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The first real killer app game for CD-ROM drives remains a dark, creepy, and sometimes hilarious experience, even as its subject material may seem tame and its production values hokey in retrospect. You explore a mansion full of figurative and literal ghosts, and lots and lots of puzzles, most of which are classical brainteasers with macabre twists. A very helpful map shows you not only where you have yet to explore, but also which rooms still contain unsolved puzzles, and visiting the mansion's library will reveal increasingly specific hints to your most recently attempted puzzle. These features make it more casual-friendly than Myst, though be warned, a few puzzles are quite nasty! Much of the story is conveyed through FMV actors who are mostly incompetent, though Robert Hirschboeck as your host Stauf stands out as especially hammy and also menacing. Sound design is phenomenal and use of FMVs seamless, which is all the more impressive considering this was one of the first games to be designed from the ground up for multimedia systems. Was also a killer app for Phillip's ill-fated CD-i console.
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