User Reviews (11 - 21 of 87)

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Xcellent Game but will not work on XP

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: April 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Whomever wrote that a Compatibality of Win 95/98 will run Amber then please let me know how you got it to run. It will load in XP, but when trying to run the game there is an error in the MOVUTILS file and an error of Script Handler -Both which shuts down the game.

I suggest that if you are "really" tired of the games out now to train our future generation of professional soilders, then keep an old computer on hand so you can play the really good entertainment and thought provoking games like AMBER Journeys Beyond.

Great idea, mostly good execution

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: February 22, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I'm not into the puzzle games as a rule -- myst and such are nice to look at but I don't have the patience for them. It was close to Halloween when I picked up this game, looking for ambience and mood-setting. I got that in abundance, and really enjoyed the settings and effects. Unfortunately, I found many of the puzzles rather contrived (as they seem to be in most of these games) and didn't fit in with the story. Still, it did pretty much what I needed it to do. No over-the-top slasher/evil beastie/summoned demon bad guys here -- just low-key trapped spirits and bits of paranormal phenomena. It was worth the money.

unable to use

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: March 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game will NOT play on WindowsXP despite the minimum requirements listed.Technical support is unavailable so I was never able to play the game--total waste of money.

Could be better, could be worse.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: June 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I did enjoy "AMBER Journeys Beyond" up to a point. The puzzles varied in their difficulty from amazingly simple to frustrating and illogical. The storyline was less than I imagined it to be, but still interesting. The atmosphere was enthralling, but the display was far too small for comfort. I would recommend this game for a busy time in your life, because if you play it nonstop then you will be dissatisfied. The game is TOO SHORT! I expected much more play time, and was quite disappointed by its speedy ending. Don't get me wrong, this game has many good points. The graphics are very realistic, and scene movement is smooth. The voice acting is flawless, which is very nice seen as how it is important to game-play. I greatly enjoyed the storyline, and I'll state again that the atmosphere was spectacular. It has a unique eerie quality that I have not seen anywhere else. This game is a good buy for [$], and I would recommend it to bored adventure game players, who have limited experience in this genre.

A Classic 90's PC Adventure

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: October 09, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I actually had the chance to e-mail the creators of Amber back somewhere in '98 or '99. I was so impressed with the "feel" of the game, that I wanted to contact them to let them know how wonderful the game was. They actually replied, thanking me for my interest and stating they hoped to create an adventure with originality in mind. They also mentioned it was difficult to produce the game without a "big company" endorsement. I think they also mentioned they were no longer doing PC games since the corporations took over the market.
That's a real shame, because even today (2002) I still feel AMBER is a very interesting adventure, simply becuse of the environment. The game is simplistic enough to let you use your imagination to take over. The game is dirt-cheap and easy to play, but something about that house keeps drawing me back.
Truly, a PC classic!

Dripping with atmosphere

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: April 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I am an old text adventure game player from the 8-bit computer games and one that often feels that graphic adventures actually hinder the game than help. Let alone rival good story, etc.
But Amber hits home big time! I am a horror freak and this game gave me the creeps! There where only three puzzles that frustraited me enough to think about putting it away for good (which happens often when logic doesn't make since). I mean... why try to get into someone's head to figure a puzzle when the story should weave it seamlessly into its fabric?
But the strong story and mood that Amber set put me in the mood for more, more, more. Like a good book, I couldn't put it down.

The graphics were great, the audio intense. This game just reminded me of the old Scott Addams and InfoCom adventures. Something Myst just never seemed to be able to rival. It absorbs you and you don't walk around in a 'cold' environment, like Myst. You feel right at home in a truely interactive feeling environment. If you're a fan of old horror like "The Haunting", "The Haunting of Hell House", "Last Man on Earth" - you are missing out if you haven't played Amber.

lameass game

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: May 30, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Absolutely the lamest adventure game I've ever played. Almost no gameplay in it at all. Extremely annoying sequence in which you're stuck with nothing to explore, but you have to keep poking around aimlessly until you get a line of dialogue from your ghost. Two places in which the game hung completely and my machine had to be rebooted. (Do not touch locked doorknob until you have key!! Do not touch trapped clown!!!!)

Game is comprised of simple inventory manipulations, with lots of moving around between each step. Only minor puzzles, and few of them at that. Movement is annoying, sight angles are unclear in most of the scenes; very confusing to figure out where you are standing and what you can look at.

If you liked Obsidian, or Neverhood, or Rama, or Curse of Monkey Island, DO NOT BUY AMBER: Journeys Beyond!!! It will be a complete waste of your money and time.

If you are easily scared, don't play this game.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: February 15, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Amber sets a wonderfully scary mood that may just give you a few chills while you play (and, maybe a few after).

The plot is fairly good, but the puzzles are only mildly challenging for an experienced adventure gamer and the game is rather short.

All in all, the game left me satisfied with what I had done, but wishing there was a few hours left of play.

So, if you are a hard core adventure gamer with only limited interest in the paranormal, I would not recommend Amber. But, if you love a good ghost story, get the game, dim the lights, and enjoy the experience.

Spooky!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: July 03, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Wow, this game was scary! It even gave me nightmares.

The basic premise is that you're supposed to check on a friend at her house in the woods by a lake in the middle of nowhere. It turns out that she's been involved with activities on the astral plane and has been trying to communicate with ghosts in and near her house. She won't be of any help (she's apparently trapped somewhere in the astral plane) so you need to find out how to help her.

The game goes through three scenarios where you help people who are dead and whose ghosts still reside near the house.

The puzzles are mostly solved with wit and with items out of the inventory, and while some of them are difficult, they can all be solved without too much frustration. The graphics aren't very detailed but there's enough to give you a good idea of where you're going and to startle you when ghosts appear.

I would have liked it better if the three ghost scenarios had related to each other more. They can be played in no particular order and don't tie in to eachother at all. This was a little jarring when finishing one scenario and beginning another; it almost seemed like I was starting a whole new game.

I wouldn't recommend this game for children, mainly because of the suspense (I know I'm naive to believe that anything that scares me will scare a kid, but still...) and adult content. I also wouldn't recommend it to people who like really long games. But if you've got a couple of afternoons free and you're interested in the paranormal, this is a great game.

Actually one of the best adventure games

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: April 09, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Certainly does a better job of creating a spooky atmosphere than, say, Nocturne.

You visit your friend, a paranormal researcher, and discover something's gone terribly wrong with her latest experiment. To save her you basically have to follow in her footsteps, and (trying to be vague here) in the process you help out a few recalcitrant spirits.

The creators sensibly realized that atmosphere is better than cheap shocks, and the game is extraordinarily atmospheric, with a brilliant use of ambient sounds. The story is kinda New Agey, but nothing really offensively stupid, and actually a nice change from the comic book sensibilities that pervade computer horror games. The voice acting is very good. The graphics were fine for me, though may seem dated by this point.

The puzzles are fairly easy -- and only one maze, which is a GOOD thing. But they make sense in the context of this surrealistic world -- and that's a hard thing to do in the adventure genre. There's a lot of interesting ways to interact with the environment, and the game seems perfectly paced to me --I was never bored.

You won't spend hours on the game, but as a quick diversion it's eminently acceptable.

Very underrated, and a must-play for fans of either horror games or adventure games.

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