This sequel to ‘Hugo's House of Horrors’ was released by Sierra in 1991. In my opinion the best of the series, it is the only one that does not feature Hugo as its main character. Instead his love interest Penelope takes the stage for (almost) the whole adventure.
Importantly, this game is far longer than its predecessor and also features slightly more detailed graphics. I remember playing the games in order back when I had my first computer in the early 90's, and I loved them!
As with many graphical adventure games of this vintage, actions are performed solely by typing in commands, though the protagonist is manoeuvred on the screen using the cursor keys.
In later years, the games were re-released in an updated point-and-click format for windows, although I have not played these.
It is difficult to discuss the game at length without revealing too much of the plot; discovery, surprise and the development of the plot is central to the enjoyment of this game and others like it, although the text-based interface provides the kinds of head-scratching puzzles that many of us miss despite the occasional frustration they cause.
Essentially, the game is a murder mystery. At the beginning of the game Hugo and Penelope are invited to stay at a mansion house. A murder is witnessed through a keyhole, and then Hugo disappears, forcing Penelope to both search for him and attempt to discover who committed the murder.
There are many
hilarious moments in this game, often provided by interaction with other characters, as well as many frustrating but nicely thought out puzzles. The biggest problem with games of this type is frustration caused by the text interface. The nature of such an interface means that although you may be able to see what to do next, you may find it hard to think of a way of phrasing it that the game will accept. Personally, I think the capabilities of the text interface in this game are very good, considering the difficulties involved in programming a game to anticipate various synonymous responses without accepting similar-sounding incorrect ones, and without creating an enormous database of possible commands.
Even ardent DOS adventure game fans may be put off by the age of this game, but it is worth playing through and although a respectable length for a game of its age and type, should not take more than a few days to complete (a matter of hours if you are very clever or cheat!). I would also strongly recommend the other games in the series, and it is wise (but by no means necessary) to play the first, 'Hugo's House of Horrors' before this one.
