I enjoy puzzles that make you think, but not puzzles for the sake of puzzles, especially those wrapped around a wafer thin plot. Fortunately, it is obvious that Nucleosys sat down and decided to create a terrifying story, and work out how the main character would react to the world around him logically. Yes, the story in Scratches is given top billing, and the puzzles — every single one of them — are solved through the use of inventory items and/or close observation of what is discovered in various writings, and phone conversations you will have with your agent, Jerry.

These phone conversations exist as a sort of segue or lean-to when you need help, or to advance your directive. Very informational at times, at others they are just a way for Michael to express his growing intrigue and angst about what's happening around him. The voice work is very good, though I think of the two, Jerry emotes a bit better than Michael, but I never felt the dialogue (which is intelligently written) or the delivery was flat or uninteresting.

The volume of the voices — and this is an old nitpick of mine, so Scratches is not an exception — isn't what it should be. Gaffers need to learn to kick up the volume of the voice tracks without being afraid to lose subtlety. I don't like straining to hear during dialogue, but of course subtitles are your friend in these cases.

I was happily engaged by the formula Scratches uses to lead you through the game, collecting real-world items and using them in real-world fashion, through which each obstacle could be overcome via troubleshooting, some guesswork, and often sudden eureka — but again, always logically. [Edit: In my first play through, I believed the endgame puzzle was insufficiently clued, resulting in too much trial and error to get Michael through his final predicament. When I finally found what I should do, I was relieved, not elated, and a little perplexed. However, it turns out I'd missed a vital clue that could have saved me many a headache. So I have no complaints about the clues available, but be forewarned that it's possible to miss some and still proceed only partly aware of what you need to do.]

My clue difficulties aside, I loved the way this adventure stair-steps its way to that endgame. The build-up is exactly what it should be, subtle yet alarming. The endgame itself is pleasantly frightening — Scratches aced that hands down, a certifiable adrenal dumper — but the story itself seems unfinished to me; a little too ambiguous. There are many cinematic experiences that leave their conclusions open for interpretation, and you walk away feeling viscerally challenged. Yet there still exist questions in my mind as to what was what at the end of Scratches, and I'm not so sure my conclusions are correct. If this was the purpose of the game; perfect. If not, not so perfect, but whatever the intentions, a little story tweaking would have worked much better for me.

This game is nothing if not atmospheric, and this has a lot to do with the soundtrack created (appropriately) by Cellar of Rats. Perfectly tuned to the pace and pitch of this story, the sound effects and music will elevate, make pensive, and at times completely freak you out. It is never intrusive, overbearing, or diversionary, but achieves an excellent synergy between the mood of the game world and what's happening in it. High marks for this success; I have a feeling the group kept in close communication with the developers to work out exactly what was needed, and when — and of course a healthy dose of pure talent to boot.

I have to admit that I was so taken by the opening cinematic and subsequent introduction to gameplay that I neglected to write down just how long it took me, from start to finish, to complete this game. Yes, a cardinal reviewer's sin, but a good indication of how intrigued I was. However, while playing, the game felt neither hurried nor protracted. It takes place over a three day period in the game world, and I would say it took me about fifteen or more hours of hardcore play over the period of a work week to conclude.

During the past several years, the adventure game community has become a sort of networking resource for those interested in developing and creating their own adventure games, and moving rapidly from amateur endeavors to commercially viable entertainment. This is exactly how the two-man team at Nucleosys came to be, and if the level of professional quality work that went into producing Scratches is any indication of what's in store for the future, adventure game fans will definitely want to keep their eye on this team. In the meantime, this debut effort should satisfy any adventure fan looking for a memorably creepy experience. Just don't play it while you're doing your laundry.

For an additional look at the enhanced Director's Cut, read on!