Lighthouse: The Dark Being

The Good
I thought that this was an excellent game at it's time. From the very first scene in your house, the atmosphere got scary and really draws you in.(considering i was only 10 when i first played it :)) The interface is quite good, while you can pick up some objects (or use, move) them with ease. The graphics are excellent with great animation and detail. The locations and puzzles are exquisite. The plot is great as well. Many endings are fun as well.

The Bad
Some of the puzzles are incredibly hard and challenging (hours and hours of thinking). Limited amounts of objects to use.

The Bottom Line
If you like freaky movies and a bit of logic, this game is for your taste. A well done game from Sierra. (although many will need a walkthrough for this)

The Good
Long time since I played this; got here looking for a copy to play again. This is a very atmospheric and immersive game. I really don't remember anything about the safe puzzle that others gripe about, I do remember a lot of other brain-busters! I remember reading somewhere, at the time that this was being called the most difficult game ever (for the type.) I think I agree. I played this for weeks! Sierra actually released a patch that made some of the puzzles easier -- the only one I remember is an underground train where you have to go backward and forward and switch tracks, etc. The patch gave you a light to indicate where the switches were. Lots of memorable characters and puzzles -- the daVinci-esque mechanical man and his attack-hawk; Lyril, the adolescent cyborg girl; baby Amanda; the submarine; the ornithopter, etc. Beautiful scenery and good animation. Very dark and spooky. A game to be played late at night with the lights turned low!

The Bad
sigh The puzzles. Some of them were just ridiculously hard. I had already read of its already-legendary difficulty when I bought it. Poked around a bit, and thought I was doing OK -- that's when the opening title sequence started! Thought I was doing good and it hadn't even STARTED yet! Honestly, I cam looking for it again because I never finished it the first time. The end-game is assembling the several parts of a weapon to capture and imprison the Dark Being himself. I was trying to assemble it when I read the instructions, counted again, and discovered I still needed one piece -- in other words, I had to solve another puzzle. I started it, and just gave up -- you're in something like a magma-diving bathysphere I think, and the puzzle was something like lining up valves. Yeah, I just got fed up with it and never went back to it.

The Bottom Line
BUT NOW -- I'm setting up a Windows 98 computer to play a bunch of my favorite old games, and I'm hoping to get back to this, maybe even finish it this time! Anyway, bottom line -- if you ever liked the graphic adventure game, give this a try , if you can find it. Despite the difficulty, I would call this one of the best examples of the genre EVER. Well worth the challenge.

The Good
I agree with most, the music is superb.. the graphics were great especially the cut scenes! I loved the magical box for some reason! I thought it was extra special!

The Bad
The voices were ok.. for the baby, the creature... the girl in the life-support machine, and the way she twitched was cool (you gotta have a few twitches twitches to be what she' s been through, right???), but the NO voice was very impersonal for the writer whom you become.. didn't have inner thoughts, much less a voice! the professor's voice was nice, but when you finally see him toward the end of the game, he looks shockingly nothing like a inventor type... his voice did NOT fit his looks! I was looking for more of an Einstein, or Mark Twain look (looks like a pro-wrestler, or basketball player!), very disappointed in this character! then he just tells you to go home! where's the celebration-- the cake and ice cream!:(! after all you saved their lives!

The Bottom Line
Get one if you don't mind doing things over and over until you find a clue to a future, or past puzzle! and I'm sort of glad I have one in my collection! but I did purchase it at Savers for a whole dollar!:o! (saw one ad on the net for $16.95??), it took me 3 weeks to get through it, and I drastically needed help in 2 critical places, where little information is given! the newer version(s), and the down loading patches allow lighting up the cursor when over a critical place, but that's all I could tell any patches did for the game!