I have played for about 90 minutes, and am just about to start my third hour of time within the game. Hopefully that makes sense :-) I played the demo nearly 5 years ago and rather interestingly, the game dropped me back into the point at which I left off. Not having much of a clue as to what had happened after all that time, I started again, which perhaps (at least according to the Steam discussion) avoided a puzzle bug. I can't say for sure, as everything to date has worked fine, but perhaps just start again anyway if you find yourself in that situation.

And in any event, the opening sequence and credits are worth a watch. They do a great job of setting the tone for anyone who has watched a bit of Hammer Horror in their time.

When your car ride concludes and you get to take control, it's point and click all the way. I hadn't remembered that it was node to node progression through the environment, but it works fine, especially as you have complete visual freedom at every node. The particular scene pivots around a fixed central point as you move the mouse about, and a little pointing finger will indicate where you can further move. Hotspots (which you can highlight with the Space bar) will enable you to explore a scene more deeply, and the particular icon generated will indicate what can occur at that spot.

When you first enter the asylum, take the time to converse with the receptionist. It will help settle you into the game mechanics. Two key elements are your journal (right mouse click) and your record book (Esc key). The former is an all-purpose repository of conversation topics, objectives and inventory items, whilst the latter collects documents, memories and transcripts of conversations. A pop-up icon will tell you something has been added to one or the other, and it's worth playing around in them (and turning all the pages in the record book) to best appreciate how they operate.

Much of what I have done is explore and rummage, gathering various items and documents and examining and then leaving behind others. I have solved a few out and out puzzles and some inventory ones as well. The most recent puzzle involving records (the vinyl kind) was rather good, the clues being gathered from across the game world.

Conversations are voiced, the soundtrack effectively minimalist and the visual world is lavish and detailed. It's a grim place, and it's been built accordingly. As I explore, the sights and sounds provide a just beneath the surface edginess. Character modelling is a bit wooden, but nothing off-putting.

Your notepad is how you engage in conversations. Pick one of the many entries with your pencil and have at it. You might even unearth a hint by asking certain people about stuff.

Clicking on the items tab in the notepad puts an inventory item in your hand, which is how you can use it, and scrolling with the mouse wheel will run through the items you possess. Tweak some settings and save at will, and the game just picks up where you left off.

I am looking forward to the rest.