Lighthouse: The Dark Being

"Fun, Scary, and Mysterious"

Any fan of the Myst series will certainly love this game. Anyone who's not a fan of the Myst series will probably still love this game, seeing as I played this before even knowing what Myst was.

First, the basics. Lighthouse is a 3D adventure/puzzle game in a first-person perspective. Your job is to move through the large environments solving puzzles to defeat evil.

Graphics: 9/10

The graphics are smooth and aesthetically pleasing. The backgrounds and character models are just plain gorgeous. Especially when you take into account the fact that this is a 1996 game, these can be considered incredible graphics.

Sound/Music: 9/10

This is one of the things that really sets this game aside. Because this isn't just a normal world with simple puzzles lying around, the programmers really tried to create the atmosphere of an eerie world through the sound. Boy, did they succeed. The sound effects are good, but nothing to really drop your jaw at. It's the music that gets you. It's well-timed and well-themed. When you're in a situation that makes you nervous, the music will reflect that. When you're in a calm, tranquil area the music reflects that too.

Story: 7/10

Here's the deal. You're a writer living on the coast for ''artistic inspiration.'' The only people you know in town are a doctor and his baby daughter, who live in a lighthouse very close to you. One dark and stromy night (of course) you see a bolt of lightning hit the lighthouse and a strange blue light begins emanating from the bulb. Worried, you drive over like any good neighbor to investigate. And you discover that the good doctor has made a portal to a parallel dimension and was kidnapped by an evil creature. Now you must go through the portal and save the doctor.

The storyline is good and it gets better as you go, but the whole thing is a little bit cliché. Stormy night, worried friends, saving the world. It's all been done.

Gameplay: 9/10

The movement couldn't be simpler. Your mouse cursor is an arrow that points in the direction you can move. Move it to the side of the screen and you can turn. The game is also strictly click-based so there's no worrying about confusing controls. The inventory is pretty simple to use as well. The things that will definitely cause problems are the puzzles. They are very challenging and some are downright ridiculous (e.g. a submarine challenge that's near impossible to do, even when you know how). But, if you're anything like me, you'll welcome the brain challenge.

Replay Value: 6/10

Lighthouse is the type of game that doesn't really offer anything new the second time around, but you'll probably end up doing it again, seeing as you'll know the puzzles and can beat it more quickly. Besides, the spooky feelings you get are hard to recreate in other games. Lighthouse is a truly unique gaming experience.

All in all, any PC gamer should at the very least try this game. Of course, you'll need to hear about it first. I'm working on that one. :)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/16/02, Updated 07/16/02