A house of horrors
Although this triple pack of old school point-and-click adventures might seem to offer good value for money, all three games are unfortunately plagued with annoying issues that make them a far cry from the like of Monkey Island and Discworld. There is still some enjoyment to be had here by dedicated genre fans, but if you're new to this type of thing, look elsewhere. The first game is perhaps the best one here, and introduces players to Hugo and his girlfriend, who get themselves caught up in a rather unpleasant house of horrors and who must escape by completing several cunning puzzles and avoiding its bizarre inhabitants. The second game finds the hapless duo caught up in a murder mystery, when Uncle Horace is killed in his grand old mansion, while the third one sees them venturing into the South American jungle in search of the pool of life. All three titles follow much the same formula, being fairly typical point-and-click adventures, where you explore, grab items and solve numerous inventory-based puzzles. If you are a follower of the genre, there is some fun to be had here, with a mix of intriguing storylines and some strange characters and situations to enjoy. The puzzles are standard fetch and carry stuff, with a bit of challenge for old hands, while the visuals are undeniably dated but with a peculiar charm of their own. However, it's the weird annoyances, like Hugo's habit of 'ice skating', and other such things which get in the way of these games being anything more than curios for the hardcore only. Best avoided unless you number yourself amongst this group.
