By Dale Farris, Secretary
Golden Triangle PC Club
January 2003

Game Overview

The Cameron Files 2: Pharaoh's Curse is the new adventure game from the premier computer adventure game company, The Adventure Company, a subsidiary of DreamCatcher Games. In this neat game, you play the game as private investigator Alan P. Cameron.

This is the second installment in The Cameron Files series, the first of which is The Cameron Files: Secret at Loch Ness. Click here for a review of this first game. This time, PI Cameron finds himself embroiled in an ancient Egyptian mystery. An ancient evil has awakened, and the Pharaoh no longer slumbers. As Cameron, you investigate the disappearance of the Pharaoh.

A revisited ancient ritual awakens a Pharaoh long dead and entombed. You must piece together the clues to discover the real reason why the mummy is missing. As the game progresses, you will investigate the kidnapping of one of the members of an archeological team, travel the Nile on a steamboat, explore the Cairo Museum of Antiquities, meet a cast of interesting characters, and solve the mystery behind the empty tomb. Exotic locations, danger, and intrigue await you in the mysterious sands of Egypt

The complex story unfolds as you play the game, and you learn about the mysterious power that haunts the mummy. The mission in the story is to find the origins of the dangerous pharaoh and destroy it before it can destroy you and other characters you interact with in the  game.

The settings are nicely designed and you can move the mouse cursor all around you, up and down, left and right, once you land on the next scene as you click to move Cameron around. The full, 360 degree panning allows you to take in the fully developed backgrounds that surround you after each mouse click.

The puzzles in the game are not the most difficult I’ve ever run across, and are actually quite entertaining. The Cameron Files is not one of the most headache-inducing games on the market. In many cases, computer games can be so deviously designed that you absolutely must use an official walkthrough strategy in order to complete the game. In The Cameron Files, the strategy guide is used more of an aid in moving through the game more quickly, and this attention to making the game fun, versus making it the most difficult game of all time, is definitely appreciated.

The brain teasers in the game are super, and do not interfere with game play. However, the game does contain a few timed puzzles that require you to figure out how to get out of a locked room, avoid the mummy, and at the end, kill the mummy before you die. These are not that difficult, but while these timed puzzles are infrequent, this means you should always, always, always save your game, so you can more quickly get back to the point where the timed puzzle begins to try it again. Once or twice should be sufficient to figure out what to do in these few timed puzzle sequences.

The save feature is also super, as you can save your game at any place in the game at any time. You can overwrite your save game files, or save about 16 different game points in a classic interface that shows you a screen shot of the point in the game at which you are saving the game. The Esc key is used to invoke the main menu, to let you save games or load saved games.

The interface is totally driven by the use of the mouse, and the game uses classic DreamCatcher Games icon shapes to indicate where you may click to turn and move, or to pick up objects, and to place objects on other objects. This simplifies the problem of figuring out just exactly where to place a certain object on another object or location, thus helping to speed up the game.

In the genre of adventure games, The Cameron Files 2: Pharaoh's Curse is one of the more entertaining and interesting of adventure games, and is just hard enough to not result in overly frustrating game play. The atmosphere of the game and the attention to the character development, plus the extra attention to making the characters seem very real when they speak, all add up to a definite choice for any computer adventure gamer.

Features

Gripping, graphical mystery adventure certain to capture the imagination
Game of investigation, intrigue and adventure
Environments, settings and characters created in full detail
Motion-capture technology adds realism to character lip movements and facial expressions
Original storyline & original score
Eerie and well designed Scottish manor and loch
Recreated settings realized in detail
Beautiful backgrounds and objects
Interesting, unique story line
Inventory interface for objects to use
robust and dramatic Scottish highland-flavored score
 
Game Play

The Cameron Files 2: Pharaoh's Curse is a classic adventure game, and thus works with classic adventure game features. You move around with the mouse by pointing and clicking, watching the game activate the movement of the character after you have clicked on a desired direction. You mostly play in the first-person viewpoint, and the game frequently takes over and runs the video files from the third-person perspective. Also, the game will occasionally change perspective from Cameron to other characters.

The use of the 3D card mainly adds depth and distance to the scenes. The inventory is really neat, and can hold all items you pick up during game play. As was the case in the first Cameron Files game, you again have access to a neat diary that stores cinematics of Cameron. These are stored in the red book on the bottom right of the inventory menu. You also again have access to Cameron's Wallet. The wallet stores documents you collect during the game. In addition, as is the case with most classic adventure games, some of the items in the inventory will need to be combined and then used in certain situations.

Note that as in most all adventure games, you really have to be diligent in looking all around you, up and down, left and right, as you move around in the game. You will also need to remember to look behind you, after you click to move forward, in order to not miss objects that are necessary in the game. In addition, you will need to go back to places previously visited, as sometimes these prior scenes change and present to you on your second visit access to objects you need. There are no unnecessary objects in the game, and as is the case in most all adventure games, without the right object you will not be able to advance the game any further.

Thankfully, the game is designed to show you an object use type of cursor, when you move the mouse over areas of the screen. This type of cursor shape means you are supposed to place some type of object from your inventory on the selected area of the screen, and you have to figure out what you are supposed to place here or do here. The coded mapping of these areas has also been very liberally defined, meaning that you can get close to something, while not necessarily precisely over the object, and the use cursor shape will pop up indicating that something needs to happen here.

Also, the game is designed to prevent you from going further into other locations of the game, until you have completed the prior segments of the game. This prevents you from getting too far in the game scenes, and then having to go all the way back to prior locations, in order to find whatever object is necessary in these locations.

The focus in The Cameron Files is on typical adventure game design, with an emphasis on finding all the right objects, using the right objects in the right places, finding and talking to all the right characters, and putting the pieces together to solve the mystery. In this case, I thought The Cameron Files was one of the better examples of the adventure game genre, and think most all adventure game fans will have a great deal of fun with this game.

About The Walkthrough Solution Guides

I suggest anyone interested in this neat game to also consider getting a copy of the solutions guide that is priced right and will just help you move through the game more quickly. Thank goodness, in the case of The Cameron Files, you will certainly not be as frustrated or stymied as is the case in other adventure games, but the guide may be of help in a few situations where the timed puzzles may be a bit more difficult, or when you need a bit more help knowing what object you need in order to advance the game play.

However, many adventure gamers choose to play without a solutions guide, as they prefer to reason out the game on their own. In these situations I also think they probably have far more available hours to devote to playing the game than I do.

In my situation, playing with a walkthrough means I can concentrate on moving the game plot along, and most importantly, open up all the wonderful scenes and action that the coders have worked so hard to include in the game. Without a walkthrough, I just feel I am not getting my money's worth out of the game. Also, I always appreciate having the help to get through the game so I can savor all the impressive screens and animated cut-scenes, as was the intent of the game creators.

There is a certain degree of frustration with being stuck in an adventure game that varies from one gamer to another, and in my case, with all the other things I have to do, I just do not have the luxury of working endlessly for hours and hours on end to try and figure out what's not working in order to advance to another key plot point. So, my perspective about walkthrough guides is that these help make adventure games more fun. Not being able to decipher a puzzle or having the right object at the right time is not my idea of fun with an adventure game. 

What makes this issue even more relevant here is that DreamCatcher seems to realize this, as evidenced by their always wise price points for their games and their solution guides. The Cameron Files is so reasonably priced that this makes buying the additional solutions guide (also very smartly priced) a no-brainer. You end up with a total investment that means you will be better assured you can get through the entire game and not end up spending an excessive amount of time with the game. So, no, I don't think using a walkthrough solution guide is any indication of any lack of skill or abilities, but instead, a more appropriate way to invest minimal time with an adventure game, that ends up much more likely to be a fun experience.

Game Saves

You can save your game at any point, a feature always appreciated by adventure gamers. In this game, you really should save often, because you can indeed "die" in the game. So, you may want to make a point to always save a game before you begin a new puzzle, especially the timed sequences.

Targeted Customers

The Cameron Files 2: Pharaoh's Curse is a definite must have for any fan of computer adventure games. For those new to computer games, The Cameron Files is a good introduction to the delight of playing games on computers, and especially adventure games. The game is well designed and not too overly complex, so it should be well received by even those brand new to working with computers.

Install and Setup

The game should install and set up with no problems. The game comes on two CD ROM discs and there is minimal disc swapping. The game will need DirectX files, and these are included on the discs, if you do not have at least the version needed by the game. The game is also not one of the more complex game programs now on the market, and the system requirements are relatively moderate. This means the game is likely to play on far more machines than newer, state-of-the-art first-person shooter games that demand at least the newest 64MB 3D board now on the market.
 
Uninstalling the game involves the use of the games uninstall feature in its folder on the Start, Programs menu.

I loaded the game on a Win XP Pro, SP 1 machine (P III-850, 256MB SDRAM) that had a Creative Labs Annihilator 2, 32MB video card (an nVidia GeForce 2 GTS board), and a Creative Labs Live X Gamer! sound board, and the latest drivers for each. An HP CD RW 9200 drive served as the CD ROM drive, and I had a 12X DVD ROM drive for the DVD ROM version. The mouse and keyboard were both PS/2 connections. I also had already installed the DirectX 8.1 files, and did not need to install the DirectX files that came with the game. My machine also had an internal Zip 250 drive, standard floppy, two 8-port USB hubs, a Logitech Wingman Extreme joystick, standard microphone, Cambridge Soundworks DTS 2000 speaker system, and a NIC board connected to SW Bell's DSL modem.

Price

$19.99
$  9.99 the official strategy & solutions guide (a great bargain also)

Minimum System Configuration Requirements

P-II 233 Processor (P-III 500 MHz processor recommended
Win 95, 98, 98 SE, ME, 2000, XP
64MB RAM
1GB free hard disk space for full install
16x CD ROM Drive
DirectX Compatible Sound Card
DirectX 3D Accelerator Video Card (16MB DirectX compatible recommended)
Mouse

At the time of this writing, no patches for this game had yet been released.

At the time of this writing, DreamCatcher also sells games for Mac machines, with more soon to be available also for the Mac. No other information was available on the future continued support of their software for Apple machines. I am guessing this support is very likely to continue.

The above system configuration requirements indicate the minimum system configuration requirements, and as any experienced gamer knows, you just don't ever want to load and run any computer game on minimally configured systems.

About The Adventure Company

The Adventure Company, a division of DreamCatcher, is a leading publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment devoted exclusively to releasing titles geared towards adventure gamers. The Adventure Company is committed to publishing games that deliver maximum value on multiple platforms, including PC, Playstation2 computer entertainment system, GameCube, and Xbox.

The Adventure Company’s parent, DreamCatcher, launched its first title in 1996, with a small band of people who believed in providing customers with quality entertainment software at affordable prices. Since that time, DreamCatcher has become one of the most successful small-sized publisher in the entertainment software industry, and was the fastest growing publisher in 2000, growing over 800% according to PC Data.

Bringing to market titles that are affordable, without jeopardizing content quality, is another significant factor that helps distinguish this company from the many that flood the market with countless game titles. DreamCatcher thrives on innovative marketing strategies, solid retail and developer partnerships, and on providing excellent customer support that is well above industry standards.

A new partnership with Her Interactive has enabled DreamCatcher to now sell the super games in the Nancy Drew series, including Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill, Nancy Drew: Stay Tuned for Danger, and Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion. Check this link to read a review of these Nancy Drew Interactive Mystery Adventure Games.

Dracula: The Resurrection and In Cold Blood are two current games for the PC that will soon be released for the Playstation, and DreamCatcher also plans to release more games in the future for the Playstation 2 and the GameBoy Color platforms.

Necronomicon ($19.99) and The Legend of the Prophet and the Assassin ($19.99) are two of DreamCatcher's newer games that should also prove to be successful titles in their long list of super adventure games.

Other super games from DreamCatcher Interactive include Traitor's Gate, The Messenger, Riddle of the Sphinx, Jewels of the Oracle, Jewels II, Egypt 1156 B.C., Odyssey, TimeScape, Ancient Conquest, Beyond Time, Beyond Atlantis, Lightbringer, Legend of Lotus Spring, Nightlong, Seven Games of the Soul (also sold in Europe as Faust), SafeCracker, The Forgotten, The Sacred Amulet, and Time Machine.

All these are similarly designed adventure games, and all are priced very reasonably, the most expensive being $29.99 (In Cold Blood), with most around $14.99, and many even priced at $9.99, which I think are super prices for these super games. At the time of this writing, I have purchased and played nearly all these games, and these reasonable price points have always gotten my attention.

I think these affordable price points represent a very important strategy of DreamCatcher that has helped them achieve their success. When you consider the very expensive proposition to invest in the coding and other very expensive costs to develop and produce a computer game today, I think it is quite remarkable that this company markets their products at such a reasonable price.

I also think it is important to remember that DreamCatcher is still very much in the business of producing quality computer games, something many other companies can no longer attest to since they have gone out of business. What is even more remarkable, in my opinion, is that at the time of this writing, DreamCatcher Interactive remains wholly owned and self-sufficient, and has not yet been absorbed by a larger company.

So, with the easy on the pocket-book price of the game, and the also minimal price of the solution guides, you have the makings of a winner in the hotly contested battle for our limited disposable income and free time to invest in playing computer games. DreamCatcher Interactive is certainly a company worth watching and supporting.

Contact Information

DreamCatcher
The Adventure Company
5000 Dufferin Street
Toronto, Ontario
M3H 5T5
info@dreamcatchergames.com

You can also order from other retailers or online vendors.