Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror

Discount Price: $21.95

Features:

• Over 60 characters to interact with.
• Interact in a multitude of highly detailed locations.
• Explore and investigate hundreds and hundreds of mind bending puzzles and clues.
• Exceptional immersive award winning adventure gaming.
• PC: Windows 95/98/ME

Accessories:
PC Gamer (1-year)	Games for Windows: The Official Magazine

Customer Reviews:

Excellent, but the first one was better [Posted on 2004-01-29]
That about says it all, Broken Sword Shadow of the Templars was better, but this one is pretty darn good too. The graphics might even be a little better.

Last true adventure game [Posted on 2005-07-05]
I have loved adventure games ever since I played the first one. Broken sword: the smoking mirror is a heck of a game. it has excellent graphics and a exciting story line, the puzzles are not too abstract so you can actually use common sense to solve the game.

In short, if you like classic point and click 2D adventure games you are going to love this one.

Great sequel. Adventure game. [Posted on 2006-01-27]
This game is a sequel to Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars. (One of the reviewers mentioned that is it a sequel to the Cold Blood, but I'm pretty sure it's the Shadow of the Templars).

By itself, the game is great. It features the same characters - George and Nicole. In the beginning, George finds out that Nicole was kidnapped, then he learns that the whole world is in danger and he, again, is the only one who can save it. Throughout the game you will find George wandering the London subway (with a ghost), going to the Caribbeans, visiting the jungles, getting stuck in jail, getting involved with shooting a movie, and so much more!
The graphics are the same as in the first game: 2-D cartoon-line animation.

Compared to the original, I find The Smoking Mirrors inferior - I guess the story is not AS thrilling and the game is not AS charming, but by itself, as I already said, it is a great one. Lots of challenges, capability of dying in the game, great music, funny at times. Check it out. Do play the Shadow of the Templars first, if you haven't yet.

Cannot make a recommendation on the age restriction.

It is not a bad game but it is not even near to first one, Shadow of Templars AKA Circle of Blood [Posted on 2006-05-07]
Here we go again: dialogues, logical puzzles and multiple attempt problems...did I say logical puzzles? They are more try again/click around then logical puzzles, and I hated game for that. It seemed they took same engine and just made game for player to spend hours.

Story is not so good like before, and there is no humor like in first sequel. Some parts of a game give you oportunity to do something wrong without even a chance to know there is better solution, so reading FAQ and saving often in different slot is a must.

When you run away from boar, click on branch, otherwise u re stuck.

Outside piramid, FIRST GO UP and then talk to soldiers and get torch.

Inside pyramid, read FAQ in order so see how to pull levers in order to open secret door...

Hm...if I remember something else I'll write it here :)

I must say I LOVED graphics, and they will never be outdated because they are cartoon movie style.

Awww, What Can I Say...? [Posted on 2007-04-09]
I'm a stickler for this kinda game.

I was lucky to find it at all, really. Went to a homeschooler's convention, and was rooting around in an old, discount, PC, game bin. You never know what you might find in these kind of places, so I had a go at it... and found this weird lookin' game called "Broken Sword:The Smoking Mirror" with a picture on the front of some skull...? Reading the back, I found myself intruiged. Only five bucks, I pressed my mom into getting it.

Boy. Was I lucky.

The beginning cinema was kinda funny looking, and I wasn't impressed. Basic beginning: boy and girl go to house, "butler" drugs girl, leaves boy stranded in a burning house with a tarantula advancing on the poor lad, tied to a chair. Ok, pretty basic.

Then I started getting farther into the game. From the quirky characters... a priest who refuses to visit a native tribe because he'd partaken in "the monkey dance"... O_O... and let's not forget the lackwit son of a female president, making advances on the main female character any chance he can. And the narratives are witty and downright excellent. Made me do everything from laughing out loud to gasping and saying, "Oooooh..." There is definetly some tounge-in-cheek humor, and crude bits to make you want to tell your friends. Such, as previously mentioned, the monkey dance. Not to mention the "red, lace-trimmed panies with a large black love-heart emblazoned on the front" that you use to shield your hand from a hot doorhandle. Can't get much better then that. :D

We'll also say I'm bias. In a game like this, I don't give a darn what the graphics are like. As long as I can get the idea of what's going on, and the characters aren't little dots or close to it, I'm happy. That said, the graphics weren't that bad for when the game was made. Just keep that in mind, and you'll do fine.

I also like the music, actually. It really set the scenes for me. Every time I heard that little line of chimes, which usually means you've found something of importance, I felt my spine tingle.

The storyline is great, too. I would never play a game with anything short of an ingruiging storyline. It's just impossible. :P A cross between drug smuggling operation and the Mayan apocalypse, you gotta give it credit for a neat story. Kept me playing and playing.

Since I've rambled on long enough, I'll just say: get it if you can. If you're not into video games just for the pretty pictures, and you want some meat to your storyline... and don't mind some really funny, if crude, comments... then get it. If you can get a hold of it, chances are it won't be expensive, so you won't have to sell your soul to take a chance on this game.

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