Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Tale of Orpheo's Curse

"A classic horror game that's worth trying...if you can find it."

Introduction: As many of you probably know, "Are You Afraid of the Dark" was a show that was once on Nickelodeon. It was basically about a group of kids who would meet at night to tell each other scary stories around a campfire. This show was quite good at being creepy, and so is the game. It may not be the scariest game ever, but it has a few moments...

Gameplay: 8.5/10- This game uses a classic point-and-click method of walking around. You use your mouse to go through doors, interact with objects, pick things up, etc. The gameplay of this game is to basically search around the Magic Theatre, finding objects and solving puzzles as you attempt to escape alive. There are a few enemies, but there is no combat in this game, and all your foes are taking care of by solving puzzles. While some people will find this fun, those who like more "action packed" games may find this method of gameplay a bit slow.

Story: 8/10- It turns out you are actually trying to gain admittance in the Midnight Society, which is the name of the group that gathers to tell these scary stories. In order to do it, you must tell a story that the members will like enough to vote you into the club.

The story you tell begins with our main characters, Terry and Alex, standing outside an old building called Orpheo's Palace. Orpheo was once a famous magician, but something happened that caused all of it to change. Terry believes in magic, but Alex doesn't. Terry drags Alex off to explore the old building. Alex doesn't think it's that great of an idea, but they go in anyway.

Yeah, I know, the plot is a bit cliche, but the reason I gave it a good score was because of the suspenseful and clever way the game slowly reveals what has happened in the past in Orpheo's Palace. Trust me, it's a worthwhile story.

Graphics: 9/10- This is an older game, but the graphics are still very well done.
The portraits of the characters are very realistic. The environments and settings are colorful and well-made. Overall, the graphics definitely don't disappoint.

Sound: 9/10- The sounds are also done well. The characters voices match the characters well in my opinion, the music is creepy, and fits the tone well. The various sounds you will hear throughout the game are also well done and add to the overall enjoyment of the game.

Replay: 3/10- The game falls flat here. There is only one TRUE ending, and several different game over endings. The only real reason I could see you wanting to replay this is if you really enjoy it, you want to try something different to see if anything new happens, or you want to see what happens if you get caught.....Other then those things, there is little replay value, seeing as how the game is quite linear.

Recommendation: If you can find this game, buy it. It's old, it's probably rare, and the only reason I have a copy is because it came bundled with my grandmother's computer when she got one. If you like point-and-click horror games, try and see if you can find it. It's worth trying out at least once.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/12/05