Today’s games are a series of 7 point and click mystery adventures, Ben Jordan. These really are good games, but a little bit too much dialogue for me. There is an 8th game in the works, and is set to be released in 2009. Each game follows the main character named Ben Jordan all over the world to solve mysteries. What makes this series unique is that it takes cues from true-life legends. There is a slight plot that strings through each of the games. The following overviews are taken from Wikipedia.
In Search of the Skunk-Ape:
"Ben's first case begins with him speaking on the phone to his disappointed mother about his recent decision to become a paranormal investigator. He is just about to give up his dream when he receives a phone call from a park ranger in the Florida Everglades, who tells him that a sasquatch-like creature known as the Skunk-Ape is suspected of causing several disappearances and murders. Desperate for a case, Ben agrees to go to the Everglades and investigate."
The Lost Galleon of the Salton Sea:
"In Ben's second case, he is called out to Dunesberg, California, a small town in the middle of the desert. A woman named Annie Roberts tells Ben that her husband George has gone off searching for something known as the Lost Galleon, and has not returned after two weeks. Ben sets out to find out more about the Lost Galleon and George."
The Sorceress of Smailholm:
"Ben's third case sees him going to Smailholm, Scotland, to investigate the murder of two little girls. The people in the town suspect that it was the work of local witches, and have imprisoned a young woman named Mary Blaine, who is accused of consorting with a local suspected witch and was found at the scene of the crime.
This game marks a turning point in the series, as it introduces a rival investigator, Percival Quentin Jones, who challenges Ben every step of the way, as well as Mary Blaine, Ben's love interest. The game is different in that it features a branch in the story. Depending on whether or not the player performs a key action, the game will end differently."
Horror at Number 50:
"Back in London, Ben is at Percy Jones's office, when a man named Randolph Miggs comes in and tells Ben he is looking for him. He tells Ben the story of Number 50, Berkeley Square, a building with a haunted past which Miggs now owns and has converted into a rare bookshop. He says that there is a ghost known only as "The Horror" which has been dormant for as long as he can remember, but has recently begun making its presence known again. Ben agrees to investigate.
Upon arriving at Number 50, Ben discovers that he will not be investigating alone, as Miggs has called on four other paranormal investigators, including Simon Booth, an English ghost-hunter, Alice Wilkins, an American major in parapsychology, Otto Schneider, a mysterious German, and Madame Tilly Rosenquist, an over-the-top English medium."
Land of the Rising Dead:
"After the events of Number 50 in London, Ben Jordan goes home, only to begin having nightmares about Mary Blaine.
One morning he gets a phone call from his friends, Simon Booth and Alice Wilkins. Simon has heard of a series of murders in Osaka, Japan, labelled "The Ghost Murders" by the police. The group decide to go investigate."
Scourge of the Sea People:
"Ben, Alice, and Simon decide to go on vacation in Greece. Originally planning to stay in Athens, they find their way is blocked due to a student holiday, so they decide to go to a smaller village called Agia Anna, in Evia.
Once there, Ben investigates an underwater civilization of humanoid creatures, called Sea People. In order to go out to the sea to do work for this case, he gets the help of a fisherman who lives in a tiny house near the water. He also meets Professor Quincy Sanbourne, author of the Paranormal Investigator's Handbook and a professor at Oxford University. Sanbourne reveals that he has many friends in the Criminology department at Oxford, and has never heard of anyone named Percival Quentin Jones working there."
The Cardinal Sins:
"It is Christmas Eve. A priest called Thomas Ryan is murdered in Rome. Back home, Ben's family criticizes him for his 'career', leaving Ben angry. When a phone call from a prisoner, Alessandro Renzi comes, he decides to show his family what he can do. Along with Simon and Alice, he visits Rome. Alessandro Renzi denies having killed the priest, saying that he was possessed by a demon."
I honestly believe this to be a game that seriously should be given a chance by everyone. Land of the Rising Dead was actually featured in the UK PC Zone Magazine. All of the games are rather small with the exception of the last which is 74mb, still somewhat small though. I believe it took me all of 10 minutes to download and install all 7. Don’t be scared away by the voice-overs and graphics, the story is worth the play. I give the games 9/10 collectively. The link I have provided gives you the choice of selecting from each episode with a short synopsis and option to download each. I thought this would be easier than posting each individual link.
http://www.grundislavgames.com/benjordan/
If you like the games well enough, Francisco Grundislav Gonzalez asks that you donate a little for his time. A price I’m more than willing to pay.
Regards,
AH
