10 years ago the point and click adventure was king. It was then what FPS games are now. I have many fond memories of time travelling tentacles or huge balls of string. However as technology grew, so did the point and click adventure, slowly it evolved from 2D to 3D and then into games that were more action-based than the slow progressive type of game they started as. The problem was that the slow style was part of the point and click game's charm. There was a certain appeal to knowing that you overcame each obstacle with brain power alone (or maybe a walkthrough).

Now though, the point and click is back in its original form. More and more are appearing and one such game is Midnight Nowhere. It's a traditional point and click game but with a more mature storyline than some may be used to. A glance at the box actually makes it look more Resident Evil or Silent Hill than Leisure Suit Larry or Monkey Island.

   

The game begins with you waking up inside a body bag. Crawling out you find yourself in the morgue with no memory of who you are or how you got there. The first thing that strikes you is the graphics; "Big and Chunky" is probably the best way to describe them, with your character taking up the best part of the screen in some locations. The graphics are also a little dark, which I suppose is in keeping with the game; however it can cause problems when you are trying to find a particular item.

You move the character by clicking where you want him to walk to - however moving from one location to another (even from one part of a room to another) is not seamless and instead is more flick-screen in style - it does slow down the game somewhat and does get frustrating, especially as one wrong click can send you moving when all you wanted to do was look at an item.

   

As you explore your initial environment the "adult" theme of the game soon makes itself apparent. Besides the badly mutilated bodies and spare parts (which are shown more convincingly on most TV shows these days), there are numerous sexual and drug references. Now I may sound a little sad for this and maybe I am getting old, but these really hit a raw nerve. The way your character comments on a dead female's chest or how he moans that a syringe does not carry the drug of his choice made the game seem more childish than mature. It's as if everything is said for titillation more than any other reason.

All of the above however is just window dressing around what should be the meat of an adventure game. The puzzles... To be honest they are a little hit and miss. Wanting to get to a fire axe that is behind broken glass? Then throw a microscope at it! Fair enough you might say, but why can't you smash it with many of the other items that can be seen but not interacted with? You then need to cut a piece of wire; to do this you need to use a piece of the broken glass even though there is a desk full of scalpels, scissors and medical gear! Whilst the puzzles are not exactly illogical they are a little inconsistent in their execution. As the game progresses so do the puzzles, and whilst never hitting the highs of those in more classic adventure games they are not too bad, and at least they're in keeping with the story of the game.

   

Midnight Nowhere should be applauded for at least attempting to revive a long dead genre. It has a rather decent story behind it and there are plenty of puzzles to solve and locations to explore. I just can't help but feel it could have been done so much better. The mature side of things is also a real let down - it's not handled at all well and although it's trying to be "adult" focused, it often comes across as rather juvenile.

Fans of the genre will probably be able to forgive these negatives though, and at least enjoy the puzzles.