In keeping with the spirit of sharing our stories, I decided I would also offer how I came into the world of adventure games and why they play such an important part of my gaming life.

My first foray into the world of adventuring occurred back in the late eighties on the Commodore 64, with text adventures accompanied by some crudely drawn images in garish colours. At the time I didn't really know about adventure games and it felt very much like playing an interactive novel, complete with a computer that would talk back with irritating phrases like "You do not have that item", "Who are you talking to?" and "What now, wise one?" Although these games fascinated me in a way that other genres didn't, it wouldn't be until the arrival of my Amiga in the nineties that I would fall head over heels in love with the point-and-click adventure.

The game that kickstarted this passion was Secret of Monkey Island . Maniac Mansion and Zak McKracken had seemingly passed me by, so Monkey Island was my first encounter with the point-and-click iteration, bought solely on impulse and the basis of excellent press reviews. I reasoned that a game that scored so many 90+ ratings must be worth the money and I wasn't disappointed. From the fantastic music, witty repartee, insult fighting and Guybrush Threepwood trying to fulfill his dream of becoming a mighty pirate, it was like entering another world, and motivated me to track down other games from the LucasArts and Sierra era. To this day, Secret of Monkey Island is one of my favourite games and its charm still remains even in an age of powerful technology and fancy graphics.

Despite its dip in form, the adventure genre still has the ability to entertain, captivate and work my grey cells. For every poor Myst clone or LucasArts wannabe, there is a game somewhere that keeps the flames of the genre burning bright and remains as captivating as ever. The fantastic revival of Sam & Max , the mysterious Hotel Dusk and the hilarious Phoenix Wright series are just a few examples of why I stand by this genre: for the great storylines, well written dialogue, engaging puzzles and the experience of living in another world. And without adventure games, I wouldn't be writing for this website today, although whether or not this is a good thing all depends on your point of view! Here's to many more hours of adventuring.