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Adventure at the Chateau d'Or
 The first thing I noted as I loaded up this demo from Karma Labs was the fact that it didn't require the very latest PC nor a 3D card and that it was mouse controlled. It was a good start. The second thing I noticed, immediately after the introductory sequence, were the control settings. This game allows you to set the gameplay difficulty and knowledge requirement to three levels of challenge; easy, medium or hard.
Adventure at the Chateau d'Or is a first-person perspective game of exploration and puzzle solving in the style of Myst. And I must say it was fascinating to wander around the spacious grounds and rooms of the Chateau encountering locked doors that cried out to be opened and learning a little about the history of Paris along the way.
In the game a thoroughly modern Princess has come into her inheritance left by her uncle the Duke, however, she needs your help to find it as it is hidden somewhere within the Chateau. The Duke, it seems, was quite an eccentric and has left challenges for you that form the obstacles to your progress. His spirit may even help you with your quest provided you prove yourself worthy by answering his questions. The answers are based on information you gather during your explorations. The vital bits are stored in your database known as HIM (Hero's Information Manager) which is also your map, but you will still need to pay attention so that you can choose the correct response.
However, the problems set for you will only be solved by careful exploration and observation and a certain amount of trial and error. You will know when you are at a puzzle as the viewing area expands to full screen. Remember that the Duke was an eccentric so some of the devices may seem a little weird. You are able to collect certain items which may need to be used in particular locations. Your inventory, along with the game controls and HIM live beneath the game window and appear only when you move the cursor to the bottom portion of the screen or you can press the space bar to reveal them.
Navigation is simple and intuitive especially if you have played this type of game before. As well as talking to the spirit of the Duke, the Princess will catch up with you from time to time to check on your progress. However, Adventure at the Chateau d'Or is very much a game of solitary exploration featuring some quite stunning graphics, magical devices and maybe a dark secret or two. Based on what I have seen so far this game holds a lot of promise.
This quick peek of Adventure at the Chateau d'Or is based on the demo provided by Karma Labs.
Copyright © Gordon Aplin 2000.
All rights reserved.
System Requirements
Pentium CPU or faster, Windows 95/98/2000/NT, 16 bit color graphics display, Direct X compatible Sound board, 8x CD-ROM drive (the final version will support 2x CD ROM drives) QuickTime (QuickTime 4 installers included on CD)
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