Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine (Jewel Case) Reviews

His parents may have named the dog Indiana, but for millions of fans there's no better name associated with adventure than the moniker Dr. Jones took for himself. For Indy fans, the follow-up to a 1992 Indiana Jones adventure game has been a long wait, but trust us--it was worth it. A solid 3-D third-person role-playing game, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine was built on LucasArts' own Jedi Knight engine, putting an entirely new spin on the series formula. While his lady friends throughout the years may have considered Indiana himself "infernal," the title actually refers to a Babylonian device that has fallen into the wrong hands. In the past Indy took on monstrous Nazi officers; now he's working with the CIA to capture the machine before it falls into the hands of Soviet agents. This fight takes players through scores of wonderfully rendered scenes, both underground and aboveground. There are some drawbacks, of course (and we're not talking about its similarity to a certain other tomb-raiding game). The primary fault is that it's single-player only, so don't plan any KGB-versus-Dr. Jones death matches. But the famous Indy wit and attitude goes a long way towards making up for that flaw. Also, Infernal Machine is easy to jump into and simple to play--unlike other games that require memorizing key assignments before even beginning. A much-anticipated title, Infernal Machine --like the globetrotting, dust-covered, nick-of-time treasure hunter himself--delivers the goods.