Wacky, crazy and a whole load of fun (Sam & Max Hit The Road (PC))

Member Name: drakesdrum

Product:	Sam & Max Hit The Road (PC)
Date:	31/07/09 (50 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funny, challenging, extremely well made

Disadvantages: Digital manual

Sam and Max Hit The Road is an adventure game on the PC released by Lucas Arts way back in 1993. It was re-released in 2002 so it was compatible with newer computers. Based on the 1989 Sam & Max comic On the Road, the duo take the case of a missing bigfoot from a nearby carnival, travelling to many Americana tourist sites to solve the mystery.

The game is based on the comic characters of Sam and Max, the "Freelance Police", an anthropomorphic dog and in his own words, a"hyperkinetic rabbity thing". So as you can see, the game is pretty wacky, quite surreal but a whole load of fun.

Firstly I should point out the game I was willing to bet will be able to work on any computer. The minimum requirements are very low and despite what it says on amazon, it does work on XP and Vista, I know because I gave it a try on both. For some reason Amazon says it's for windows 95/98 only but it isn't. The game is simple to install following the on screen walkthrough. Then you're ready to go within minutes.

One bad point for me was that the manual is a php file on the CD itself, rather than a booklet. This means if you're playing the game and you need help you have to minimize the game in order to open the manual, a bit of an annoyance to be honest espcially if you have to keep flicking back and forth to the manual. That said the manual is fairly expansive and includes further contact points for problems not covered by it.

I am a firm believer of not giving any of the plot away as that is a key aspect of a game like this so I will avoid telling the story and stick to other parts. Firstly, the graphics are basic but they don't need to be better. The animation at the time in 1993 was truly fantastic and today it looks a little dated but I personally like it. It's 2-D like a cartoon but the detail on some of the characters is excellent, as is the detail of some of the rooms. It makes for an exceptional looking experience where you get lost in this crazy world Sam & Max are in. The colours are fantastic, bright colours everywhere adding to that cartoon feel that suits the game to a tee.

The gameplay is superb. It's easy to control, it's essentially just a point and click game like the many others that were released around the same time, the most famous of which is probably Monkey Island. You are in control of Sam and you explore the world and try and solve mystery's presented to you along the way. These puzzles often have a logical solution but they often also have bizarre solutions where you have to think outside the box a bit! You have a box of objects which you carry around with you which are used on some of the puzzles but you have to work out what to use and where to use it. Some of the objects are bizarre and you never know when they may come in useful.
Sam can talk to people and Max chips in too with some funny comments.

I can gurantee that this game with provide challenges to even the most intellectual and ardent of gamers, which is a good thing I think. As I said, a lot of the solutions are completely mental but they have some logic and meaning behind them. Within the game there a many mini-games to keep you interested along the way. I particularly found them good when I reached frustrating parts where I couldn't work out what on earth to do (there were many of these moments believe me!). These mini games are optional to whether you play them or not, they are not essential in completing the game.

The game has moments where you just sit back and watch. Unlike other games of this type, Sam & Max Hit The Road have the balance between these moments and playtime spot on. The sit and watch moments don't last that long and besides, they are good fun and full of humour. The game is very funny with a lot of funny dialogue throughout. This changes depending on where you go and what you see, in fact right to the end of the game I was hearing new comments made that made me laugh. A lot of the humour is the sort only adults would understand but children will like this too and have a laugh along the way, particularly at the slapstick nature of some of the comedy.

I played this game as a kid and loved it and now as an adult I still love it. I often return to it after a while as I always forget how you complete it as there are so many puzzles and mystery's to work out. In truth though, once you've completed it you're unlikely to play it again for a long time. Looking back it's no wonder I never completed it as a kid because some of the puzzles are difficult to work out as I said before. However, I honestly feel this game developed my brain at a young age to try and work these out, problem solving, logic that sort of thing. Even as an adult I felt my brain working overtime to work things out.

The audio on this game is excellent and fits in witht he cartoon look. The voices of Sam & Max are exactly as I'd imagined them to be like and work very well. The game also has music throughout, often changing depending where you are in the world. This I found superb and added to the atmosphere of each location, giving them a unique feel. In fact the music is so good fans of this game converted it to make a music CD!
The sound effects are a bit crazy, as I say very cartoon like but it works very well.

This is a brilliant game for kids and adults alike. If you child manages to complete this game to be honest you have spawned a genius but it will genuinely help their problem solving, logical thinking and work their brain, whilst they have tremendous fun within the wacky world.
This game is genuinely funny and kept me interested all the way through, with a perfect mix of interactivity and movie parts. I guess I'll admit here and now I had to cheat to complete the game, the frustration was killing me.

The game is available from Amazon for £6.07, which is well worth a purchase

Summary: A funny and epic game which charms