"Easily one of the best adventure games ever since it was released."

American Mcgee's Alice is a masterpiece of a game. There, I said what had to be said. I know that statement is quite bold, but sometimes a game comes along that is unlike most others, which excels most other games, at least in the same genre.

Plot
After narrowingly surviving a fire that kills both her parents, Alice falls into a trance like state and is taken into a psychiatric hospital, helpless and lost. However, in her passive state, she fights an internal battle, having been drawn back into Wonderland which now has fallen into despair and darkness. Meeting up with her old friends, she has to fight her way to the evil queen and defeat the darkness that clouds her heart to survive and restore both herself, and wonderland to it's former glory.

Alice herself has turned into a dark haired, cynical girl, but still so charming that it's impossible not to like her. Retaining some of the classic Disney elements such as her dress, she still resembles the Alice most people remember. The characters all have some basic resemblance of their former selves, and while some previous friends have been turned into vicious foes, this works well within the game.

Gameplay
Alice is a 3rd person adventure/action game, combined with platform jumping. It is a strange combination once you see it, but it works perfectly. The control is actually quite tight, and it doesn't become frustrating or tedious, even in the most complex jumps or dangerous situations.

Each stage is built up around gradual progression, finding your way to a switch or another device which can unlock another part of the stage, while fighitng of the hordes of enemies that tries to stop you. However, it's fun to fight the enemies in Alice. Lots of varied weaponry allow for great experimentation, and the enemies drop health that allow you to keep the action going. Even the first weapon is still usable and often effective all the way until the end, a sign of great design that doesn't limit you to one single weapon, although it's easy to find favorite weapons. Freezing enemies into blocks of Ice, throwing knives, cards, tossing a flamesprouting dice, summoning a demon to fight for you, smacking them with a crocket mallet, the possibilities are endless and the fun is too.

The enemies are varied, as you take on everything from Ants, Cardsoldiers, Ladybugs, Chesspieces, Robots and many more interesting types. Many of the enemies require special tactics, often using certain weapons to take them down. It helps to prevent you from being stuck with one weapon, as not all of them are effective against everything. The bosses are all well designed and also require brains and not brawn to take down.

Graphics
While the game is showing it's age, it's still capable of looking great. When the game was released, it looked absolutely stunning. An upgraded Quake III engine ensures this game looks as smooth as Alice does, the environments looks really beautiful, and this is probably one of the best games to take use of Q3. You will have a hard time not liking the cat, the enemies, or Alice, as she runs around wacking at the enemies and saving Wonderland. It's especially hard to not like Alice as she does small tricks with her weaponry if you leave her idle for a bit. The map on the loading screen is nice, the level design is stunning with some of the most original and well designed levels in a game to date. One of the most original levels in the game, is a castle built with black and white bricks, and where everyone is a chesspiece and apart from Alice, everything else is in greytones, which makes it look incredible. There's also misty river levels, beaufiful decorated gardenmazes, clocktowers, icy caves and lots of other beautifully designed levels to enjoy. Sure, the game shows it's age, but the years have been kind.

Sound
The voiceacting in Alice is absolutely amazing. Alice herself has a dry, sarcastic but still vulnerable voice and attitude that makes her so lovable. The Chessire Cat is witty and amusing, and they become a pair that always brings out a smile. Alice's first line "You've grown quite mangy cat, but your grin's a comfort" starts of the chemistry between them and after that it's impossible to let go. But the exellent voiceacting doesn't only go for the two of them, but for the whole cast. The bosses sounds hilarious, and especially Alice's response to their threats. The music is both spooky, memorable and atmospheric, and even a bit freaky, but everytime, it is near perfect. The soundpart of the game is so good, you will enjoy listening to the soundtrack and the soundfiles for some time(which can easily be found within the game files for your enjoyment)

Conclusion
While 10 is a score that should be reserved for only the best games, Alice is one of them. Having everything you would want from an adventure game, including likable characters, fun and varied weapons, great looking graphics, fantastic voiceacting and music, unique looking levels and challenging bosses, without suffering from any flaws, makes the game a masterpiece.
Score: 10/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/05/02, Updated 07/24/06