First of all, apologies to you all for not reviewing a recent game but since we are now dawning on the 10th anniversary of this point n click classic I thought it would be a pertinent time to give it the props it deserves.
BS is the brain child of British company Revolution, makers of moderately successful but highly acclaimed point and click efforts such as the real time fantasy "Lure Of The Temptress" and bleak futuristic "Beneath a Steel Sky". Both of these games showcased Revolution's penchant for cerebral and absorbing plots, mind bending puzzles and engaging characters. It is these very traits which make BS an enduring classic and resonate throughout the game and its 2 sequels.

The plot of this first game is too elaborate to sum up in a few sentences as it takes numerous twists and turns. The basic premise is that an unwitting American tourist in Paris finds himself in the midst of a bizarre terrorist bombing. Shaken, bruised and damned annoyed he resolves to find out the truth behind this attack against the better judgement of the local police. Thus does he stumble into an intriguing mystery in the middle of a war between two ancient brotherhoods which has raged for centuries. Those who like their games with a cerebral and historic twist will fall in love with the plot. Also fans of dan brown (particularly books like Angels & Demons or The Da Vinci Code) will enjoy the fusion of history and fiction.

We play the game as George Stobart, an American Law graduate who is taking time out to tour Europe. Being just an average guy George should be the antithesis of an engaging video game hero. He can't run at sonic speeds, he doesn't double his size by consuming giant mushrooms, hell! He doesn't even have a big gun! Nevertheless the lovingly animated, hand drawn look of the character and the superb voice acting of Rolf Saxon (as well as the wonderfully dry sense of humour) really bring George to life and create in my opinion one of the greatest video game protagonists ever.

This brings me to another point. For 1996 a period when voice acting in games was categorically crap (see resident Evil) the voice acting really is top notch and lends charm and credibility to the characters.

The mise en scene of the game has a hand drawn feel remeniscent of early Disney films with real care and attention given to the animation. The backrounds and settings are breathtakingly beautiful and all of the locations are relatively true to their real life counterparts (Paris is particularly charming) if somewhat blinkered.

The gameplay has the pace you'd expect from a point n click outing with plenty of quirky characters to talk to you're unlikely to be bored. Puzzles are sometimes taxing and often require a quick mind since failure to act in time could lead to certain death in some puzzles.
Essentially those who eschew the adventure genre for button mashing and flashing lights may lose interest here.

In summary this first Broken Sword game is a triumph of excellent characterisation, charming animation and visuals, brilliant and well researched plot and tremendous atmospheric gameplay.

400 Viz.