Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

If there is one game that had me fascinated from beginning to the end, if there is one game that had me in dispair for finding the solution, if there is one game that reminds me of part of my life, this must be it. The storyline, the settings, the characters, the action set-pieces and the enigmas made me sometimes jump in my chair, and crave for a motion picture adapted from the game. The storyline is one of the most fascinating in years, and feels like it's the best movie never put on film. If you never played this one, you should, even now, it's one of the reasons why sometimes it feels good to have a functional 386 computer with only a diskette drive and a pc speaker with that unique kind of music. Any spectrum cult-follower knows what I mean. Mythical game, and the most addictive thing to ever grace the VGA screens ever.

This was one of those revolutionary PC games that pretty much defined the future of gaming. It's an interactive puzzle game where you travel around the globe as Indiana Jones sorting together clues to advance onto other areas.

It is crafted similar to "Police Quest: Open Season" - you can choose whom to talk to, what clues to take with you, where to use the items, etc. It's very interactive and was one of the first of its kind.

I used to play it on my friend's computer all the time. Now it's really outdated and hard to find but I think if George Lucas and Stevey Boy were smart they'd throw away that turd of a script they've got going for "Indy 4" right now and use this video game plot as a spin-off. The concept of Atlantis is far more intriguing than some "Sword of Fire" or whatever they've got going now.

I was in kindergarten when Lucas Arts' "Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis" was popular on the computer game circuit. There still, to this day, hasn't been a game to capture the imagination quite like this. The brilliant intellectual adventure is complimented by unforgettable visuals, inventive, innovative ideas and great humor.

Few games have been able to combine so many good elements so adroitly. Hand to hand combat, car chases, challenging puzzles, submarine and hot air baloon operation and communication all were mixed into one ultimate game. The "Fate of Atlantis" captures the romance and wonder of the film series as well, making it a marvel for film buffs.

The story begins in the attic of the college Indy teaches at. From here, we learn of the mythology of Atlantis from Plato's diaries. With the help of an old flame named Sophia, Indy travels through many wonderful locations like Iceland, Turkey and Monte Carlo in search of the sacred underwater city of Atlantis. An evil Nazi general named Kerner and his men get in the way, making it a huge, magical, terrific journey.

This is one of those games I will always wait for something to come close to par with it. Like "Contra" or "Star Wars" for Nintendo, nothing will ever come close!

It has been almost 25 years since LucasArts released this little gem of an game, and I am sure to be among many gamers to have placed it on top of their list of all-time favorite computer games. Games based on movies are by no means a guaranteed success (more often than not they were mediocre at best), so it is always thrilling to be able to play a game set in a beloved fictional universe that turns out to be such a genuine masterpiece. It may even have set a standard, because there has been a steady increase in quality for most tie-in games since then.

The main element responsible for this is the decent story and elaborate scripting. Many license games and a lot of Indiana Jones games made the mistake of creating a simple succession of highlights; either the game becomes a glorified shooting gallery or beat 'm up with only the scenery changing per level, or the 'challenge' is to walk from object to object or from one end to the other as a flimsy excuse to glue the cut-scenes together which tell the story. Atlantis suffers from none of these pitfalls; the creators approached it as an interactive adventure where the player is responsible for most of the actions along every step of the way. Best example is the interactive prologue, whereby we get reintroduced to Indiana Jones as our tough, resourceful yet clumsy and fallible hero. After finally finding the object he needs, we've already been acquainted with the controls and gotten to know one of the important locations in the game. It is the kick-off to an adventure that will lead once again to Indy finding out the truth about one of the most influential legends of mankind, and it is great fun to be able to do it yourself.

The story of Fate of Atlantis is not simply presented to us, we have to find it ourselves by interacting with characters, identifying clues and locating important items. The puzzles and challenges make all the traveling and changes of scenery part feel very natural instead of obligatory scripting of events. Some of the puzzles are pretty hard and it wasn't uncommon for me to wander around aimlessly before finding a solution, but sometimes stumbling onto these is all part of the natural process.

Another great part of the script is in the story branching. This is definitely one of the games with the highest replay value. It took me some time to find out that there are three different story lines, but this only made me more adamant to play all three of them. All three stories are full of the action, adventure and humor that the film series is so famous for, so that really adds to the experience of being in an Indiana Jones movie.

To think that this game is still so enjoyable after all those years and in spite of all the technical limitations is perhaps the best proof of its enduring quality.

OK, perhaps you don't believe it. You MUST play this game in order to know how good a storyline can be and how great puzzles can be designed. But the main great point in the game is the character and his whip, his relationship with a woman, Sophia, and the incredible ending. Get it! Now it's much cheaper!