Basics:

     Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator
-Case 3- The Sorceress of Smailholm
is the third installment in the now famous
Ben Jordan series and was created in 
October of 2004 by Grundislav after the 
rousing success of his first two games, 
wot wot. This game won 3 ags awards 
for best player character, best story and 
best documentation.

Story:

     The story begins with Ben Jordan 
being called to the Scottish town of
Smailholm to investigate the myster-
ious and brutal murder of two children
who were found in the woods by the 
townsfolk. The surrounding people 
believe it was the work witches, as
the children were murdered in a very evil
witchlike way. Believing that an old 
woman in the woods, a wicken,
killed the children, they imprison a girl
who lives near the old woman to make 
her confess to the crimes. Ben sets 
out to find the real witches and save
an innocent woman. Along with the 
help of a British detective Quentin P. 
Jones, unravel the mystery behind the 
witches of Smailholm. But beware,
the town of Smailholm is not all it seems....

Game play:

     The Game play in this game is exactly the 
same as the Sierra games from the 90's.
The author didn't bother to change the GUI,
so you will see the same GUI as in most 
Space Quest games. Also, the pointage system 
is back, that’s right, when you learn something 
of importance, you receive a certain amount of 
points. This adds to the interesting factor of the
game, as you will probably compete with yourself
to see if you can get a score of 100. Also, when
you get some points, a witch cackles, adding to the 
strangeness and uniqueness of the game.

Characters:

     The neat characters in the game are portrayed 
exactly how they are supposed to be, and act 
how they should according to their respective 
personalities. All of the characters in the game are 
British or Scottish, which is neat because it adds
the famous dry Brit humor to the game. Characters 
range from an old Wicken to a Andy Griffith style
constable. P.S. Ben Jordan is not British.

Puzzles:

     The puzzles in this game are quite challenging 
and will take even the most experienced adventure
gamers a while to figure out. One of the puzzles 
requires you to use the P.I. Handbook to crack
a witch code, and save a mans life. Another puzzle
requires you to act quickly or die, and one even 
chooses which ending you get by how you solve it.

Content:

     The content in this game is like the first in the 
series, only suitable for ages 15 and up for graphic
violence, strong language, and thematic elements.

Replayability:

     The replayability factor in this game is high, as
you will not only want to do your best to get 100
points, but you will also want to search the game to 
find both endings. It's a game you will want to play again
and again.

Overall:

     This is a very good game, and it has a good story
and good characters. It has many plot twists and will 
keep you coming back for more. Pick this game up as
soon as possible and play it. You will love this gem, and
might even find it to be one of the best adventure games 
you've ever played.