With adventure games abandoned by the majors, and high-profile indie projects few and far between, fans of the genre find the pickings meager. But here's reason for celebration: a big, well-executed game that feels like a cross between Monkey Island and Leisure Suit Larry, with the sort of humor adventure gamers learned to love from Infocom and Lucasarts but is now almost entirely lacking on the gaming landscape.
You play the eponymous Al Emmo, a schlubby 40-something guy who comes to a remote desert town in pursuit of a mail-order bride who ditches him when his lack of ready cash becomes apparent. But not to fear, Al quickly falls for another woman who is tied up with the mystery, naturally, of the Lost Dutchman's mine--a mystery unfortunately better suited to the talents of an Indian Jones that this game's nerdy anti-hero.
Some tips: If you're not finding what you're looking for, talk to the characters in the scene repeatedly. Sometimes, what you need from them doesn't emerge in the first dialog. Also, the cursors are fairly large, and sometimes it's difficult to be sure that you're clicking on a small object; note that the cursors each have a white dot at upper left. Position that over the object before clicking.
We've included the walkthrough of the demo with the demo installer; if you're a purist, you can always delete it.
