Just Like Clockwork

The Clockwork Man is a wonderful little game set in late 19th century London. It's not exactly London as we know it, but a parallel steam punk (think Jules Verne) version of the city. Our heroes for the adventure are Miss Miranda Calomy and her robot companion Sprocket. As the game begins, Miranda is searching for a letter from her grandfather Cornelius, an eccentric inventor. It seems to have gotten lost in her cluttered, unorganized house. How convenient for the lead character in a hidden objects game to live in such a mess! As you've probably already assumed, the fun begins right away as you scavenge for the missing letter.

What's written in the letter I'll let you find out for yourself, but it sets Miranda and Sprocket off on an enchanting journey across London and far beyond. The game's great story, beautiful visuals, and absolutely magical musical soundtrack will paint a wide smile across your face regardless of your age or what public restroom you use. It was very easy to get lost in this product and near impossible to pull myself away to write this. In fact, as soon as I'm done, I plan to jump right back into the action.

Scroll and Zoom

The game offers what it refers to as "scroll and zoom" game play. This means that you can scroll around certain environments and even zoom in at certain sections. They both work wonderfully and expand each stage, offering up a bigger area to search. You can zoom and scroll in a number of ways, including the arrow keys and the mouse wheel. Certain items can only be found by using these features, so you'd better grow accustomed to using them.

Certain objects will need to be used in conjunction with something in the level in order to perform a certain task. These are pretty self-explanatory when you get to them and your cursor will let you know when you're mousing over something in the background that you need to interact with.

The Clockwork Man's hint system is clever and unique, which is a great thing to see, as these systems are often tacked on. Sprocket acts as your guide, allowing you to use a multitude of powers at the expense of his energy units. The first kind available is the basic object locater, which you can think of as your standard hint. Click on it and you'll use two energy units to find a random object from your list. Other powers take more energy and Sprocket will periodically recharge.

Runs Like a Clock

The Clockwork Man is a beautiful product, both in its visual design and its game play. The story is intriguing, the world is wondrous, and the characters are lovable, especially Sprocket, who looks like something out of a Pixar movie. The searching levels are a blast, and although the game is a little on the short side, the hearty challenge and the unlockable free mode will keep you busy for a long while.