The Manor at Whitby

Discovering an atmospheric terror game among the rest of the one-room games was one of the surprise treats of the competition.

The game starts you off with a stack of reading material, which immediately and effectively establishes the tone. Reading a letter or paging through a diary in an interactive context is always fun, for some reason. I suspect that this is one of the unsung virtues of interactive fiction: its ability to imbue quotidian texts with an air of suspense and excitement.

I got a similar thrill from looking at the paintings in the hallway. Folks, is there anything more delightful than discovering a mysterious letter and a series of cryptic paintings in the first few rooms of a suspenseful IF game? I think not!

Sadly, the game falls apart somewhat toward the end. Either it wasn't finished, or bugs kept me from reaching a conclusion. I suspect this was a consequence of the short development window and the attention to detail early on.

Despite this weakness, the game remains my favorite from the competition, and I recommend it to fans of interactive terror.