[Terramax]

TAKEN FROM MY REVIEW ON AMAZON.CO.UK

ANY COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS WELCOME.
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FENIMORE FILMORE'S REVENGE

'Revenge' is the third in a trilogy of games, the first being the obscure 1996 2D adventure '3 Skulls Of The Toltecs', the next, 'Wanted: A Wild Western Adventure' also known as `The Westerner' in parts of Europe.

Neither was released in the UK, but as Revenge is set so loosely to previous instalments, there's no reason to play them.

This is a typical wild west story of a tall, dark and ruggedly handsome hero (Fenimore Fillmore) on a mission to save his feisty girlfriend from evil bandits whilst uncovering the whereabouts of a long lost stash of gold (highly reminiscent of a classic Spaghetti Western) with the help of his newly acquainted sidekick.
This takes us on a wild journey full of clichéd action scenarios plotted between point & click sections that'll have you completing item based puzzles in preparation of these more intense moments.

Due to the lower budget and small programming team, the game is pretty scaled down. Graphically; the textures and lighting effects only look faintly more polished than a standard Playstation 2 game. However the programmers make good use of the scenery with some very authentic Wild West backdrops.

Puzzles are mainly logical although some will only be solved with trial and error due to lack of feedback or clarity from the main characters. However, due to the small-scale locations there are few items to interact with when compared to most other adventures, so they'll rarely keep you at a complete stop for long.

The acting, music and sound are very well executed although during cut scenes sound effects and voices tend to be drowned out and quieter than they should be. Character animations are spot on, along with some tight editing that's also pretty innovative and dynamic when compared to the slow pacing of most other adventures.

Finally, towards the end of the game, the player is dropped into an action game mode requiring you to control the main characters running, ducking, aiming, shooting and reloading, all with the use of the mouse meaning some very awkward and frustrating moments when telling Fenimore where to go.
It's clear not enough thought was put into making these sections easy and fun for the gamer, and put against any average action game and it falls flat on its face, with no variety or innovation to give replay value.

This is a point and click adventure better for those who either love the Western genre as a whole or fans of adventures looking for a simple, easy-thrills play through. The game will take only a few hours, if not a single sitting to complete (maybe 5 hours). Whilst the game plays adequately, puzzles are far too easy and straightforward for the seasoned adventure gamer to find challenging or rewarding.

Buy this for your kids if they're too young for more mature titles but too old for the real kiddie games. For more game ideas, try looking up `Ankh' and `Jack Keane'.