Fish Fingers and Custard Issue 1 - Fish Fingers and Custard Fanzine

11
It's an Adventure Game
Fish Fingers and Custard Issue 1
I have always thought that Doctor Who would make a good ‘point and click’ adventure
game and I was right, as it plays very well. The controls are similar to how most 3D
adventure games control nowadays - with the character being controlled either using the
keyboard or by holding down the left mouse button. Selecting objects is a bit different, as
instead of a mouse cursor, you have to rotate the camera around to the object you wish to
interact with. The same method applies if you wish to use an item in your inventory.
Compared to many other adventure games, the interface seems to have been simplified,
probably because of a potential younger audience, but it works well and the controls will
not hamper your enjoyment of the game.
The adventure gameplay is fun to play through and some of the puzzles are interesting to
work out. As well as the standard adventure gameplay, there are also some puzzles which
require you to move objects through a maze or rewire circuit boards. As The Doctor does
not normally get into fights or gun battles, an adventure game setting really works in
making it feel like you are The Doctor and helps to it make an engrossing game to play
through. You also get to use the Sonic Screwdriver a fair bit, which adds to the
experience.
The Facts Are Actually Quite Interesting
Whilst playing this game, I realised why the BBC may have spent licence fee money on
creating these games and that is because of the educational facts in the game. The facts
are most prominent in the 1963 section of the game, when you go near certain objects
there is a prompt to click for a fact (for example - there is one about Nelson’s Column).
Now I think these facts were put in to educate kids, who will mostly play these games, but
the facts themselves are actually quite interesting for adults to read. You might find that
you'll come across something which you never knew before and when it happened to me,
it certainly impressed me. A minor detail, but helped make the game more entertaining.
Extra Collectibles
During the game you can find and pick up cards. These cards contain different pieces of
information about the Doctor Who universe. If you're a big Doctor Who fan - you'll
certainly enjoy reading these cards! Just wait until you find the David Tennant one...
Parts I Didn't Like
Stealth Sections Can Be Annoying
Whilst having a good adventure game element, it seems that this game has fallen into a
trap that most games did post-MGS1 (Metal Gear Solid? – Ed) where there is a stealth
section in the game. During the game you have to avoid Daleks, whom patrol the levels,
with each Dalek having a vision cone which you can see. The game is fairly forgiving if
you're caught in one of these vision cones, as you have the chance to escape, but you