Review by Tim Wright

Name:         Realms of the Haunting
Publisher:    Gremlin Interactive
Format:       PC CD-ROM
Available:    Now

Requires:

O/S:          DOS 5+
Processor:    DX2/66
RAM:          8Mb+
Graphics:     VGA/SVGA
CD-Rom:       2x
Soundcard:    All major sound cards supported

Tested on:

O/S:          Dos 7.00
Processor:    Pentium 133
RAM:          16Mb
Graphics:     2Mb Matrox Mystique
CD-ROM:       Toshiba Quad Speed
Soundcard:    Soundblaster AWE 32
Controls:     Mouse + Keyboard

Realms of the Haunting

When was the last time you were scared by a game? Not in the `Sh*t! Shambler! Run!' sort of way, but in a `ohmygod ohmygod don`t make me go in there, it`s dark in there, and I really want to stay here thankyou please' sort of way? I bet you haven`t had a game do that to you since the mighty Ultima Underworld. Well, it`s about to happen again. This certainly looks like Gremlins most expensive and ambitious project to date. A lot of time, effort and money clearly went into producing what is probably the first entirely British FMV-soaked multi-CD epic ever. But was it money well spent? Muhahahahaaaaa!

Excuse me, did you say FMV?

Er, yes I did. Now before you run for the hills with images of Phantasmasnoria flashing before your eyes, let me just assure you that this is damned good quality FMV. Okay so the picture quality is a bit ropey at times and it tends to jerk badly in places, but it`s well acted, with very good special effects, bags of tension and lots of clues. It serves to reward you for a job well done and flesh out the plot. There`s 2 hours of the stuff, and none of it will bore the hell out of you. Which does make a change.

Is it used to disguise a lack of gameplay?

Two words: Not a chance. You can go for hours without seeing an FMV clip, so when the clips pop up they are more than welcome. Especially as they give you a chance to get your breath back.

You also mentioned it's a scary game?

It certainly is. Whilst games like Quake are about as scary as an episode of The Golden Girls (but not as funny), ROTH is a real pant-soiling exercise. The music is finely tuned to keep you on edge, there are all sorts of creepy sound effects (floorboards creaking, evil chuckles, disembodied voices). Also, when the monsters appear, they make such a loud noise that if you don't jump, you must be superglued to your seat.

You're just a soft ponce.

How many fingers am I holding up? Two? Well done.

Okay, what`s the plot?

You are Adam Randall (in the game, you twonk) and following the untimely death of your father, a well liked parish priest, you travel to the small Cornish village of Helston, to the house your father spoke of. Upon entering the creepy old house, the doors slam shut behind you and it`s up to you to find out what the hell is going on and to get out. It soon becomes apparent that the house is haunted, and much later you discover that there is far, far more to it than that. You team up with the obligatory female sidekick quite early on, and you`ll be pleased to hear that she doesn`t stand there, wave her arms around and scream a lot when a monster shows up. I won`t say any more because half of the enjoyment of the game is from the steadily unravelling plot.

How does it look?

Stunning. Although the 3D engine does still sport flat bitmaps which look a bit daft in places, but for the most part, the graphics are second-to-none and are of photo-realistic quality in places. Rarely have I been so won over by the visual splendour that I forget it`s just a game. Not content with that, each different location sports its own set of textures and has a unique look, so you never get bored of samey-looking locations.

Cool, but I bet it runs like a donkey.

Nope. Full screen 640x480 SVGA at full detail and it only slows down occasionally. With the full compliment of VESA modes, variable screen sizes and four levels of graphic detail, you should be able to get this running smoothly, no matter what. However, if you haven`t got at least 16 meg of RAM, I`d say things might get a little treacly for you. Because the game map is one continuous area (for the most part), data has to be loaded off disk on the fly. This means mucho hard-disk accessing, even on a 16 meg machine. A 24 meg machine or better would be ideal for the game really, and I`d imagine machines with only 8 meg will have their hard drives go on strike from overwork. A fast hard disk would help greatly here.

In addition, because the game map is so big and because the computer needs to read in data regularly, it helps to have all map data on the hard drive. On installation, you have the choice of 6, 91 and 102 meg install sizes. Pick 6Mb and next to no map data will be installed, making the game run s-l-o-w-l-y. 91 or 102 megs is preferable, if you want to remain sane.

What's it like, then?

Take Doom, add a dash of Zork Nemesis (which I still think was the most enjoyable game of '96), a sprinkling of any platform game you care to mention and paste generous amounts of Ultima Underworld over the top. Sound good to you? I thought it might. All the exploration of the house and it's environs is done in the aforementioned 3D engine. This allows for plenty of Doom-style shotgun wielding action (which ROTH carries off with much more impact than Doom, despite a lack of gore), along with a dash of character interaction and some *proper* puzzles. Not puzzles of the 'throw switch A and go to point B' variety, but REAL puzzles, with an inventory, objects that can be examined, manipulated (I'm a regular thesaurus, me), and combine to do the tasks required. There's no danger of getting lost, because the game is split up into 20 chapters, each of which almost comes with a signpost telling you where to go next. In truth, the game is quite linear, but you neither notice or care.

Did you mention platform games?

Er, yes I did. It may come as no surprise that the programmer of the games 3D engine, Tony Crowther, cut his teeth on platform games like Monty Mole on the C64 in 1984. It's just some moving platforms you need to jump from and to. Don't let it worry you.

Lack of gore?!

Settle down. Instead of plumping for a gorefest, the ROTH team went for atmosphere, tension and a creeping feeling of dread. It paid off and the game is more satisfying for it. How many games have you played that were loaded with gore, but were a load of crap or completely failed to scare you? ...Exactly!

Okay, then. Sum it up for me. Will I like this game?

Well, that depends on what you like. Do you like running around, blasting monsters heads off with a curiously-shaped gun? Do you like solving tricky puzzles? Do you like character interaction? Are you unafraid to run when the odds of survival are stacked against you? Do you like games where each place you visit is new and different? Do you enjoy being scared? Do you just enjoy damn good games? If the answer is yes, you should not walk to your local software store to buy this game, you should *run*. Not only is this one of the best first-person adventures I`ve played in ages, it`s the best game Gremlin have ever made. And you can`t say fairer than that, can you?

If, on the other hand, you believe all 3-D games should involve running around very similar-looking levels, blasting right-angled monsters and wondering when something exciting is going to happen, then may I point you towards a hugely overrated game called... (Snip! That`s it, you`re time is up -Ed.)

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Rating: 9/10 (Classic - Must Buy!)
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