Beginner's Guide to the PC Adventure Game

In the 1980s and early 1990s point-and-click adventure games were one of the most popular types of PC games, but the genre fell from popularity in the late 1990s and has not yet managed to make a complete comeback. This is a shame, because these games offer a unique experience and are unlike any other genre, focused as they are on logic, exploration, and character and story development. For many people, the only adventure game they know of or have played is Myst, that classic and incredibly frustrating game that’s been kept alive in various forms for decades.

But Myst is far from the only adventure game still played today, nor is it generally considered the best. There are plenty of point and click games still around, some older (Amerzone) and some more recent (Sanitarium), and many are well worth it whether you’re a veteran gamer or someone looking for an alternative to the ubiquitous slash-and-hacks of the modern era. Without further ado then, here are some of the major features and challenges of the Adventure genre. This guide is meant both to give you a better idea of whether this genre is right for you, and to prepare you for what you’ll encounter in the course of a typical game.

The reason PC adventures are often called "point and click" games is that they have a simple, streamlined interface. There is almost never any combat, nor are there complicated systems of loot storage or character skills and leveling. You are limited to simply picking up and using objects you find in your environment, or viewing objects like books and signs and sometimes listening to audio sequences. With few exceptions an adventure game can be played entirely with a mouse—there's no need for a keyboard.

This design may seem limiting, and in some ways it is. What it does, though, is keep you focused on your environment and its puzzles and stories. It also forces you to be alert and perceptive. You learn to never leave an area until you’ve scanned it thoroughly, ensuring there is nothing more for you to interact with. Often the objects and clues you’ll need to find are well hidden, easy to overlook. This leads to the frustration of having to go back and scour multiple areas when you find you’re lacking an object or clue you need to progress. These games reward the diligent and patient gamer, who is willing to take his or her time to be thorough and reduce the need for backtracking.