Windows

Adventure at the Chateau d'Or

Feel like saving a princess, but not quite up to jousts, sword-fighting lessons, and the plague? Have you always been more of the "pen is mightier than the sword" type? Well look no further! The quiet halls of the adventure genre, the grand sire of computer games, are vibrant with the sounds of the new work of KarmaLabs.com: The Adventure at the Chateau d'Or.

Overall, Adventure at the Chateau d'Or is light and relaxing. Only one puzzle is timed, and for the rest of the game you can work at your own pace. The problem is that Chateau d'Or is also incredibly short, with only about ten puzzles to solve and a handful of trivia questions to answer, and I'd guess that it'll take people no more than ten hours (if that much) to finish. If the game were budget priced, I could cut it some slack, but it's selling for $40, which is about the same price as Myst 3 and twice the price of most DreamCatcher adventures, all of which are better quality. And so Chateau d'Or is just not a game I can recommend, even for adventure enthusiasts.

Adventure at the Chateau d'Or is classic adventure game that places you in a role to help a modern-day French princess solve the mysteries behind her new inheritance.On your journey you will explore a magnificent palace, search for hidden treasure and find and wield magic artifacts. You must match wits with the spirit of her uncle, the Duke and you will gather clues from anecdotal tales of the heroes and places that make the incredible city of Paris what it is today. The game features three progressively difficult challenges (easy, medium, hard), photo-realistic 3D graphics, dozens of enigmatic questions about Paris, France, and an original music score.

Il gioco è davvero troppo breve, difettoso e salvo se non si ha di meglio, a mio avviso non vale la pena di perderci tempo.

Adventure at the Chateau d'Or starts out looking like a very decent first effort from a new small company, but by the end it does not live up to expectations. The release definitely comes off as "adventure-light," with only one location, two main characters, three principal challenges and short gameplay. If you want to use this as a training tool for really sophisticated adventures of this type, then by all means do so; but know that there is a more depth to this genre than what is represented here.

Adventure at the Chateau d'Or offers a quite fascinating game world to explore, plus an educational component on the history and architecture of France. Unfortunately the game itself is too short to be truly satisfying and it has some flaws that might spoil your experience. It certainly had potential but this is not fully realised as the story doesn't develop and there doesn't seem to be enough to do.

Adventure at the Chateau d'Or is the freshman game from KarmaLabs, a company based in New York. The game itself is very short, and it took me just one evening to finish. Definitely in competition with The Forgotten and Isis for the shortest game ever.

Adventure at the Chateau d'Or has the potential to be not only a great adventure game, but an outstanding edutainment title, as well. A good part of the game focuses on the history of Paris, and of France in general.