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The story of Jack the Ripper is one which is ripe for turning into video game material, so it's no surprise that it's been mined a number of times over the years. In this case, it's been turned into a Myst-style adventure which is a pretty good fit for such a tale, and indeed, this turns out to be a short but rather sweet little romp. This one takes some flights of fancy with the classic tale, updating Jack's foul deeds to thirteen years after the actual events and transplanting them to New York City. You play the part of a newspaper reporter, hot on the trail of the killer, so it's your job to investigate the crime scenes looking for clues, while speaking to witnesses and generally trying to piece it all together for the scoop of the century. The gameplay is familiar first-person adventure stuff, where you explore the numerous seedy locales while solving puzzles which will help you get one step closer to your prize. However, this one suffers from a lack of actual puzzles, which will put off some adventure fans, and it's this sense of non-interactivity which is the game's biggest fault. The focus is more on the narrative and dealing with your inventory and the occasional dialogue tree, rather than getting your brain active in the puzzle-solving department. If you don't mind this and are more interested in the narrative, then this makes for a fine choice. In this respect, the game is compelling and highly fascinating, with some well-written characters and a few twists and turns to keep you hooked. It's a handsome game too, so it's worth a look if you don't mind the lack of puzzles.
