Review Mr. Codcheeks and the Haunted House Developer: Scott Hamm Publisher: Snowfox Computer Animation Genre: Adventure Release Date: 2005 Platform: Web based SWF Review by Robert Washburne March 29, 2007		Buy this game at Trade for this game at:

Scott Hamm is new to the Adventure Gaming scene.  In his words:

“I am a 3D Artist trained in modeling, character animation and texture mapping at the Vancouver Film School…I am currently employed full time by the University of Michigan…My current interests include interactive educational applications that incorporate 3D rendered animations with FlashMX.”

In the midst of all that he found time to write a cute little adventure game for children ages eight and up.  It is called Mr. Codcheeks and the Haunted House  which can be played for free right on the Internet (you can also link to it from the Just Adventure Independent Developers page).

The object of the game is quite simple – Mr. Codcheeks - a talking fish - is trapped in a haunted house atop Bone Hill and you must rescue him before daybreak.  This involves exploring the house, courtyard, cemetery, observatory, mausoleum and orchard collecting clues and not doing anything which would waste time (like taking a nap).  If you do nap or take a wrong move, the game will end with your character being rushed to the hospital.  Disconcerting to be sure, but the game is so short that it is only a matter of minutes to return to your last point.

Any objects that light up green can be clicked on to either uncover a clue, a hidden passage or a doorway.  There are no inventory items, but there are two puzzles.  There are some nifty touches such as a globe that can be spun, squealing rats and the silhouette of someone hovering about the cemetery.  There are also some nice Halloweenish sound effects.

Mr. Codcheeks is not very long and can be played in less than a half hour.  In fact, you can complete the entire game is as little as thirty-one moves.  There is nothing here which would really scare today’s media savvy children (although the math symbols on the one column sent a chill up my spine.  Just the thought of trigonometry...). Unfortunately, there is nothing here which would hold their interest for long either.  This is more of what I would call a “lap” game.  That is, if a young child came up and asked you to tell them a story while they sat of your lap, this would be a good game to play with them.

Mr. Hamm bills himself as a professional 3D artist trained in modeling and textures, but Mr. Codcheeks and the Haunted House is a step below other recent “amateur” works such as Darkfall, Scratches and Barrow Hill.  Now that he appears to have the technique down, it might be nice to see him use some of his talents on something a little more challenging.

Still, the price is right and it wouldn't hurt to bookmark the site for that next time that little cousin or the grandkids come over for a visit.