Wouldn’t it be really cool if Harrison Ford would do the voice-overs for one of the Indiana Jones games! If he’s worried about embarrassing himself by being associated with a console/pc game well, there are worse things he could do to tarnish his reputation. It’s not as though he’s going to do something stupid and dump his wife of 20 years for some anorexic bimbo half his age. And pity the poor guy - in this case David Esch – who does supply the voice of Indy. No matter how good he is, he’s still not Harrison Ford, and if he’s bad, well, he’s not Harrison Ford. It’s a lose-lose situation.

Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb transports us back to 1935, a time of Nazis, Nazis and, of course, Nazis. Even though Nazis are the most over-used bad guys in gaming, the truth is that an Indiana Jones game without Nazis would be like Al Capone without Elliot Ness, like Bugs Bunny without Elmer Fudd, like Michael Jackson without young…well, you get the point. In fact, a recent national survey of 1,000 high school students asked, ‘What is the historical significance of the Nazis” and 93% responded, “Their wood be know video games without the Nazis.” So you see, our younger generation can learn from playing video games.

Emperor’s Tomb is not for the die-hard adventure fan who still drools over the complex inventory based-puzzles of Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. No, Emperor’s Tomb is for the adventurous adventure gamer who actually wants to be Indiana Jones and relive the action sequences of the films. Yes there are puzzles, but they arise more from the environment – how best to shimmy to that unreachable ledge or find an entrance to that inaccessible tower. If anything, Emperor’s Tomb disproves the adage that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. In fact, this game is probably as close to a movie experience as you can get without jumping into the screen.

At its essence, Emperor’s Tomb is a platform game as you run, jump, swing, swim, shimmy, whip and climb your way through ten levels of 3D locales from the jungles of Ceylon, to the Black Dragon Fortress and eventually, the Netherworld. Though what really catapults Emperor’s Tomb above many similar products on the market is the responsiveness of the Indy character. You never feel as though you are battling with the controller as you jump onto ledges or dangling chains, shimmy around a corner or whip a pistol from an adversary and this feeling that you are the character helps to build the tension, and excitement, during situations that require split-second timing.

Before you begin to think that you do nothing but fight your way through scads of Nazis and Chinese adversaries, well this is a game that usually offers a cerebral and a brute force solution to the same situation. For example, as Indy clings to the shadows on a ledge overlooking a roomful of Nazis, you can choose to either drop down unannounced and blast away or shimmy across the ledge and release a lever that will drop a chandelier. In many cases, it’s easy to overlook the cunning route and go for the gusto, but any true adventurer will look for the non-violent approach in keeping with the true spirit of the Indiana Jones character. Unfortunately, too many of the puzzles still rely on pulling strategically placed levers, chains and rings attached to walls and too often seem to be artificially placed and exist simply as a puzzle solution.

Of course, Indy also has his trusty bullwhip and revolver. Even weapons retrieved from beaten foes and broken table and chair legs can be used to crack some skulls. But the most satisfying form of offense is Indy’s knuckles. I’ve never been big on fighting games and their confusing combination punches, but the fisticuffs in Indy are so effortless and realistic that you find yourself swaying with their movement. If you time your punch right you can even effortlessly toss a foe from atop a castle tower.

As for the storyline, it’s another inscrutable search around the globe for an ancient artifact – this time the mysterious Heart of the Dragon – and contains the prerequisite plot twists and surprises. The in-game cinemas are highly watchable and informative so for once it is too your advantage to not skip them. If I have to describe the music then you shouldn’t even be reading this review (do you know of anyone who doesn’t immediately hum the Indiana Jones theme song the moment they hear it?) and should instead be watching Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom or The Last Crusade to whet your appetite for the games.

This is not a short game – it took me two hours just to complete the introductory sequence – and even playing at easy level it becomes quite difficult towards the conclusion. What really exacerbates the difficulty - and almost ruins the gaming experience - is that you can never, ever save your game – never. Instead, it will automatically auto-save at the end of each level. So if at the end of a particularly lengthy level, if you are having problems with a nasty puzzle that requires a complicated series of moves, then instead of being able to save in the middle of this puzzle, you must then after each character death start at the beginning of the stage and work your way back to the troublesome puzzle. This is console mentality at its worse; it kills the tension at crucial moments and is unforgivable in a quality product. Another nagging problem is that every level has a specific goal, but unless you remember to pause the game to read the goal, you can wander about aimlessly before realizing your objective. What pestered me the most though, was that no matter what Indy does - walk, run, swing or swim – he pants for breath like a senior citizen that’s just spent some quality time with a woman half his age. Puh-lease.

Still, if I had to choose between the artificialness of Laura Croft and the grittiness of Indiana Jones, Indy would win fedora down, even if his aging bullwhip might be in need of a dose of Viagra.

Final Grade: B

System Requirements:

PC Version:

• Operating System: Windows 98, ME, Windows 2000, and XP.
• Computer: 100% DirectX compatible computer required.
• CPU: Pentium III 733Mhz or better required.
• Memory: 128 MB RAM required.
• Graphics Card: GeForce 256 video card or better required.
• Sound Card: DirectX compatible sound card required.
• CD-ROM: Quad Speed IDE or SCSI CD-ROM drive required.
• Input Device: 100% Direct Input compatible keyboard or mouse required.
• DirectX: Requires DirectX 8.1 or higher required.