The Lowdown

This is an interactive version of The Count of Monte Cristo done as a 'point and click adventure' game, in the style of the old Monkey Island and other Lucasarts / Sierra games.

Some Observations

• You begin the game with Dantes in his cell. As the developer points out in his notes, it's a challenge to convert a book into a puzzle game, because a game requires regular choice and action for the main character to keep a player interested, whereas in a book this won't necessarily be the case. As a result, the game doesn't stick to the plot of the novel exactly, but introduces a lot of smaller puzzles and challenges for Dantes (although comparatively few of these involve looking for a specific object amongst a large number of other, similar objects)
• The game is part of a larger series: Enter the Story, which has the aim of converting classic stories to game format, primarily for educational purposes (other titles include Les Miserables and A Tale of Two Cities). In fact, if you download the whole lot you can switch between some of the stories throughout the game.
• These games are made using the Adventure Game Studio programme designed by Chris Jones. It's a piece of software that allows you to make this type of point and click adventure game using a relatively simple scripting language. There's a thriving community of amateur and professional game designers and you can download some really great games for free from the website.

The Verdict

If you're looking for a solid puzzle game then this probably isn't for you - although there are puzzles throughout, the main focus of the game is in giving you something interactive to do while telling the story rather than presenting you with a genuine lateral thinking challenge. Despite that, it's a really interesting take on the story and you can tell it's a labour of love, so there's definitely a charm to it.

Characters and Plot Elements