Sony PlayStation £44.99
George Stobbart, hero of Broken Sword Shadow Of The Templars, finds himself back in Paris, where he and his girlfriend, Nico, are attempting to find out more about a Mayan artefact. Then Nico is shot with a drug-laden dart and George On leaving the bedroom Pablo knocks over a lamp which goes on fire and just to spice up proceedings he also releases a tarantula into the room. This is where you come in and what a start it is. You've got to untie yourself (George), kill the spider and extinguish the blaze before finding Nico. That's the first challenge - staying alive. What follows is an intriguing storyline littered with puzzles for you to solve. They are excellently put together and while sometimes it will feel like you have reached the end of your tether, the puzzles are ultimately fair. As you travel across various countries you also get to take over the role of Nico: her investigation runs parallel to George's and both are vital to the overall outcome.
The animations in Smoking Mirror are of cartoon quality and the music complements these well. The dialogue is poor and unimaginative, but the game is, as far as plot-driven games go, up there with the best.
Graphics: 90% Gameplay: