Back when I bought my first PC, some of the most popular computer games were point and click graphic adventures. These were generally role playing games where you picked up objects, solved puzzles and constantly chose the wrong responses from a list when confronted by another character in the game. Prime examples of the genre included the ever hilarious Monkey Island games (which recently evolved a little with their interface in #4 but were the funniest games ever to hit the PC world) and the Broken Sword series which was often more serious but gained no less dedicated fans.

Such titles are few and far between these days. But there’s a wee Dundee company determined to bring back the magic of the point and click graphic adventure. Hiding Buffalo’s Gumshoe Online is a nostalgic trip not only for gamers but also for PI fans. Set in the fictional world of Wheaton City, a place where the thirties never ended and a fella can still make a living from dressing up in a trenchcoat and hunting down murderers and mobsters; the mis-en-scene of the game recreates the rain drenched streets of classic PI movies.

Control of the game is simplicity in itself. The genre isn’t called point and click for nothing. Interesting features include the notebook window where you store all your clues and notes (and can write your own should you so wish) as well as the noticeboard in your office where you get to assemble the clues in your case and finally work out what you believe to be the truth. Red herrings and misleading witnesses abound, so coming to the final conclusions often requires more than a modicum of brainwork. Along the way, as well as picking up objects and taking part in conversations, would be PIs engage in puzzle solving, lock picking, safe cracking and other sundry activities. If that sounds simple, then it is. The beauty is that there is no software to download. You can go online and start playing immediately. Of course, you have to pay per case but the price is minimal and the game itself is addictive once you work out what you’re doing. Adding to the appeal of the game itself is a lively online community where you can go for advice, support, competitions and all sorts of other fun. A private messaging system means that on the whole the boards aren’t filled with spoilers for cases and that you can chat easily one on one with other players. So while you can partake in Gumshoe as a solo activity, joining the community of Wheaton city becomes appealing in its own right. On top of all this, it’s an online game that even those of us without Broadband can play. Of course, on a dial up you may have to wait a while for it to load initially but once everything’s in place the game runs fairly smoothly and more so on lower graphics settings. There may also be problems with your browser that can cause certain elements of the game to stop working, but the tech help is efficient and most problems can be easily solved. Just don’t use your AOL 9.0 browser. Open Internet Explorer instead and run it from there.

The game itself is very charmingly designed. The graphics are simple yet effective, with smooth character animation. The design of Wheaton City itself brings a smile to the face. Wheaton City has a very solid feel, and one hopes that as the mysteries progress it will begin to become a character in itself. It’s clear that a lot of love went into the design and execution of the game, which, while simple, manages to pull in the casual gamer as well as those more dedicated problem solvers.

There are some minor problems: the gameplay style (and occasionally some of the graphics) can be repetitive and some of the lockpicking puzzles can be intensely frustrating if you don’t know what you’re doing (and sometimes even if you do know!). Certain puzzles can only be solved by sweeping your mouse across the screen in a vain hope it will pick up on something and this can lead to frustration and wasted nights’ sleep. Thankfully such flaws are rare and most of the time, with a bit of patience and applied brainpower you can work through a case and pick up the clues with relatively little frustration (although the difficulty curve means there is always a certain amount of challenge even for the experienced sleuth). In this day of involved game mechanics and gamers requiring the skills of Marvo the Memory Man just to make their character walk across the scheme, this simple approach feels like a blessed relief that allows you dive straight into the game.

The game is easy to pick up and play; once you’re on your way with a case you need see it through to its conclusion. The construction of the puzzles is logical and involving, and there’s a very satisfying sensation when you solve a case (even if it is just the tutorial!). The game is designed to engage your mind with plot and characters; exercising those little grey cells while you live out those old gumshoe fantasies. The little extras, like naming your agency and coming up with a motto serve to involve you more with your fictional agency, and it’s these that expand out into the larger community served by the forums. Once you get involved in the extras of Wheaton city, you might find yourself reluctant to leave.

Gumshoe Online is great fun; an adventure/puzzle given special appeal not only by its retro design (not just the gaming style, but the iconic imagery on display in game) but also by its lively community aspect. It’s pleasant, as well, to play a game that doesn’t rely solely on trigger-finger reactions. Gumshoe is a truly a game for everyone, the kind of thing adults can enjoy and yet won’t be feeling the need to power down every time little Johnny walks in the room! It is relatively affordable (paying per-case means you need only work through cases as and when you feel the need), which makes it appealing as a method of whiling away those online hours (when you know you should really be meeting those deadlines). You don’t need to download any software, which means you can access it any time, anywhere. That it is continually “in progress” is encouraging, meaning that even if you complete all the currently available cases new ones should soon be on the horizon to whet the appetite of would-be investigators. And if you ever find yourself stuck in a case, the community seems more than welcoming with more experienced players always welcoming to the newbies. With over 6,000 people already logged on, more cases on the way and a team who are determined to keep this project moving forward, you’re bound to find a reason to join the ever swelling population of crime-ridden Wheaton City.