a map. This eliminates the need to do a lot of time consuming walking around. Voice acting is quite good with several interesting characters. I do not have a count of save slots. I used only twelve which was sufficient for my experience.

Puzzles are few mostly inventory based and logical. The game has some long conversations which will annoy some people but I found most enjoyable. Perhaps because the style or topics or focus of the characters was not what you hear in typical games. I don't recall of a game that focused on the inquisition or used religion as a bases for the story.

The hero in visiting the Abby at the request of the Abbott to discover the identity of a murderer. Bruno a teenager who is a novitiate accompanies the investigating monk. Bruno adds some humorous dialog. He seems very concerned about saving his soul and resist many request of his patron who he calls master.

Will not include any spoilers here. But will say even though there are a small number of puzzles there is a stinker of a slider puzzle included. It is a sixteen tile puzzle where you have to reconstruct a monochrome ill defined painting. Good luck and be aware Mag has a step by step solution in her walk through. you may need it.

One of the most enjoyable things found is this game is a well done explanation at the end of the game. The summary is complete for a refreshing change. No secrets or cliffhangers or loopholes. Though you may guess early on who the bad guy is there are a number of possibles that can keep you guessing. The game's length is moderate, not too short. The story is well done and will keep you interested.

As I said earlier conversations can be long off putting for some. But to be fair how else do you conduct an investigation but through tedious questing of witnesses and suspects. The saving thing here is the responses are not typical. you have monks who are hostile, suspect, superstitious and fearful. This is an era where religion trumped magic. The people who clung to religion denied magic but still feared magic existed. One very interesting character was senile often contradicting himself raising the question is he a suspect or simply on the verge of dementia. Either way his responses were fun to listen to.

This game is one that focuses on a venue rarely if at all touched upon by game designers. That alone begs a curious look see. The fact that it is so well done suggest giving it a play.

Thanks oldmariner -- I like a game with a good story and a satisfying ending -- it sounds as though this one has both!

Thanks for the review oldmariner...
I think i'm going to like this game

This game looks great, and I'm considering it. Thanks!

Oldmariner

It sounds like a game I need to investigate

Thanks Oldmariner I don't know if I would like playing a cartoon version game but it sounds interesting, I might have to give it a try .

Don't let the cartoon version effect your decision. Quite frankly I had forgotten it was cartoon. The drawings are pretty straight forward and the cartoon factor is easily overlooked.

Thanks, Oldmariner

I really appreciate this nice review as the game is still not opened or loaded as of yet...But now I am so Happy To Say I can't wait to play

Hi oldmariner

Another pertinent and interesting review !!

Thank you

Cheers.

Mad

This is a game I have been on the fence about, but thanks to your review oldmariner I'll get it after all.

Thank you for an interesting review oldmariner!

I agree with Your review Oldmariner.
This was a fun game.

Well written story that does not leave you guessing the ending, logical puzzles, great voices, great music, beautiful graphics.


I was sorry to see the game end. I think Bruno is adorable, Does anyone know where I can trade my son in for an obedient son like Bruno?

Don't look at me. I have two wonderful sons, but I don't think I'd describe either of them as obedient, exactly. Well, they're obedient when it makes sense to them, and ignore me the rest of the time.

I want to adopt Bruno, he is so adorable. Becky, I hope you will get to play Murder in the Abbey.

I'm looking forward to it.

If you were beaten and mentally abused like the poor child you'd be obedient! I know it was a cartoon but I was a bit shocked to see the kid get a slap round the face by a man of God. I should probably lighten up! PS Is the inability to do sliders a female thing? They flummox me completely.

Thanks Old Mariner for a very nice review! I just bought this game and it's sitting on my desk as we speak, just waiting for me to install it. I was torn between it, Drac 3, and Outcry, but after reading your review I think I'll give the Abbey a try first. I love stuff about this time in history and I don't mind long dialogues; they make me feel like I'm really "in" the game and I think they give games more depth as well.

Anyway, thanks again for your thumbs up--I'm off to give this a try.

Cat

Thanks for the comments guys. It was a fun game to play with a setting not very often used in Adventure games.

cris53, Interesting comment about the slapping, it sort of took me by surprise as well. But for that era terrorizing kids was rather common and a socially acceptable thing to do. Though shocking it was rather realistic for the time place. I'm surprised the kid gave him an attitude later on in the game. I doubt that would of happened. You have to remember is was not all that long ago there was no such thing as child abuse in this country. I think it was not until the late fifties they extended the animal cruelty laws. Kids were regarded as property. It was the spca that pushed to get laws to protect children. Not positive on the decade, think 50's but it may have been later.