Dracula : The Last Sanctuary 17+

Nearly a 5, but a few small problems hold it back...

This is the second in the Dracula series - following on from Dracula Resurrection and preceeding Dracula The Path of the Dragon.

Dracula - The Last Sanctuary was previously available on PlayStation and PC, and it's great to see it arrive on the Mac App Store. However, players of the old versions should be warned that the puzzles in this game have been scaled back quite a bit, making the game a lot easier to finish, which could well lead to disappointment. For me, it was a little disappointing in Dracula Resurrection but for this game, Dracula The Last Sanctuary, I, as a reletive nowcomer to point-and-click adventures, was somewhat relieved that the puzzles had been scaled back, since on the PlayStation and PC, this game was significantly more difficult than the first game. Perhaps it would've been nice to offer the choice between the puzzles as they were, or the scaled back experience we now have on the Mac.

This leads to another slight problem. Rather than being able to look around just by moving the mouse, with the centred cursor altering depending on the context, as in the old PlayStation and PC versions, you now have to hold down the mouse button in order to look around, while clicking on the on-screen icons to move around or interract with points of interest. This makes it seem to me as if they simply ported back the iOS version (with the mouse-button having to stand in for the players' finger) rather than optimising this for computers or simply porting over the PC version. If you're using a TrackPad, then it can be slightly more difficult still to look around, since holding down the whole pad rather than one, tiny mouse-button can be a little tiresome.

Elsewhere, there seemed to be a couple of bugs. There was one point when I had to reload an earlier autosave becasue I handn't picked up an object I needed and I couldn't return for it once I had moved on. Further on, I was able to keep taking a certain object over and over again, until they had entirely filled my invetory and nothing else I picked up would show up. Of course, simple common sense will see you through this problem. Just pick it up once and move on. Finally, I discovered that I had prevented myself from moving forwards by combining two objects earlier than I was supposed to. Again, I had to reload an earlier autosave and make sure I didn't repeat the same mistake.

These were all fairly minor problems in the grand scheme of things and they didn't deter me from trying again or stop me from enjoying the game. It's also worth pointing out that the bug enabling you to take the same object over and over again does not seem to be present on the iPad version. I can't speak for the other two though.

All-in-all, I would say this is a good game and a worthwhile buy, but bare in mind it's not quite the same experience as you may remember from the PlayStation or PC version. The graphics do the job and the audio is suitably atmospheric. Also, the transition when moving has been smoothed out for the Mac (and iPad) versions. If you're new to point-and-click adventure games and you're up for a bit of horror, then I'd say this game is still well worth the money.

Microids, if you're thinking of bringing any more old Wanadoo point-and-click adventures to the Mac App Store, then I'd love to see NECRONOMICON - THE DAWNING OF DARKNESS given a new lease of life, but if you do, please take into account my comments on Dracula - The Last Sanctuary. A port of the PC version of NECRONOMICON - THE DAWNING OF DARKNESS with the option of scaled back puzzles for newcommers would, in my opinion, be a great addition to the Mac App Store, which I for one, would happily buy.