And as I explore more I answered my own question. I found the old reviews, and have already updated the links in my blog.

It's true. Nothing ever dies on the internet.

Hooray again! 

A question: I'm finding the site kinda difficult to navigate (I tend to be dumb this way). Example: I'd love to see what you said about Jane Jensen's Gray Matter, but I don't know where to search for it.

Gotta linky?

Thanks!

I'm really glad you resurrected FFC! It was always a special place.

"Gray Matter" came out last year. Probably the only classic-style adventure produced last year that I know of, except for Mikael Nyqvist's and Jonathan Boake's stuff. By Jane Jensen, her first game since Gabriel Knight. It was much shorter than her GK games and had some glitches, but otherwise was right up to her standards, with an ace mega-puzzle at the end.

Here's my playthrough of it, if you're interested: http://adventuregameplays.blog.....algia.html (Click "next entry" at the bottom for the next entry. And there's a review at the end.) 

My little blog there is just my playthrough diary kinda thing. It's only ever had one visitor that I know of (Matt Clark of Barrow Hill fame dropped by) and nobody has ever left a comment. But then, I don't get much time to work on it, and it's mostly for adventures which nobody plays anymore anyway. I have done playthroughs of Boake's Lost Souls (without question, the scariest adventure game ever made) and his magnificent Lost Crown, along with some retro-RPGs from my favorite indy company, Spiderweb Software, and the last few Carol Reeds. I really don't get much time to play anymore. Haven't even added a new entry in months--been über-busy and have had no time to play.

But if you haven't played Gray Matter, you really need to do it! Trip down memory lane! Real adventuring! Mega-puzzles! Interactive movie! Find the stuff, figure it out! Use gray matter! The real stuff!

Scout! Well, I'll have to send "Orb" an email (I have the address). I sent her a PM here, but she may not get it for months.

Great to see you! I didn't even know this forum was here. I found it when I tried to track down the links to my old reviews.

So did you play Gray Matter? Except that it was so short and slooooooow, I loved it (although trust me to find the bug--it's all in my playthrough). 

These days I'm just waiting for Jonathan Boakes to get the Last Crown out, and for his buddy Matt Clark to get Bracken Tor out. BT was supposed to be out the Halloween before last. I think Matt's added plenty to it, so that would explain part of the delay, but I'm worried about their distribution options. Jonathan sued one of his old distributers (dunno if it was Adventure Company or Got Game) a couple of years ago in New York and won. Then he bought a house. Jonathan said something on his FB page about doing both the second and third sequels to Lost Crown together--which would make sense. Years and years between sequels kinda lets the audience cool.

You won't believe this: on my latest model iMac, I, for whatever dumb reason, inserted the CD (which I'd never played) of the Mac version of American McGee's Alice. It came up with an installation icon. Wow. I double clicked it. (Why?) The magic pizza of death spun and spun and spun, and I hit some kinda key and the screen went black and I thought I'd killed my computer. But then, POOF, it came back, and the game had installed and IT RUNS!! No kidding, it runs perfectly. Still haven't played it yet--I've been trying to get through books and books and books for Kirkus Reviews amongst other little life items--but I'm looking forward to it!

I also bought an old Thinkpad loaded with 98SE on EBay, which works perfectly. I've got loads of stuff loaded on that, running in their original native environment, including Grim Fandango, which because I was a Maccie I've never played. For years I bought those games, thinking that one day I'd have a computer that could run them. Now there's the GOG of course, and they're starting to get adventures, but I've got the original CDs!

Hah! I don't need all these fancy RPGs and shooters. I've got all the old classic adventures to get through! Gonna take years!

'Fraid I haven't even heard of Machinarium. You might like the Spiderweb games--very retro graphics but they are huge games, written with great humor. The newest one, Avernum: Escape from the Pit (the one I'm currently playing on my blog) is a remake of a remake that started the whole company. It is a good, good game. It's doing very well, so Jeff is going to redo the entire six-game series. He's made this version too easy to accommodate all the new players, but you can always play on "hard."

It's very weird that a forum that started out of, by and for adventure gamers has virtually abandoned the genre. True, not much is being produced these days, but what is coming out tends to be excellent. (By that I don't mean those little cartoony kiddie adventures. Nancy Drew is about as far as I go with those. I still enjoy Carol Reed but that's because I like the scenery. The games are super-easy.)

I very much enjoy turn-based RPGs, having gotten addicted to the terrific retro games that Jeff Vogel does at Spiderweb. I played Baldur's Gate for awhile on my old blueberry iMac, but got distracted. It's something I really want to play someday, so I'll get the whole thing from GOG. I've done a little bit of kiddie-style jumper-shooter stuff, such as the Lemony Snickett game (I like Tim Curry's voice work, which is why I have that). My nephew says I'd love Penumbra. I'm sure American McGee's Alice will help with those skills!

You can tell from my terminology here that I really don't know what I'm talking about. But I'd like to try Portal (I have that) and Witcher. I've got the original Fallout 1&2 on that old Thinkpad. Whatever I do will have to be on a computer though--I can't afford an X-Box.

The plan is to take in some elderly ladies for "independent living." Pays really well. I've still got my dad here--94 years old with very advanced Parkinson's. Getting tougher. The only thing that's going to save me is that Dad paid off this house 20 years ago. I can make it pay quite well. Just have to get off my duff and finish my renovations, then get a couple of ladies in here. I'd just clean and cook dinner and remind them to take their pills. Until then, I don't even have money to buy anything except the games I know I want.

That Thinkpad was a good idea! Got some extra money one month and picked it up for $60 on EBay. I've got all three Gabriel Knight games running on it, plus Realms of the Haunting (that was challenging but I did it) and even Blue Ice (the unsolvable game). Buncha buncha old stuff like Sanitarium and Inherent Evil, and old RPGs like Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights, etc. 98SE plays an amazing range of stuff. Gonna take a long time to get through all that, when I can't even manage to finish a game I really enjoy at the moment! The basic plan is to take my Dad's awful Vista laptop, strip the Vista and install XP, then get a decent Windows 7 laptop so I can do the GOG stuff at least, plus any new releases, which someday won't be compatible with XP.

None of that can happen, of course, until I get some cash. We live on Social Security here. But I think I have enough entertainment to survive!

(Alas, I have to get through eight young adult novels from Kirkus Reviews every month--usually awful paranormal romances--in order to get my student loan payment, so I probably won't check out your book really soon. Forgive me--I just can't read anymore when I'm not paid! Sounds great though! Keep it up! I'll check it out when I can!)

Hiya Steerpike! I'm just so glad I found this place again. IF I had more time for gaming, I would steer the folks here toward a few adventures. May the gaming gods look down upon you brightly for rescuing FFC!

The YA novels I have to read actually are the "better" ones. These are the ones the publishers decide to send out for review. Sometimes they're even good. Last year I gave the coveted Kirkus star to a horror novel--"Anna Dressed in Blood" by Kendare Blake--thinking I was really going out on a limb. Just got the sequel, and now I learn that School Library Journal also gave it a star, that NPR made it one of their five best YA books of the year, and ALA put it in their top ten!

I'm vindicated. (But Publisher's Weekly and Booklist missed it. Hah!)

However, even some of the "better" ones are just mortally awful, and they all run 300+ pages. I've even had 600-pagers. They aren't all paranormal, but most of 'em are because that's the hot genre--yes, because of Twilight. For each one I get $50, no matter the length of the book. My student loan payment is $400. So that's why I a) won't be checking out Scout's book just yet and b) don't get much playing time in.

Plus I'm still taking care of my Dad. Not to mention the cat. And watching eagle nests.

I think this site is great! (Although I sure wish you had alphabetical listings of the reviews!) Someday when I'm out of this crunch I'll devote more time to games, and I will try some of your genre. I don't have really good thumb action, but I'm fine with turn-based stuff. And, ahem, turn-based action really becomes kinda like a puzzle, doesn't it?

Aha!

St. Martin's is a good house.

Please don't feel slighted that I'm not rushing to get your book--actually I'm interested! But really, eight per month is eating my life. Once I get some ladies to take care of here I'll be able to cut that back to the usual two per month, and I'll get some of my life back.

And then--games! Books I actually want to read! Movies!

Ah well, you guys are playing in the leagues. I am a mere lowly reviewer.

I don't mind the caregiving stuff. I'm kind of a recluse anyway. Although I'm looking forward to the money from taking in ladies, I'm not looking forward to losing my privacy. Plus, Dad becomes more of a challenge every month or so. The goal is to keep him here, for his sake and for the finances.

But I'm kinda like the old ladies back in the 19th century. If they had a house, they could make a living taking in boarders. We're back to that. Actually if I can do it, it'll pay more than I made as a university professor.

And I might even have time for games!

Hello Kaythomas! (Do I remember you as Kay?) See, I thought the old board died. Didn't know it had sprung into new life, thanks to Steerpike.

I don't completely limit myself to adventures. I do like some RPGs--I'm at the end of one now, for example. I'm limited to computers, though. Can't afford an X-Box or the games to go in it. But I just haven't had time for gaming much recently, because of the aforesaid reasons. The new stuff from Boakes and Matt Clark will come out eventually. I'll certainly be playing those on my blog!

I do miss Orb. I have her email address. Will give her a blast sometime soon.

Sooooo. What have you been playing recently? I hear Dear Esther is very good (although I can't afford it right now).