Playing The Whispered World is like entering your favourite children's book (Terry Pratchett's one will do as well). I'm not talking just about the simple yet detailed graphic but also about the original story. The short introductory movie draws you into the tale of a sad clown aptly named Sadwick who is destined to destroy the world. Your role is to help out our atypical hero in the quest of changing his unfortunate destiny.



To make it even more enjoyable, Sadwick is not travelling alone but he brings along his animal friend (sorry, don't know how else to call it) Spot. You can easily switch between those two characters whenever you need which gives the game more variability and complexity. As the story progresses Spot gains special personas, like Fire Spot or Flat Spot, that will come really handy when dealing with certain tasks.

Those constant-action-requiring individuals among us will be pleased to know that there are loads of twists in the story. It goes from hilarious to scary, crazily imaginative and emotional. I would like to put an emphasis on the latter one as the ending really does take our breath away and leaves you speechless.

Although this game breaks some of the clichés when it comes to the story and laws of physics it still sticks to the basic features of an adventure game: compelling riddles, inventory rich on various things you can combine (MacGyver would go bananas), loads of dialogues and elaborated (and sometimes quite weird) characters. So it's a real brain-teaser if you don't want to be a quitter and use a walkthrough.

Now, the more technical stuff. Call me old-fashioned, but with all the games converting into 3D graphic it is nice to see that some developers still dare to venture into the 2D world with fairy-tale like artwork. Let's be honest, 3D doesn't work for every game out there. Take for example Broken Sword; I would really love to meet that guy who came up with the idea to make it in 3D and totally ruin the magic of the game sequels (not to mention the crappy controls and camera) and ask him what the hell was he smoking.

When it comes to controls, it's a cakewalk. Basically, if you have all 5 fingers and can play cards on your computer you possess all the skills necessary to play this game. Navigation is easier than stalking people on Facebook.

Overall, The Whispered World will satisfy the more demanding gamers out there. Plus, I'm sure you will be surprised and moved by the ending, no matter how you choose to end it.

System requirements: MS Windows XP (min. SP2) or MS Windows Vista, 2 GHz CPU, 1 GB RAM, 256 MB RAM GPU, DirectX Version 9.0c, DVD-Drive, Keyboard, Mouse

Related links: Buy this game (save $13).