Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine

"An Adventure Worthy of Indiana Jones"

Change abounds in the post-World War II world. As the Cold War looms over America and the Soviet Union, famous archaeologist Dr. Henry ''Indiana'' Jones has decided to step down from the adventure business and follow the examples of other archaeologists. The science has changed while he's been adventuring... now broken pots and rusted swords are as valuable as golden idols. While Indy broods, an old acquaintance, Sophia Hapgood (of Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis fame) appears, now working for the paranormal division of the CIA. Apparently the Russian scientist Volodnikov has been poking around the ruins of Tower of Babel, seeking an ancient technology that will give the Soviet Union the edge in the Cold War, and the CIA wants Indy's help.

Gameplay: 7
The game is played from a third-person perspective from behind Dr. Jones, similiar to Tomb Raider. Indy is fairly slow to respond to commands, which makes combat and reflex-requiring puzzles difficult. Fortunately, this can be offset by a wide range of difficulty levels so that even the toughest Soviet guards fall to two or three bullets, as well as making Indy much more resistant to damage. This doesn't change the fact that Indy often needs to be in exactly the right spot to climb ladders, push switches, etc., but after playing for a while, I was able to learn the mechanics of the game engine and it wasn't much of a problem. The puzzles themselves usually make sense (even if the paths to reach the necessary materials don't).

Storyline: 9
Classic Indy. Racing to beat the bad guys to the ancient prize. Rescuing the damsel in distress. The plot goes completely for a loop at the end. George Lucas would be proud of the depiction of the archaeologist and the events surrounding him. Indy is the same somewhat-heroic, somewhat-greedy character we love, and the script is excellent. There are certainly some choice lines in the game. One of my favorites: when Indy recovers his revolver after losing it, he gloats, ''Ah, my trusted law firm: Smith & Wesson!'' My only complaint is that the manual presents a large amount of unnecessary spoilers such as when and where you locate machine parts.

Graphics & Sound: 7
The graphics have good and bad points. The characters look sharp, as do objects. It's easy to tell who's who and what they're carrying, if anything. Indy even takes off his fedora to swim, replacing it when he exits the water. Also, the cutscenes are seamlessly integrated into the gameplay (as they use the same graphics engine as the game), which is a definite plus. My only major graphics complaint is that while there are a few exceptions, the scenery looks very blocky in general. This is partly due to the antiquated Jedi Knight engine which it runs on. The sound, on the other hand, is excellent all around. One thing LucasArts never fails on is voice acting, and Infernal Machine is no exception. Regretfully, Harrison Ford does not play Indy, but Indy does have the same voice actor as for Fate of Atlantis, which is a nice consistency, especially considering the actor is a good substitute for the original. Other effects are good quality as well and sound authentic, and variations of John Williams' theme music are beautiful throughout.

Overall:
If you're looking for a more action-oriented Indiana Jones adventure, you can't go wrong with Infernal Machine. If you're hoping for a game similiar to Fate of Atlantis, you may or may not be disappointed. Either way, if you're a die-hard Indy fan, I recommend this latest adventure. The replay value is a little low, as besides the difficult level of the action, there isn't many major differences between run-throughs; there are no unique paths, like FoA. It's an enjoyable ride while it lasts, though, and certainly worthy of Indy's name.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/25/00, Updated 06/25/00