Andy Chalk

Long-time PC gamer and shorter-time freelance writer, with work at Gamezebo, The Escapist, PC Gamer, Joystiq and parts unknown. Owner of many cats, drinker of fine beers, eater of too much. A steadfast javelin in a flaccid world.

Reviews
August 29, 2013
Joining Hands 2 Review
By Andy Chalk
Joining Hands 2 is a cute little logic-based puzzle game that will keep small hands busy with Peablins and their many cousins, who are only happy when they're holding hands. Adult hands, however, might find it a little too simplistic and two-dimensional to stay interesting for very long.
Reviews
August 21, 2013
Race the Sun Review
By Andy Chalk
Race the Sun is a 3D endless racer that's as simple as it is cool: a high-intensity time trial through a life-or-death obstacle course that's easy to play, wickedly challenging, and devilishly addictive. The game puts you at the helm of an extremely fast solar-powered ship that, although it looks like it could fly, actually just skims across the surface of a strange alien world in a never-ending race against the setting sun.
Reviews
August 14, 2013
Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians Review
By Andy Chalk
Beatbuddy is a difficult game to dislike, and the truth is I don't dislike it. But when I see the game world and hear snippets of the music and think about the idea behind it all, I am disappointed nonetheless. It's close - it's really close - to being something special. But in the end, it just doesn't quite pull it off.
News
August 13, 2013
MouseCraft is What Happens when You Give a Lemming a Tetromino
By Andy Chalk
Tetris is one of the most famous puzzle videogames ever created, and the great Lemmings is right up there too. Combine elements of those two classics with just a dash of The Incredible Machine and some big ideas for the future and you end up with MouseCraft, a cute head-scratcher about a feline mad scientist and his team of experimental mice.
News
August 6, 2013
Hands-on with Satinav’s Sequel: Our First Real Taste of Memoria
By Andy Chalk
After spending some time with a preview build of Memoria, it's clear that the sequel to The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav is ready to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor; wrapping a conventional point-and-click fantasy adventure in gorgeous, hand-painted visuals and a wonderful story with just a hint of darkness around the edges.
Reviews
July 29, 2013
Face Noir Review
By Andy Chalk
Falsely accused of murder, private dick Jack Del Nero must comb through the seedy, corrupt underbelly of 1930s New York as he struggles to find the real killer and prove his innocence in Face Noir, the new point-and-click adventure from Mad Orange and Phoenix Online Studios. You'll struggle, too, with awkward dialog, primitive character models, clunky animations, and tedious adventure game minutiae that take all the fun out of being the lead character in a Raymond Chandler-esque romp.
Reviews
July 23, 2013
The Raven: Episode 1 – The Eye of the Sphinx Review
By Andy Chalk
The Raven - Legacy of a Master Thief: Episode 1 - The Eye of the Sphinx is more than just a point-and-click adventure. It's a wonderfully-realized Agatha Christie-style murder mystery that wouldn't be out of place airing as a six-part serial on PBS. It's not a particularly difficult game, but the outstanding voice acting and lively, exciting story do a masterful job of recreating an early-60's tale of theft, murder, obsession, and one man's quest to prove his worth to the world.
Upcoming
July 12, 2013
Divinity: Dragon Commander Preview
By Andy Chalk
When I first heard about Divinity: Dragon Commander, I thought it sounded absolutely brilliant. But the more I learned about the game, the more concerned I grew that it was trying to do too much. It promised real-time strategy battles wrapped in an overarching turn-based game of conquest with political intrigue, a smattering of collectible trading cards, and of course, intense third-person action from the perspective of a dragon wearing a jet pack. That's right, you heard me. A dragon. Wearing a jet pack.