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Briefcase

Published by Fallout Software
Price $14.77
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Primary Genre Secondary Genre

When I heard the title for this game I was instantly intrigued and had to review it. It sounded so bizarre I wanted to witness it first-hand. I have not been disappointed. Briefcase is one of the most unusual puzzles I have ever seen.

Now where do I start...? I think I'm about to win!

The objective is simple - pack a briefcase with an assortment of items. They will just fit, and your challenge is to arrange them so that they do so. As levels increase, the objects get more diverse, more numerous... and more bizarre. I mean, I can understand packing a briefcase with floppy disks, credit cards and cassettes but... hex keys? Screwdrivers? A single trainer? Toothpaste?

Your tool for packing this briefcase is the humble mouse, which lets you pick things up and drop them again, either in the briefcase or out of it. There's a slight bug in this department which sometimes doesn't let you drop items, because getting the position right is sometimes a little fiddly. There is a timer option (not in the demo version) for those of you keen to pack a case as quickly as possible, and you can stop playing and continue from the level you were on whenever more pressing business pops up - or the boss.

Dame Edna's briefcase

Apart from an occasional video clip, which delights in showing off the 3D panning of the virtual camera, the game is entirely two dimensional and there is no sense of 'depth' to your briefcase. A camera is the same size as a floppy disk. Thickness does not matter. Leaving aside such petty matters the style is cartoon and some of the little touches, like the anti-drugs slogan on the red ruler, are rather fun.

There is virtually no sound. Admittedly it is hard to imagine what sound effects would be practical after the little noises for picking up and dropping objects, but a little background music would be nice. I also would have liked an end-game sequence - having completed level 50, I was then presented with... level 50. Again. And again.

I rather enjoyed playing this game, though the pleasure is short lived with the demo, as it only has three levels. Once the bugs are resolved this should be an entertaining way to spend your spare time. I would suggest, however, that the demo is rather weak and would sell the full game better with more levels - though even the full fifty levels didn't last long enough for me. A little more atmosphere in the form of some background noise would be good too. I look forward to the result.

Graphics 60%
Sound 30%
Playability 65%
Longevity 55%
Overall Score 60%
Bronze Star

Published on 13 Jun 2003
Reviewed by Andrew Williams

Keywords: briefcase review, fallout software reviews, fallout software games, briefcase scores, pc game reviews, indie game reviews, independent gaming.