The first time I heard of Phantasmagoria was when I bought the Roberta Williams Anthology, which included the first chapter of the game as a bonus demo. Curious to know what game Roberta had in store, I started playing it -- and was utterly amazed! Roberta has outdone herself with Phantasmagoria! The great author of the King's Quest game series has put together all the classic elements of horror movies, thus creating one of the best computer games I have ever seen: a haunted house ... suspense ... young woman struggling for her life ... dark secrets from the past ... murder visions ... love ... hatred ... passion ... possessed illusionist ... thrill ... black sorcery ... hideous demons ... nightmares ... necromancy ... horror! All these, and much, much more, combined into this marvellous game, so if you are a fan of horror movies like Nightmare on Elm Street, Alien, and Predator, then this is definitely the game for you!

The game is the most technically advanced of all Roberta's games: the characters are played by real actors, the 3-D graphics, the resolution and the animation are highly realistic and accurate (even to the most minute details!), making the game more than just another computer program -- very close to a real movie. Furthermore, the characters are combined in the drawn backgrounds so naturally -- notice the shades -- which considerably strengthens the realistic atmosphere of the game. To give the player the finest cinematic view of the game, the camera allows the characters to be watched from all angles. This is the reason the first chapter was included to the Roberta Williams Anthology: to show the players the technological advance of Roberta's games since Mystery House.

The icon bar is simple, similar to King's Quest 7. Move the icon until it turns red (in order to take or activate something) or until it turns into an arrow (to leave the screen). Some players may find it less challenging than the regular multiple icon bar, but I think it is better this way. Roberta did that because she wanted the players to focus on the game and storyline in Phantasmagoria and not on the cursor interface. She did not want the cursor to interfere and distract from the game, so she simplified it into an all-in-one pointer.

When you take an item, you may click it on the Hintkeeper to learn what it is or on the "Eyeball" to turn it around in 360 degrees and to alter it (if possible). You can have maximum of eight items in your inventory, but that is not a limit by any means! You just do not, in any point of the game, have more than eight items in possession at one time. Before starting to play, the player can choose (similar to King's Quest 7) which chapter to begin with, so it is not necessary to play from the beginning. However, I advise to play the full game from beginning to end. Otherwise, the player will miss essential clues or interesting movie sequences.

Some scenes in the game -- especially the murders -- are very gruesome or obscene, so they are not recommended to youngsters. Since the game menu includes censored version, the player can choose this if the game seems too horrifying or too explicit. There are many areas and rooms to explore in the mansion and its surroundings. Some areas are not accessible at the beginning, but as the game continues, a closed store is now open or the player can find something or someone to gain access. Therefore, it is vital to talk with everyone and to re-enter screens. For instance, the antique shop and the grocery are closed in the first chapter, but they are open in the next chapters. For some puzzles, there is usually more than one solution, so keep your mind open and try every action you can think of, and use every item you have in possession. The player can check his/her progress in the game menu. Certain actions will make the game progress, while other actions are not necessary -- but it is worth to try them.

At certain points in the game, when the player looks at a mirror or picks up an object, a vision from the past is seen. Do not worry if the screen becomes a little fuzzy: it supposed to be that way due to the limitations of the game's graphics engine. That was how computer games did "movie" scenes in 256-colors for the past few years. Personally, I find that it adds to the beauty of the game rather than limiting it because it makes the game atmosphere "unnatural" when those past visions appear, in contrast to the "natural" atmosphere.

I remember vividly three of the game scenes. The first one made me paralyzed with terror -- when Adrienne is sitting on the bed at Carno's room, unearthly hands suddenly emerge from the bed, grab her and try to pull her down. This was so unexpected and surprisingly terrifying, that I froze in fear for a moment. But soon I learned that it was the least frightening scene! So imagine for yourself how horrifying the other scenes are ... The second is when Adrienne sees a murder vision -- Carno killing Regina, his fourth wife, shoving pieces of raw steaks into her mouth ... that looks so real, I felt nausea at that moment (like Adrienne!). The final scene really touched my heart: broken-hearted, staggering, covered with blood and dirt, hair disheveled, her face stained with tears, Adrienne leaving the haunted house forever ... I felt very sorry for her, reluctant to do the terrible deed for saving her life.

What I really loved about the game is the acting. The actors play their part in a very convincing manner, giving you a feeling of realism (even for such an unnatural game plot). For instance, Steven Bailey plays the role of retarded Cyrus very realistically and genuinely, while Geoff Pryser plays the role of rude and lecherous Bob Thompkins (the real estate agent), and he does it very well. Though they are just game characters, Cyrus and Bob seem like real people -- Cyrus with his mental deficiencies and Bob with his bad manners. Most of all, Victoria Morsell plays Adrienne beautifully, making her so real: the gestures, the expressions, the talking, the feelings. I found myself, perhaps unconsciously, identifying with her character, feeling what she feels: happiness, fear, curiosity, despair, humor, remorse, nausea, sorrow, anger, pain ... I would give Victoria an "A" for her role!

The game was designed to 256-color mode, so if your computer is set to 16-bit color or more, you'd better adjust it to 256-colors, otherwise the game will go slow and the screen may become very unclear. The puzzles in the game are difficult, but not too difficult. However, they are a little bit tougher than King's Quest games, but all can be solved if you think with open mind, use all the items you have in possession, search the areas carefully, re-enter screens that you searched earlier, and talk with everyone. Some puzzles can be solved in more than one way; some can be solved only when you talk with someone who has the necessary item or the skills; some cannot be solved right away, so you must wait till you progress to the next chapter. What makes the game more challenging is that similar puzzles cannot always be solved in the same way. For instance: there are three locked doors in the house, and each requires an entirely different approach. If you are stuck, the Hintkeeper can advise you, though it would be best to use it only if you tried everything.

The only drawback of the game is the game saving and restoring method, which is similar to King's Quest 7. Instead of option of saving many games at various points in the game, there is only one "bookmark," which you can move to your present location, thus saving the game so far to this point. However, once you save, you cannot go to earlier point in the game. It was very convenient for King's Quest 7 because almost any action you do there moves the plot further and the player does not miss anything. The problem in Phantasmagoria is that after moving the bookmark to your present location, if you find out later that you could do certain action, like seeing interesting vision (for example, the vision in the gazebo) -- though not essential to the progress of the game -- you will not be able to go back. This is a disadvantage of the game which some players may find annoying. However, the game makes sure you will not be stuck just because you missed something. There are alternatives for necessary items. For instance, if you reached the seventh chapter, but you did not obtained the crucifix in the previous chapters, you can find another holy item in the house.

This method of saving games was fine for King's Quest 7 because if you die, you can immediately restore to the point before making the fatal mistake without bothering to save the game on and on. Therefore, it is very helpful for players who do not save their game often, but this method is not very necessary for Phantasmagoria. The reason is because Adrienne cannot die in most of the game. It is good only in the seventh chapter when the chase begins. If Adrienne gets killed (this is the only chapter when she may die), the game is restored to the point where the player can make different choice. Note that there is more than one way to act in the dark room. Instead of grabbing the book immediately, Adrienne can run away from the room -- but not away from the house -- thus making the chase much more thrilling and scary, through rooms and secret passages, with dead bodies lying in the way ... However, she must return to the dark room anyway to get the book, so I suggest that on your first game you take the book as soon as possible, and when you get more experienced with the game, try running away. The outcome is always the same, no matter what you do ...

I highly recommend Phantasmagoria to all Roberta Williams fans. So what you are waiting for? Purchase the game, install it, and pray it is only a nightmare ... (it is much worse!) By the way, judging from the Sierra message boards, many players would like to know whether there is a way to save Don. Well, most horror movies end with the demise of a character beloved by the hero/heroine, and Phantasmagoria is not any different. Just to remove any doubt, Roberta answers that question (page 104 of the Roberta Williams Anthology manual): "I am sorry, but that's part of the horror ..." I give it 6 out of 6 stars. -- Templeton