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Break out your trilby and knee-length raincoat and make sure you read this review out loud in the voice of Humphrey Bogart. If you don't, if won't be the same... so curl that lip!

Inshpired by Raymond Shandler's book, 'Farewell My Lovely' (and de flik of de shame name), Dead End's a 'tec shtory dat tries ta emulate de shtyle an atmoshphere evoked by Philip Marlowe'sh cashes.

After hangin' around in my offish all day, just for shome ponshy broad to deliver a cheque for shervices rendered, I wuz in a mood to shuit da weather: shtinkin'. I wuz just about to hed home t catch up on shome shuteye when dis Alverson guy comes in. He gives me de verbals about shome buddy o' hiz - Milesh Dunbar - dat wuz found face down in da Pacific an' he shuspects foul play. I wuz too tired an' angry to lishen, but da wad o' notesh he shtuffs in my hand purshuades me to take de case.

You can stop doing Humph now but only if you really want to. The only clue you're given to find Miles Dunbar's killers is a photograph handed to you by Alverson. Looking at it carefully should give you your next move.

When you get to the Dunbar residenee the Butler invites you in (as long as you remember your name) to meet Marcia Dunbar, Miles's wife. Sitting down (you're given the choice of on the sofa or coffee table (?)) you may now interrogate Marcia. The first thing you notice (if you don't, you shouldn't be playing this game) is that Marcia is an alcoholic; drinking whisky constantly.

Miles's office is next door and a quick PI peep through his particulars provides more clues.

Dead End is created using Incentive's GAC (Graphic Adventure Creator) and is the best utilisation of the program I've come across. Screen layout is neat, resembling an Infocom game, and the parser is extensive and friendly, although a little slow.

There are one or two oddities: you can't read the notepad in Miles's office, even though it is described as such, and no input other than destinations are accepted whilst in your car. But these are minuscule complaints and don't seriously detract from the game.

Sleuthing adventures are difficult to produce due to the amount of interaction required between characters to create any feeling of interrogation and investigation. Most smaller games fail miserably but Dead End makes a very good effort, even though it's still quite limited: you can never ask everything of characters that you want to.

A text-only adventure, Dead End comes in three parts and is a credit to Interactive Technology.