Schizm II: Chameleon PC

The original Schizm was one of the last in a dying breed of adventure games that relied on 2D, pre-rendered backgrounds. It comes as no surprise then that this sequel, Chameleon, has undergone a snazzy 3D makeover, courtesy of Monolith's Jupiter engine (of No One Lives Forever 2 fame) and as such delivers another slice of serious adventure gaming, albeit with a much more immersive gameplay environment. The extremely original story tells of a young man by the name of Sen, who wakes up from a cryogenic sleep aboard an orbiting space station. A 200-year-old recording informs him that the planet below is desolate, he is responsible, and that the derelict station is to be his prison and ultimately his tomb. If that's not problematic enough, the obligatory amnesia means that Sen remembers nothing of the planet's demise - all he does know is that a single valley survived the devastation and that he must find a way to reach it. You take on the role of the sticky predicament-stricken Sen as you struggle to escape the orbiting prison and return to the strange new world that was once your home. Inhabiting the planet now are two feuding tribes, amongst which you must travel safely, on the quest to discover the truth. In the same way as its predecessor, Schizm II features completely non-violent gameplay, placing focus instead on the exploration of a wide array of stunning environments and the solving of myriad puzzles. There are over 40 of these locations to discover, both indoor and out, which are brought to life by a host of animated features, dynamic lighting and special effects. In keeping with the game's passive nature, instead of fighting the two tribes, players must get along and interact with them. This is achieved with the aid of the game's titular 'Chameleon' technology, which you use to impersonate the different races. Presenting quite a refreshing change to the usual gaming fodder, Schizm II delivers an engrossing and visually stunning adventure, completely devoid of the usual diet of death and destruc