STORY

Ben Jordan, and his friends Simon and Alice, have decided to go on holiday to Greece.  After Alice being poisoned in the last adventure, she needs to get away and relax for a while.  The three friends soon find themselves in a quiet little seaside town called Agia Anna.  However, Ben has heard rumours of the Sea People, who appear at night, and drag their victims into the sea to eat them.  Ben, always ready for another adventure, immediately starts looking for more information about these monstrous sea creatures.  It seems that trouble follows Ben wherever he goes - even on holiday! 

Although Ben investigates things on his own at first, so Simon and Alice can enjoy their holiday, the whole team soon pulls together as they find out more about this ancient legend.  Why are the Sea People killing humans like this?  Is there any way to stop them?  Our heroes must overcome many obstacles if they are to solve the mystery of the Scourge Of The Sea People.  There is also a lovely little subplot in this game that I don't want to spoil for you.  Just make sure you play right to the end! 

GAMEPLAY

The game uses a point-and-click interface, which makes it easy to play. There are icons along the top of the screen (just move your mouse up there) that you click on to move, talk, ask, use, and see your inventory etc. To move, just click on an area of the screen and Ben will move there. You can also load, and save your game. Your score is also shown at the top of the screen. It is very similar to the old Sierra games.

You gain points when you learn a valuable piece of information.  You are also rewarded by hearing the sound of the sea - very appropriate for a game about sea monsters I thought!  There is a separate icon for general 'Talk', and 'Ask' about a specific topic.  If you don't get any result from one talk icon, you can always try the other icon to get more information about things.  There is also a handy 'Notebook' feature which helps you keep track of what you are supposed to be doing. Simply click on the notebook to see your currant tasks. This helps you if you get a bit lost.

GRAPHICS

The game is set in Greece, and there are some nice touches that add a Greek feel to the game.  The title screen shows Grundislav's name written in Greek.  The 'Quit' screen has the words 'Yes' and 'No' written in Greek, which adds some  authenticity to the game.  I thought waves splashing onto the beach were very effective, and I also liked torches flickering on the cave walls on Oracle Island.  Backgrounds are very luscious, and appear to be hand drawn.  Dream sequences add a lot of mystery to the game, and get scarier as the game progresses.  You can see a close-up of someone's face as they talk, which was a nice touch.  I did find it strange, however, that Ben sleeps fully clothed with his shoes on.  

MUSIC AND SOUND EFFECTS

Grundislav and his team have done a nice job with the Greek music. It really adds to the atmosphere, and makes the game seem more authentic.  The music changes sometimes, as you enter different locations, so there is a nice variety.  There are a lot of good sound effects in this game. You can hear birds twittering in the background, or a knock on the door, or even the sound of the waves.  I loved the sound of the camera smashing at the airport.  As I mentioned earlier, you can also hear the sound of the sea when you gain points.

CHARACTERS

As well as the three main characters (Ben, Simon and Alice), you get to meet some very interesting people.  The fisherman is an important character, as he takes you from place to place.  It was also interesting to meet Professor Quincy Sanbourne, as he wrote Ben's Paranormal Investigators journal.  The Oracle was another helpful character, and I liked how she appeared in the cave on Oracle Island. 

PUZZLES

Most of the puzzles in Ben Jordan 6 are quite straight forward and logical.  They are fun to solve, and will not leave you wondering what to do next.  However, at one point, Ben and Simon have to take part in a drinking contest.  This contest seemed a bit pointless, like it was just stuck in there for the sake of it. 

SUMMARY

This is a great game that all Ben Jordan fans will enjoy.  Ben, Simon, and Alice have such a good rapport with each, and even when they are on holiday, they get sucked into another adventure.  I loved the subplot, and I can't wait to see what happens next.  The notebook feature is very handy, so you know what your objectives are.  Backgrounds are gorgeous to see, and there is some interesting characters.  I thought the boat was a nice touch.  Instead of using a map to get from place to place, you have to sail by boat.   The only thing I wasn't keen on was the drinking contest, as it seemed pointless.  All in all, a brilliant game that I very much enjoyed.