This is the thirteenth stand alone game in the popular Carol Reed mystery series. In this adventure Carol investigates the disappearance of a friend’s neighbor. There is no graphic violence or vulgar language and no quick responses are required.
Puzzles primarily draw upon logic and reasoning, such as how do I open this box? Oh I need a number code now where do I find that? What do I do with this key? There are no quick action dexterity moves you must make and none of your searching requires rushing. You won’t be challenged in that regard except once toward the end and even then the game allows plenty of time to think. If you are stuck, the hint notes will tell you exactly what to do and your opponent will wait while you figure it out.
There are multiple locations offering many venues to explore. I did not count them all but they offer a reasonable length of game play. I spent two to three hours in each sitting over four days to complete the game. I admit to liberal use of the offered hints. I suggest you avoid using the hints unless you are completely lost.
Some objects you will need are not revealed to you until you know you need them. If you did not know you needed it then you couldn’t pick it up. This requires you to go back to where you first noticed the object, get it and return. There are a couple of puzzles that tax your thinking. A box you need to open requiring aligning six jewels featured on a bracelet comes to mind. It is a simple box with colored buttons you must push in proper order. Determining a proper sequence is a real test.
Does the Adventurer’s bane, the dreaded maze lurk somewhere ready to pounce? There are none so to speak, but a few locations have enough rooms that may lead you to distraction as orientation can be confusing when trying to find your way.
The Birdwatcher stays true to both the Carol Reed universe regarding story line and the quality of game play. It does not telegraph who the guilty party is and you are likely to guess incorrectly, which makes the game all the better. Typically when solving a mystery you can guess the identity of the villain. For me the wrap up came as a surprise. You won’t find any spoilers here. So sit back take your time enjoying excellent scenery and marvel at the detail illustrated in the outdoor scenes and those of fine homes along with deteriorating barns, etc. The combination of relaxed searching, soothing background music and fine graphics, created an enjoyable adventure. It won’t tax your system.
Minimum System Requirements:
OS: Windows XP/Vista/Win7/Win8/Win10
CPU: 1.6 GHz
RAM: 1024 MB
DirectX: 9.0
Hard Drive: 750 MB
