Voodoo Detective

And yes, the plot really is something - you'll even have the pleasure of leafing through a book of voodoo spells that can help you out in a pinch. The book (juju bag, anyone?) shows you how to concoct certain spells from items you pick up in your inventory, but while it's pretty entertaining (there's even a sneaky little entry for a "Skip" function in the Appendix), it still doesn't serve the purpose of an actual to-do list. I would've liked it if the game had some form of mission log where you can check your progress or see a list of tasks you need to do next, but there was nothing of the sort, which can leave you feeling quite lost if you're a bit of a scatterbrain.

Voodoo Detective

For instance, during the start of the game, I had to somehow snap my brother BIlly out of his trance to get him to talk to me. Right beside Billy was a bucket of water - which was the most obvious choice to do - so I picked it up and doused it over his head to no avail. The bucket was sitting on a chair, and underneath the chair was a metal glove. You would think a quick blow to the head from a metal glove would do the trick, but when you try to pick it up, the detective will tell you that you have to pick up the chair first.

38. Go back to Island Trader and ask about the chocolates. Buy the last box. Then look at the voodoo book of spells and find the recipe for Poisson Pass Out. You already have all you need. Just combine the fugo fish gland with your favorite treat, aka the chocolates.

Save the programmer, save the world! Help freelance detective Carter Montague by pointing & clicking (or rather pointing & dragging) to track down a missing developer and stop an evil corporation from holding the entire world hostage!

In Who is the Liar you are Wadson, the only and best detective in town!Use your detective nose to solve the troubles that happen at Madmily Mansion parties.Organize the testimonies of the residents, find the liar of each case and beat this crazy family in their fun minigames!

In this short point 'n' click adventure, you are Star Seeker - a WIZARD solving a WIZARD crime to not get put in WIZARD jail by the WIZ- I mean, PLAIN OLD cops. With a useless detective, countless red herrings, and unique dialogue for every evidence combination... will this case ever be cracked?

As well as the hand-drawn animation style, the voice acting really kicks it up a notch. The Voodoo Detective himself is a joy to listen to, even as he tells you off for trying the wrong solution over and over, and it gives the rest of the cast real character. If the title made you wince with the memory of clumsy depictions of the voodoo religion in popular, know that developer Short Sleeve Studio seems to have made an attempt to avoid the worst stereotypes. The game touches on ideas of colonialism and the evils of capitalism without bashing you in the brain stem with it, and voodoo is treated with respect rather than as something weird and hilarious.

Trying to figure out what to do can mean, though, that they will hear Voodoo Detective repeating the same comments in scenes. Kids can skip the dialogue line by line by hitting a button, but there will still be a pause. The way the main character speaks to his client can be problematic -- he sometimes uses demeaning nicknames, such as doll face, which are mildly offensive. He's not completely unlikable, though, and humor helps balance out some of the story's more serious themes, such as potential kidnapping and deception. While the voodoo aspect may initially seem questionable, the developers included a statement that mentions the game respectfully draws inspiration from voodoo traditions and culture, but isn't trying to portray an exact representation of the religion. With an intriguing storyline and top-notch graphics and sound effects -- Voodoo Detective's appeal is really no mystery.

We can have a whole debate about the most disliked Halloween candy, but Chris goes the extra mile of hate-researching his sugar nemesis: Necco Wafers. Get trapped in a mansion with Karen and the golden rules of detective murder mystery writing, and the origin behind "the butler did it." The story behind the first (and maybe only) photograph of a zombie and author Zora Neale Hurston's fascination with Haitian voodoo culture. And let's build a haunted house with science - amazing facts behind the most common spooky decor that's probably around you right now!

If onlym - that's my recurring response to this collection of mysteries. If only writers would let their teen-age detectives talk and act like they were 12 or 13 instead of 55. If only they'd drop the silly characters in favor of some plots to really test their readers' intelligence and perception. If only books for teens and pre-teens matched their counterparts for younger readers.

Equally lively is Constance Layman's The Great Pistachio Case (New York: Simon & Schuster. 139 pp. $2.50). Although the premise sounds silly - a hunt for a gang of pistachio-nut thieves - the humor is delightful. Granny Graham, owner of the J. G. Detective Mail-Order Agency, is a splendid foil for the formidable Mrs. Ophelia Phinney, and the kids she deputizes are just as outrageous. When several young ladies are pressed into front-line service on the town's losing football team, how they save the game of the year is matched only by the detective skills they display off the playing field. 041b061a72