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" Release Date: December 4 (episode 2 in January 2014) Platforms available on: PC (iOS, Android, Vita soon) Developer: Revolution Software Publisher: Revolution Software Genre: Point-and-click adventure Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars raised the bar for adventure gaming when it debuted in 1996, breathing life into a flagging genre. Revolution Software&amp;#039;s flagship series experienced mixed fortunes after making the jump to 3D with 2002&amp;#039;s The Sleeping Dragon, dividing its fan base and falling somewhat short of the universal acclaim of the early instalments. Protagonist George Stobbart&amp;#039;s return to his 2D roots has been a long time coming, but the Kickstarter-backed Broken Sword 5: The Serpent&amp;#039;s Curse has now arrived to whisk us back to a time when point-and-click adventures were at the top of their game.  Broken Sword 5: The Serpent&amp;#039;s Curse - a two part adventure that will conclude in January - is a nostalgic offering, aiming to recapture everything that made the original a classic, from its layered plot to its challenging puzzles. The storyline strays away from the Templar-themed conspiracies of the previous games, following George and his on-off love interest Nico Collard on a globe-trekking adventure that delves into the dark secrets surrounding the Gnostic Gospels. It&amp;#039;s a story with as much scope as any of the game&amp;#039;s predecessors, laden with mystery and intrigue, but there are some pacing issues and the script could have used some sharpening. Botched comedic ambitions aside, Broken Sword 5: The Serpent&amp;#039;s Curse excels in other respects, namely in its efforts to recapture the essence of the first two entries in the series. The game feels slow paced at times, taking a while to get going and hampered by what feels like filler material as the player&amp;#039;s perspective jumps sporadically between that of both George and Nico. Although it&amp;#039;s satisfying to see the layers of this mystery stripped away, some of Broken Sword 5: The Serpent&amp;#039;s Curse&amp;#039;s more low-key segments could have been jettisoned to its benefit. The script is by no means poor, more than doing its job the majority of the time, but the writers&amp;#039; attempts at humour fall flat, with George and his supporting cast dropping some clangers.  Botched comedic ambitions aside, Broken Sword 5: The Serpent&amp;#039;s Curse excels in other respects, namely in its efforts to recapture the essence of the first two entries in the series. The game uses the same simplistic point-and-click interface as the original, making it refreshingly simple for newcomers to learn the ropes, and pleasingly nostalgic for the series veterans. In terms of tone, style and themes, Broken Sword 5: The Serpent&amp;#039;s Curse comes across like a love letter to George and Nico&amp;#039;s first adventure, and a fitting one at that. Although the title&amp;#039;s user interface was inherited from its ancestors, it attempts to embraces modern technology with the inclusion of HD visuals and pre-rendered 3D character models, which are set against hand-drawn 2D backdrops.  The result feels like a natural evolution of the original Broken Sword titles, boasting plenty of character, charm and artistry, despite looking a little dated in some respects. Puzzles are the backbone of the game, and while some are genuinely inventive, others will feel tedious and unsatisfactory to the seasoned adventurer. For instance, there is one scene where George&amp;#039;s investigation grinds to a halt because of a mere cockroach on a shop floor, which our hero must remove in the most long-winded way imaginable, carrying out errands to obtain the necessary materials for a baited trap. Puzzles are the backbone of the game, and while some are genuinely inventive, others will feel tedious and unsatisfactory to the seasoned adventurer. Given that there is a shadowy organisation carrying out murders and hatching devious plots, segments like this feel comparatively trivial in the grand scheme of things. Other puzzles merely require drawn-out conversations with other characters, but these are fortunately interspersed between some vintage Broken Sword head-scratchers that will sternly test the player&amp;#039;s detective skills. Like many other aspects of the game, the quality of the voice acting is a mixed bag. Rolf Saxon is pleasingly familiar in the role of George, but Emma Tate&amp;#039;s Nico sounds as though she is reading her lines off a teleprompter, and the supporting cast vary with their performances.   Despite its flaws, Broken Sword 5: The Serpent&amp;#039;s Curse has a lot to offer avid fans of the series, who will relish the opportunity to play a new instalment built on traditional 2D values. In this regard, Revolution Software has delivered on its Kickstarter promises to make the game that the fans want, but given that it had enough material to put it out across two episodic instalments, one could argue that it has over-egged this pudding with superfluous dialogue and puzzles. This first episode of Broken Sword 5: The Serpent&amp;#039;s Curse is a noble attempt at recapturing the spirit of a classic from a bygone era, that doesn&amp;#039;t quite reach the same lofty standards as the original.   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/review/a535559/broken-sword-5-the-serpents-curse-review-pc-a-nostalgic-offering/>