Creepy stuff
The Last Half of Darkness series is a pretty decent collection of horror-themed adventures that take the narrative style and themes of Victorian horror novels and marry them to text-and-graphics-style adventure as seen in the likes of later Zork games or Guild of Thieves. This is the VGA update to the original and whether you're a fan or a newcomer to the series, this is a pretty solid adventure that is well worth checking out, thanks to its mix of creepy atmosphere and intriguing puzzles. The setting here is a supremely spooky mansion nestled deep in the heart of Louisiana and which is replete with all the expected graveyards, crypts and swamps. The player takes control of the hapless relative of a now deceased voodoo witch but who, in order to claim his substantial inheritance, must complete her life's work of mixing potions and solve the mystery of her death on top. What this involves is exploring the mansion and its surroundings, searching for items with which to solve the various inventory-based puzzles and avoiding or defeating the various spirits and ghouls which inhabit the area. Last Half of Darkness is certainly not a classic of the genre but for fans of this type of game, it's certainly well worth a look. The visuals, even in this VGA version, aren't amazing, but do a reasonable job of conjuring up an appropriately spooky mood, with environments that are rendered in pleasing, if simple, fashion. The puzzles are largely satisfying and logical and exploration is enjoyable enough. The writing isn't stellar but on the whole this is a fun, horror-themed adventure that perhaps doesn't stand up as well as its reputation suggests.
