Graphics: I thought the graphics in ROTH were pretty awesome. There were so many with unique designs and interesting statues and artwork in different rooms throughout the game. Impressive statues, graffiti on the wall, and numerous tapestries added to the mood and feel of the game. All of the characters in the game were very well done and fit nicely into cinematic sequences. The sequences are everywhere in the game and really add to the drama and excitement of ROTH. Everything about the graphics in the game reflects the foreboding atmosphere and seriousness of the situation. Even Adam’s shadow on the floor and walls was accurate and a nice touch. There was some pixelation throughout the game and some of the rooms appeared too fuzzy, but mostly these graphics were about as good as it gets.




Interface & Gameplay: ROTH‘s interface was very well designed and interacting with objects and other characters in the game was easy. Once I got the hang of the arrow, examining and using different objects in the game was a piece of cake. Instead of having to click on every object I saw, I could simply move the arrow over them so see if there was anything I could do with them. Combat was similarly quite easy. Instead of having to “aim” my weapons, all I had to do was point the arrow at the target and fire. For those who are fans of 3D action games, this might not provide all of the challenge you want, but remember the game is really an adventure game with the combat element thrown in. Another feature I like was the fact that everything that Adam says, or any other characters say, is also shown at the bottom of the screen. This allowed me to understand some of the things being said that I couldn’t quite catch. I could also go back to any sequences to relive any of those experiences for clues or messages I may have missed through the inventory options. Also, the game provides a hint guide for the first portion of the game. This should also help newbies get started without large amounts of frustration. On the downside, one of the most frustrating parts of the game for me was that the game kept hanging up at various places. I occasionally got error messages about the CD being inaccessible and there were points when I tried to examine or use objects in my inventory that the game took a while to get going. This happened regardless of whether I used the standard or full installation. Mostly, I found the interface to be outstanding however.




Sound FX: Great, great sound FX in this game. There were all kinds of creepy noises as I made my way through the maze of rooms. The voice of Adam, as well as the other character voices, were all quite clear and high quality. Watching the cinematic sequences is like watching a movie, and the FX are a big part of making that happen. The sound of footsteps, background noises, and voices echoing added to the drama and really drew me into the game. Along with the graphics, the FX do a great job of making the game really interesting and exciting.




Musical Score: The music in ROTH was good, but not great. Music is not pervasive throughout the game as tracks come and go at different points, which worked fine. Most of the cinematic sequences included some background music. I thought there could have, and should have, been more tracks in the game. However, what there was sounded good and was CD quality.




Intelligence & Difficulty: The intelligence of the creatures that I faced, and I did not get far enough to see them all, was fine. Increasing the action difficulty level made them much tougher to kill, although not because they fight smarter. They basically walked or ran up to me and started hacking away. The point-and-click approach to combat really removes a lot of the difficulty factor in the action aspect of the game. Similarly, the adventure portion was either easy or tricky, depending on which difficulty level I was using. While I think that gamers of almost any skill level will be able to make this game difficult enough to provide a challenge, I still feel that some parts could have been tougher. For one thing, there are not nearly as many “puzzles” to solve as I would have expected. Certainly, I need to gather items and use them properly to continue along, but it was not as tough to figure out as some other adventure games I have played. Essentially, I did not need to solve “puzzles” (i.e., unscrambling a code or assembling pieces in a particular shape) as much as I had to find items and put them in the right places. Not that this wasn’t challenging, but I think it fell short of other adventure games. Still, with four CDs and plenty of game to play, this ROTH is no walk in the park and should take a long while to finish.




Overall: ROTH is outstanding and one of the best adventure games I have ever played. I think it takes a step beyond a lot of adventure games on the market and definitely earns the distinction of 4 1/2 stars. The interface is clean, the graphics and FX add to the game tremendously, and I became so engrossed in playing that I lost track of time. The storyline is engaging and engrossing and never gets old or boring. The interactive cinematic sequences are great additions and really help move the story along. While there is not as much puzzle- or riddle-solving as you will find in most adventure games, ROTH makes up for it with the addition of some intense action. This game is exciting, scary, thrilling, and will definitely get your blood pumping. I constantly found myself jumping whenever monsters would suddenly appear from the floor. I highly recommend this game to anyone looking for a solid adventure with the added benefit of action and combat. I don’t think anyone who spends their hard-earned money on this game will come away disappointed.