The Blackstone Chronicles Could Be Much Better

The Blackstone Chronicles appealed to me because I enjoy games that make the player think. The cover was intriguing: A terrified man looking out a window. I read the back and found out that it was a game where you have to use your intelligence rather than skill at shooting things.

The plot of the game is kinda cool, but I think it has been done before. You are Oliver Metcalf. The evil spirit of your deceased father, Malcolm Metcalf, has kidnapped your son to train him to become an evil psychiatrist. (Your father ran a mental institution and tortured his patients. Think House on Haunted Hill.) You have to work your way through his deserted mental institution with the help of some friendly ghosts of deranged patients and staff to rescue your son.

Without any instructions.

Yes, everything is done by trial and error. You need to be relatively smart to tackle this game, as it really makes you think. When you encounter a ghost, they will tell you something very important. You must listen to everything they say. You never know when it will come in handy. My husband and I kept a sheet of paper next to the computer and took notes on everything that we were told.

In order to get more information and help from these ghosts, you need to help them locate their prized possessions. For example, one woman is looking for her lighter. You must find her lighter and bring it back to her. Of course, your father doesn't want you to succeed, so you end up having to solve one of his puzzles when you find a specific item. If you don't solve the puzzle, you will die. But, you will have everything you need to solve the puzzle once a puzzle starts. Trust me, you're probably going to die a few times. Just remember to save your game every now and then.

The graphics are okay. Nothing huge, especially compared to today's standards. And the music is average, too. But, the storyline is quite good. You will get pulled into the game because it is so eerie and creepy. Last night, as we were finishing the game, I leaned in to get a better look at the screen. My husband, the wonderful guy he is, shouted "BOO!" and scared the crap out of me. I nearly wet myself as he cackled at my fright.

It runs rather quickly on WindowsXP as well as WIndows98. When you buy the CD Rom game, you receive a high resolution and a low resolution CD. You use the one with the low res game to install, then can put in the high res game to play. It's nice to have that choice.

The Blackstone Chronicles lasted us two days, playing about 4 hours each day. It took an hour or two to get it figured out, and the game moved a lot faster once we did figure it out. It's a good game for ages 13 and over, but realize that you will only be able to play it once.