Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller

The Good
Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller is a dark, point n' click graphic adventure game features the voice talents of Dennis Hopper, Grace Jones and Stephanie Seymour. It is fun to play, with some cool locations to explore, interesting items to locate and an odd (but engaging) cast of colorful -- even supernatural -- characters. Even the dystopian tale, while not too original, manages to keep you interested while taking some jabs at ultra right-wing politics, especially the religious right.

The Bad
The game's writing is a bit too cheesy and predictable. While it is certainly not for kids, its focus on profanity, graphic violence, blood and gore will probably seem cool to teenage boys. The 18+ crowd will probably find the content to be a bit restrained especially in terms of its politics and sexual themes. As dystopian, cyberpunk graphic adventure games go, this game comes off as a bit pretentious. Its politics are too superficial to appreciate and it is actually pretty restrained in dealing with sexuality, something that would probably be a big issue in a fascist, theocratic nation. The animation used for the full motion video sequences often repeat themselves and the early 1990s CGI has not aged well. Last, but not least, you will end up going through lots of dialogue before you really start getting into the more traditional elements of adventure gaming.

The Bottom Line
Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller is a good, early 1990's graphic adventure game, that could have been great. It is certainly not for children, but actual adults may find the game's "adult" content a bit too pretentious and restrained to take seriously. The game is something akin to watching a big budget B-minus science fiction film. It is pretty fun to play and sometimes some interesting ideas are sometimes, sort of raised, but it cannot be taken seriously or viewed as high art.

and the politics a bit too superficial.