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Editor's Choice Software
The Secrets of Da Vinci
Reviewed by Angie Kibiloski
With all the buzz about Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code in the last two years, and now the recent release of the Hollywood movie of the same name, there were bound to be computer games following the Da Vinci trend. One such game is The Secrets of Da Vinci (Retail $29.99), put out by Tri Synergy. It is an adventure game based on the times of Leonardo Da Vinci, and is not simply a parallel to the book or movie.
Set in 1522, three years after Leonardo Da Vinci's death, you play Valdo, a pupil of one of Da Vinci's protégés. Hired by an unknown benefactor, you have been given the task of going to the last residence of the Master, Cloux Manor, and uncovering the whereabouts of a lost manuscript, which Da Vinci hid before his death. The servant, Saturnin, is suspicious, the Mistress of the manor, Babou, is beautiful, and the manor itself if full of mysteries to discover and solve. You soon discover that not everyone is who they seem, and that Da Vinci might have been even cleverer than anyone suspected.
Game play proceeds in the manner of most adventure games, with a point and click interface and 360˚ views. These views are spectacular, and very detailed, giving you a glimpse into what 16th Century France might have been like. The clothing and items found in the manor are as close to looking like the originals as the artists could make them. Even simple things like lamps or milk jugs are interesting to look at. Everything you see is truly beautiful and intriguing. With the items around the manor and grounds, you must solve a number of puzzles and complete a series of tasks to progress in the game. These puzzles can range from finding the right parts to fix one of Da Vinci's mechanisms, to recreating a famous painting, to figuring out the right ingredients to make perfume to charm the lady of the house.
There are some very interesting additions that you will find to be different from other games. While moving along in the story, you will encounter certain tasks that are either optional or can be completed in different ways. Depending on your choices in these situations, your conscience meter will either rise on the Devil side or the Angel side. If your good and evil sides are balanced, then all options for future decisions will be open to you, but if you are unbalanced, you will be limited in performing either good or bad actions, depending on how your conscience is divided. Never fear though, along the way, you will receive bonus points for tasks completed, and you may level out your conscience by spending these points to either increase or decrease your Devil and Angel natures. Also, your decisions, especially in regards to your interactions with other characters, will change the outcome of certain situations, and even the end of the game. So consider your actions carefully, or play multiple times and see what effect your choices will have.
While the Da Vinci craze has the nation enthralled, Tri Synergy's The Secrets of Da Vinci fits right in. Though not following the plot of the current movie and novel, this game goes one step better, by taking you into the world and time of Leonardo Da Vinci. You can go inside this world and encounter the many writing, art works, and inventions of one of the greatest minds in history. In addition, you are immersed in beautiful scenery and an interesting plot. What more could you ask for in gaming entertainment?
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