The moon and back!
Taking its inspiration from Jules Verne's classic novels, From the Earth to the Moon and Around the Moon, this is a pretty corking slice of point-and-click adventure, in the style of Myst and so on, that scores a lot of points for its wonderful atmosphere. The game finds you in the role of Michael Ardan, an early astronaut who finds himself alone on the moon with his two compatriots mysteriously deceased. As he begins to explore, he uncovers the reasons for their deaths and eventually manages to venture out onto the surface where he discovers wonderful things, including an undiscovered civilization. The question is, will Michael survive to bring his discoveries back to Earth? The game itself is a nicely traditional point-and-click romp where you explore various locations while allowing the storyline to unfold and also solving numerous puzzles. Alongside the expected inventory types, you'll also find puzzles based on music and sound, including the learning of the alien language. It's perhaps this variety of puzzles which is at the core of the game's appeal as they are certainly more interesting and unusual than many of the genre while also being logical and challenging to solve. There's also much to enjoy in the game's design work which features some impressive renderings of quaint Verne-style space travel alongside the enchanting lunar landscapes and alien dwellings. Some of the puzzles are perhaps a little less than intuitive but apart from this Journey to the Moon is an original and enjoyable adventure.
