Deja Vu: A Nightmare Comes True!!

The Good
In the 1980s, graphic adventure games were quite popular in the land of personal computers. Alas, they were much rarer in the land of home consoles. It was a treat to be able to play this type of game on the NES. This was especially the case when a popular, well designed, adventure game made the jump from disk to cartridge.

The game shows off the hardware capabilities of the NES in terms of graphics. Little was lost or censored in the transition. The story, puzzles and classic 1940s setting are all present in the NES edition.

The Bad
If you played the game on the computer, you will notice a few changes, which may have been ordered by the Big 'N before the game could be released. It is not a huge problem, but it is does remind the player how different the industry was when this game was published. Think of it as a ,slightly, tamer film noir adventure and not the sort of dark, gritty and adult world of more recent titles.

Most of the game's music and sound effects do their job, but don't break any new ground. You generally did not play these games to be blown away by the audio or visual style. You may lose interest in the music after awhile and well, the sound of a gunshot or a fist, was never easy to recreate on the NES.

It is the story that draws you into the game and pushes you to want to explore more of this world. It is the writing that makes you feel as if you gone back in time to the days of 1940s Hollywood detectives and pulp crime novels.

The Bottom Line
The transition from disk to cartridge has not made the game any less fun to play. The game manages to recreate an impressive storyline, complete with colorful characters, locations and puzzles. If you enjoy graphic adventure games and old fashion detective films, then this game will be a 8-bit video treat from start to finish.