Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

Going way back to my childhood for this one, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis was made in 1992. I remember playing this game with my Dad. Back then we didn't have any of those fancy “walkthroughs” when you got stuck on a puzzle. You just had to keep guessing, or go play something else. Actually, there was this newspaper that had a section for people stuck on computer games and you could write in with your particular problem and then they'd answer in the column. We never wrote in, but we cut out and collected all the problems people got stuck on, and whenever we got really stuck we'd dig through this box of newspaper clippings, hoping to find that particular problem already answered. It hardly ever worked, but once or twice it really helped us out. God, that must seem so archaic to you young kids.

Anyway, Fate of Atlantis is an “adventure game”, which has always seemed to me to be a bit of a misnomer. I mean, yes, it's got adventure, but most games do, and I wouldn't say that adventure is the defining feature of the genre that got labelled “adventure game”. They're basically a strange sort of puzzle game, really. You've got a list of actions in one corner and your inventory in another and you go around clicking on things for the most part. For example, you click “Use” then you click on the shovel in your inventory, then you click on the giant X on the ground, and that'll dig a hole. If you try to use your shovel on a person, you'll probably make some quip about not wanting to beat them over the head. The games were known for being very funny, and for having some really weird and convoluted solutions to their puzzles.

Lucasarts (as in Star Wars) made a bunch of these games, and probably made the best ones. This, in my opinion, is one of the best ones, too. But to be honest, I don't think I ever met anyone else who has played it. Other Lucasarts games like Monkey Island and Grim Fandango are really popular, but for some reason, despite having a big name attached, this one didn't get that same cult following. I'm not sure why.

In Fate of Atlantis, you're on the search for the lost city of Atlantis, racing Indy's favourite foes, the

Nazis. It ticks all the right boxes for a good Indiana Jones story, too. In my mind, it's more deserving of being canon than two of the movies. Also, unusually for an adventure game, there are multiple paths you can take, so you can basically play the game 3 times and have totally different puzzles.

In conclusion, it's good. If you like adventure games, you really should give it a go. If you've never played one, give this or Monkey Island a try. They really are entertaining, and cheap, too, since they're so very old, like me. 4.5/5 stars.