When last we met, our intrepid hero, As-Sayf, had just defeated the ghastly Ghouls of the desert and was taking a well-deserved rest at his encampment before continuing his quest to slay the false prophet Simon de Lancrois, and now his search, and our review, continue ...

The Secrets of Alamut is a sequel to The Legend of the Prophet and the Assassin, which itself is actually a sequel to Pilgrim--a game that has experienced a rejuvenation in sales since appearing in our "The Ten Best Games That (Almost) No One Has Ever Played" list. For more information on The Legend of the Prophet and the Assassin (LOPA), please read our previous review, but if you have not played LOPA, fret not, as The Secrets of Alamut plays extremely well as a stand-alone game. And if you are loath to order either of these games from overseas, it can now be told that Dreamcatcher will be releasing LOPA and Alamut as one complete game (with a new title) in North America. Either way you decide to purchase and play these games, though, prepare yourself for a journey of epic proportions.

Alamut is the concluding chapter in the saga of former Knight Templar As-Sayf's search for a prophet, Simon de Lancrois, whom As-Sayf believes has deluded thousands of his followers. As he begins his journey anew, he must overcome the obstacles presented by a murderer's row of traps in order to gain an audience with the Old Man of the Mountain, one of the few men believed to have information on Simon's whereabouts. His journeys will then lead him to an isolated monastery and an abandoned mine before he eventually comes face-to-face with the true meaning of Simon de Lancrois' charisma.

With Pilgrim, The Legend of the Prophet and the Assassin, and now The Secrets of Alamut, Paulo Coelho has authored what is easily the best-written series of adventure games ever published. They delve into issues of spirituality and ethics that have forever raised the standards in the adventure community, and anyone who plays them will not easily forget their charms. The Secrets of Alamut has succeeded in creating a game that makes you believe it exists outside the limitations of your monitor. Unlike the claustrophobic feel of LOPA, Alamut really is broad and sweeping. Its open vistas and the gorgeous animated cutscenes reinforce and magnify the lonely images of horse and rider galloping steadily through a misty heat. Once again, close-ups of key characters are upsetting in their clarity as every deficiency on faces sandblasted by time is highlighted to perfection. But, once again, the depiction of female characters leaves much to be desired. Their body structures and hair textures have been much improved since LOPA, but these are some fearsomely ugly women. And the Houries! These "women" are meant to be seductive, voluptuous creatures, but believe me, when As-Sayf had to kiss them on-screen, I ran and put a paper bag over my head.

To counterpoint the homeliness of the Houries, As-Sayf is a god of the desert, face brazened by the beating sun, head always held high. Here is a man who values virtue, duty, and honor above his own life. His deep, soulful voice could easily belong to Anthony Quinn or Peter O'Toole. In fact, the entire cast is superior to any game on the market, and special kudos must go to the journal narrator, who lends a witty vibrancy to the proceedings.

If there is any negative to Alamut, it is the linearity of the game. Most areas have restricted movement either forward or backward until you have completed the puzzle at hand, and while unrestricted movement in a game is too much freedom for the gamer, the opposite also holds true. Almost all of the puzzles are of medium difficulty and require only common sense and logic, but still, even the easiest puzzle can be a caravan-stopper if the gamer fails to grasp the concept needed to solve the puzzle. Many of the trickier puzzles do come early in the game, which succeeds in seeding a burst of confidence in the gamer that sprouts as the game progresses and allows the gamer to enjoy the development of the story on his or her own terms rather then feeling as though the game developer is always one step ahead.

If this is even possible, the soundtrack of Alamut is even more wonderful than it was in the previous installment. Performed by John Leach, it stirs long-dormant memories of Lawrence of Arabia and the Arabian fantasy movies starring Steve Reeves we watched as children. In particular, there is a score in a cathedral that is both moving and evocative.

Alamut is an old-fashioned, point-and-click adventure that is mouse-controlled and relies heavily on an inventory system and 360-degree freedom of movement. There are some timed puzzles, but they are easily solved if you are judicious with your saves. By returning the genre to its roots, Alamut also marches it forward by virtue of top-notch writing, voice-acting, soundtrack, and puzzles, proving that is not the genre that is the problem, but often a lack of talent in a genre that demands the best.

The Secrets of Alamut will encourage you to think and to make decisions that you do not normally face in an adventure game. Your choices usually invoke immediate results, often your own death, but then that was often the consequence of rash decisions during As-Sayf's time. This is a game that intelligent adventure gamers around the world should welcome with outstretched arms. As the game builds to a crescendo, and As-Sayf attains his goal, he finally does undergo the epiphany that was so noticeably absent from the conclusion of LOPA, but by then the gamer is left wondering if As-Sayf's journey was worth the price he paid. For now, let's consider the saga of As-Sayf and his search for inner peace concluded, at least until the desert wind once again roils the demons that haunt his disturbed nocturnal dreams.

Final Grade: A-

If you liked The Secrets of Alamut:
Play: Pilgrim or The Legend of the Prophet and the Assassin
Read: Seven Pillars of Wisdom
Watch: Lawrence of Arabia

System Requirements:

PC:
Win 95/98/00
Pentium 200
32 MB RAM
290 MB Free on HD
Soundblaster
Mouse

Mac:
Unknown