INTRO: Are you a fan of James
Burke’s entertainingly informative television series “Connections”?
If you are, then this may be the game for you!

Sometimes
I want an adventure game to completely take over my world with its
complexity,. Depth, and level of challenge (Gabriel
Knight, Journeyman Project 2, Obsidian).
Other times I feel like stumbling around a silly haunted house playing
puzzles (7th
Guest, Clandestiny).
Sometimes I feel like spending time with amusing cartoon characters
(UFOs).

And sometimes I feel like
having a light, breezy time playing a game that creates a lovely mood
with lovely pictures, driven by a lovely premise and containing lovely
puzzles that entertain me without making my brains pour out of my
ears. And for that mood, I can’t think of a better title than James
Burke’s Connections.

AS SEEN ON TV!

I
have long been a fan of James Burke and his clever and entertaining
series “Connections” on The Learning Channel and the History
Channel. In the series he traces human political, cultural, religious
and social history as a chain linked by various technological innovations.
For a history and science buff, this makes for very enjoyable viewing.

But is the show the basis
for an entertaining adventure game, I wondered? Could Burke translate
his clever concept into some sort of compelling gameplay?

Well, the very good news
is that yes, Connections actually works as a game. The game,
which is first person point-and-click, begins in a cyberspace study
where you are introduced to James Burke. He feeds you a lot of harmless
hooey about a rift in a computer program that you have to fix. Well,
it wouldn’t be an adventure game without a mission, right?

Burke explains that your
mission is to complete “chains” of connections that bind
the cyber-world together. Each element that you discover becomes a
link in the chain, and when each chain is completed, you move on to
the next realm.

This
premise works well for an entertaining game for two reasons. First,
if you have any interest in science and history, it’s fun playing
a game where those subjects take center stage. Second, since you are
in this strange cyberworld, anything can happen. You can be in a medieval
castle one moment, a 50s diner the next, and a wild west saloon the
next. The crazy variety of locations and settings create a daffy atmosphere
that’s really fun.

It even allows for some
good humor. At one point you’re bargaining with a medieval apothecary.
She gleefully describes her current stock, including phosphorous and
other chemicals, potions, herbs, etc. “I have dragon’s wart,”
(or some such thing), she says, beaming, “for 10 credits. Of
course, I have generic for 7 credits.”

Each time you find a link
in the chain you are rewarded with a short video detailing that link’s
contribution to the chain. The link can be anything from paper, to
a match, to a printing press, to a loom.

IT’S SO LIFELIKE . .
. NOT!

The
graphics in the game are very pleasing to the eye. They have an entertainingly
artificial look, and believe it or not this is not a criticism. Remember,
the premise of the game is that you are in some strange cyberspace
world, not in reality. Therefore, the scrubbed, polished, pristine
look of the buildings, backgrounds and props seems oddly appropriate.

I played this game with
a friend and we had a really good time. The loopy nature of the plot
and premise kept us interested as we bounced from gold mine to castle
to schooner. The entertaining puzzles included a music puzzle with
an old pipe organ, a maze in a mine, a card trick, opening a combination
safe, and using a Morse code machine. No, I’m not saying these are
revolutionary or unique or brilliant puzzle concepts, but hey, they
were fun.

What’s more, the acting
in the game is actually good. Go figure!

CALL IT THE BURT BACHARACH
OF GAMES

I would compare this game
to Qin
and The
Cassandra Galleries for its breezy, unthreatening, appealing
quality. Since the puzzles are never too hard, Connections
is a good choice for novice gamers, but compelling enough for experienced
players as well.

One caveat: For the experience
of this game to be really enjoyable, you really need to have some
interest in science and history. Otherwise you could get impatient
with it. On the other hand, the game is so entertaining, it could
spark an interest in these subjects that you didn’t realize you had!

After
playing this game and the thrilling Byzantine,
I would now eagerly pick up any game produced by The Discovery Channel.
They are definitely on to something. Don’t get me wrong, Connections
doesn’t come close to reaching the heights of Byzantine, but
it’s still a high quality game.

PROS: Enjoyable
premise, entertainingly educational, attractive and fun.

CONS: Short, not
hard enough for hardcore adventure wolverines, not for the science-
and history-phobic.

CONCLUSION: Pleasant,
breezy, informative entertainment; oddly successful game version of
the television series; a perfect novice game.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

Macintosh: Macintosh
Performa, Centris, Quadra or Power Mac series with a 68040 processor
or better, System 7.0 or later, double-speed CD-ROM drive, 8MB or
RAM, 640×480 display color monitor with at least 256 colors.

WINDOWS: Windows
3.1 or Windows 95, 486/33 or higher processor; 8MB or RAM, double
speed CD-ROM, hard drive, windows compatible sound card, mouse,
VGA display (256 colors), MS-DOS or PC-DOS operating system version
3.1 or later, CD-ROM extensions (MSCDEX) version 2.2 or later.