If there were an award
for best pc box art ever, then Iceberg Interactive’s Adventures
in Terror: British Horror Collection would hands-down be
crowned the champion.

An obvious homage to the
classic E.C. horror comics of the 1950s and Hammer Films of the early
‘60s, the box invokes memories of a childhood spent reading
and watching everything horror I could get my hands on.

As for the publisher, Iceberg
Interactive – headquartered in The Netherlands – has picked
up the adventure banner in a big way with their new Adventure Classics
collections. Iceberg Interactive was formed in 2009 and management
is comprised in part by numerous veterans from the now defunct publisher,
Lighthouse Interactive, who were responsible for the wonderful Darkness
Within: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder, Overclocked
and Belief
& Betrayal among others. As Iceberg Interactive does
not have a North American office, these new compilations are currently
only available in parts of Europe or online from either Iceberg
Interactive or the JA
Online Store.

Adventures in Terror:
British Horror Collection is a collection of Jonathan Boakes’
Darkfall: The Journal (Classic Edition) and Darkfall:
Lights Out (Director’s Cut Edition) and Matt Clarke’s
Barrow Hill. The three games can be installed from
one DVD and Lighthouse has also included a soundtrack audio cd of
spooky music from the games.

All three games have been
remastered for modern Windows versions with new graphics and effects,
new puzzles and additional music and sound. So even if you have played
any of the games previously, they’ll still feel fresh. Also,
included are introductions by the games creators, hints and tips,
Easter Eggs, maps and historic background information on the game’s
stories. If only more North American publishers took such pride and
care of their adventure franchises!

On
a personal note, there was a time when I wrote the official published
strategy guides for Dreamcatcher/The Adventure Company (well, until
they quit paying) and Jonathan Boakes’ Darkfall
series ranks among the most well-constructed games I’ve ever
played. Even after playing through each game at least five times apiece
for purposes of the strategy guides, there was always something new
to discover.

Darkfall The Journal
was originally reviewed
by JA in the year 2003 by Ray Ivey:

From the very beginning
Dark Fall creates a chilly, spooky atmosphere. It takes place in a
closed hotel that served a now-defunct rail station. The whole idea
of a “ghost” station is a delicious one, and it provides
a perfect setting for what follows.

The
game is full of scary moments, though many of them are reserved for
the careful observer. There’s a beautiful moment when a ghost train
whizzes by, its lights illuminating the shades of the window you’re
looking at. Then there’s the shadow that’s briefly revealed by a flickering
light in a bathroom . . . a very elegant and truly scary effect. And
there’s an optional interactive Ouija board sequence that is simply
hair-raising.

And let me be very
clear. If I haven’t adequately made the point yet, this is one scary-ass
game. Turn the lights out. Turn the volume up. And prepare to enjoy
getting the willies scared out of you!

Darkfall: Lights Out was reviewed
in 2004, again by Ray Ivey who had this to say:

The story… is
a dandy one, and both the narrative and the puzzle design serve to
create a series of increasingly intense interconnections between the
game’s various environments.

The
first part of the game is fairly linear, but about halfway through
your journey you obtain a tool that really opens up the game world.
You’re now free to travel between the game’s different
areas and attempt to finish solving the many puzzles that confront
you.

The sound design of
the game is particularly good, from the very opening credits sequence
with the evocative sounds of the surf, to the quiet but well-placed
ambient noises all through the game. The sounds of Lights
Out serve to very effectively raise the hairs on the
back of your neck.

Considering
what a good story Boakes has to tell, it’s disappointing that
the ending isn’t more satisfying. However, this feels like a
limitation of budget, not imagination, so it’s forgivable.

The big news is that
Jonathan Boakes has done it again. Lights
Out is a creepy, engaging, tastefully built adventure
that no aficionado of the genre should miss. Who knows what this talented
guy could come up with next if someone would throw a slightly more
deluxe budget his way?

Barrow Hill was reviewed
in 2006 by our resident crazy Bob Washburne:

The
graphics are lovely. Most designers can render exquisite furniture,
but plants come off as artificial. Shadow Tor had just the opposite
effect. You can see from the screen shots just how beautiful the foliage
is. The plants and trees are perfect. Moss and lichen grow on weather
stained brick walls. It is the coffee cups and ketchup bottles which
need work.

What is truly amazing
is when you look at their web site and see photographs of the original
buildings side by side with the rendered game copy. It is just unbelievable.

The
sound effects are spot-on from the chirping of an authentic Cornish
cricket to the rustling in the bushes which doesn’t quite line
up with your movement. Are you being stalked?

Whether you’re a
collector (like myself) or just a casual adventurer who may not have
played one or two of these games, this is another great opportunity
from Iceberg Interactive to expand your collection at an affordable
price.

System Requirements:

• OS: Windows® 2000/ME/XP/Vista™
• Processor: 1 Ghz 32-bit
  or 64-bit processor
• RAM: 512 MB RAM
• Graphics Card: 64 MB
  DirectX® 9.0c Compatible
• Sound Card: DirectX®
  9.0 Sound Card
• DVD-ROM: 16x
• Input: Keyboard, Mouse
  and Speakers
• Hard Disk: 4 GB Free
  Disk Space
• DirectX®: Version
  9.0c