Ah, the point and click adventure game, how we miss you. The genre that gave us Monkey Island, Beneath a Steel Sky and numerous sleepless nights back in the early 90s has long since faded into obscurity. Seemingly destined to languish in low budget Myst-inspired hell, point and click adventures were a doing a good impression of being dead. Until now. Simon the Sorcerer 4 (did I miss 3?) is getting a "worldwide" PC release next year.
Essentially a British take on the US dominated genre, Simon The Sorcerer was an occasionally humorous - in a Pratchett/Python style - and regularly frustrating adventure. But in my nostalgia-addled mind's eye I can only remember the good stuff. So the release of Simon 4 is worthy of attention, if only because of the potential of the genre. The Wii has shown publishers the huge gaming market beyond the 16-30 male core, and what better way to reach this audience on a PC than with a point and clicker? After all, you don't need a high-end PC or reflexes to play. Patience and puzzle solving skills are all that's required, plus the ability to envisage that a parrot and a pipe cleaner may help you unlock a cave door.
Could Simon The Sorcerer 4 herald a new age of point and click games are I am being far too optimistic? Oh, and go on then - top three point and click games? Monkey Island 2, Monkey Island 1 and Indiana Jones Fate of Atlantis for me.
