Previous Next

You come round with a head like an anvil being struck by a hammer. You have just a rucksack that somebody's been sick in and an insensible friend called Roger for company. Surely this can't be right?

'Fraid so. Crime Time is an adventure game, which was originally written in German, but translated into English. There's a "zany" sense of humour throughout. The character you play is unfortunately a bit of a dickhead, constantly coming out with phrases that, frankly, would be an embarrassment if you ever said them in real life. It does suffer in translation slightly. For instance, attempt to do something the game is not prepared for and it replies, "That would be of no sense." But you can always get the gist of what your ST's trying to tell you.

The game is mouse-driven throughout. Your actions are executed by clicking in a panel at the foot of the screen. This is pretty handy because it means that you can always see what your options are.

This is an adventure with a difference! The plot is more down to earth and realistic than prancing about pretending you're a pixie or whatever. Since the game is entirely mouse-driven means that you don't encounter problems with mistyping or not getting the context right.

Turn the music down - it'd be fine in a shoot-'em-up but Crime Time simply isn't the place. The graphics are, erm, different. Everything is depicted from lots of weird and wonderful angles giving the game a lot of atmosphere. Maybe adventures aren't just for anoraks after all...

1. Off-the-beaten-track from the standard adventure game format like The Pawn or Jewels Of Darkness. A bit weird, really.