| Review: | As the psychiatrist Mikalina Efros, you are entrusted with the search for your
patient, Samuel Gregors, who disappeared along with a set of secret plans.
In addition to an interesting gimmick, the game features a rather
well-developed setting (it seems the author had got a pretty clear picture of
the game world in his mind when he was working on it), and some nice bits of
characterization in descriptions. Unfortunately, the work haven't been
completed properly; while the story requires a lot interaction with NPCs, the
latter aren't always adequate (for instance, there's a teller who, according
to the game, is inanimate). Also, "The Case of Samuel Gregors" is a pretty
good illustration for the fact that a sloppily implemented menu-based
conversation system isn't any better than a shoddily implemented traditional
"ask about/tell about" system. You might find some of the puzzles a bit
obscure, especially in the beginning phase of the game; later on, the
gameplay becomes more directed - to a no small degree because of the gimmick
mentioned above. All in all, this work isn't flawless, and it's probably not
to everyone's taste, either; still, you should give it a try - it has certain
charm, and there is a reasonable chance you're going to like it.
Rating: ***
Reviewed by Valentine Kopteltsev (26 Dec 2003)
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