dan-00498

I grew up on the great games published in the '80s and '90s by Sierra Entertainment like the Space Quest series, King's Quest, Police Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry. It's no surprise for me to learn that this game came from the same origins. This game combines the amazing story-telling of those adventure games with a first-person perspective, and adds thoughtful political/social studies education and philosophical elements that make this game a masterpiece. The graphics are crude, but the game uses the modern platforms' 3D processors to make everything move smoothly and keeps your mind focused on the action, not the presentation. I would wholeheartedly recommend this game to anyone old enough to enjoy a young adult novel, and wouldn't tell anyone they were too old for it, this is a timeless classic. The only reason I didn't give it 10 full stars is that it does feel a bit limited, in scope, detail, and freedom. There is a bit of a ride-on-rails element to the scripted narrative, but your actions do have consequences and no two play-throughs will be the same. This was a huge achievement, making a game that feels both timeless and very currrent for anyone in any country, but perhaps especially the US or Europe right now. Congratulations to the team who brought Road 96 to Fruition, and I'm so glad to see the spirit of the best choose-your-own-adventure games is still alive. It's so good I might give it a second or even third try, and will be telling people to check this one out. Bravo!