Those who have played Bestowers of Eternity will certainly notice how closely these early sections of The Blackwell Legacy resemble the original game. Although the puzzles are new, the story is almost identical, and much of the same dialogue is used verbatim. This is not really a problem, as it means that those who have played the earlier game finally get to see what happens after the abrupt ending, and others get a fresh experience throughout. However, if the recycled material seems to drag with endless exposition, be assured that the game becomes more dynamic once you get to the newly written bits. Unfortunately, and maybe because of the transition from old to new material, the story suffers from a jarring discontinuity. At the very beginning, the game goes to great lengths to establish Rosa as a shy loner. She has no family left and apparently no friends. The premise of the first puzzle is that she doesn't know any of her neighbors and is too shy to approach a stranger in public. However, later on she abruptly (and implausibly) becomes an investigative reporter, a job she doesn't enjoy but that suddenly equips her with greatly improved people skills. The effect is that of a somewhat major personality change.

The point-and-click interface used is simple and effective, having been pared down to two actions: Look and Interact. It is an intuitive system, but veteran adventure gamers may be surprised to find they cannot use inventory items on the environment (though objects can still be combined in the inventory). Instead, Rosangela will simply perform the appropriate action if she is carrying a useful item. This is not a severe restriction, however, because there are only a few inventory puzzles in the game.

Rather than conventional "use-x-on-y" gameplay, The Blackwell Legacy relies on a number of puzzles involving Rosa's notebook. When Rosa learns something in a conversation or from examining her surroundings, she writes it down as a clue. She can use these clues in a number of different ways: ask people she talks to about them, discuss them with Joey, research them on the Internet, or even combine them to produce new clues. This gameplay mechanic will be familiar to people who played The Shivah (or Discworld Noir, which Gilbert credits with the idea). The Blackwell Legacy improves on The Shivah's interface and makes the system a core part of the gameplay. Collecting clues in a notebook is not too different from collecting items in an inventory, but it does eliminate the far-fetched combinations and uses of objects that sometimes give adventure games a bad name. That is not to say that the game is altogether realistic. Several of the problems and solutions still require a healthy suspension of disbelief.

The puzzles are good overall, with a nice mix of easy tasks and more difficult challenges. The notes perhaps dominate too much; whenever a puzzle of another type comes around it feels like a breath of fresh air. The real issue, however, is that there aren't enough of them. The game is quite short (it took me only 3 ½ hours to complete), and most of that time is spent going from conversation to conversation, with little real interaction. Occasionally you have a choice of responses, but there is no genuine freedom; except for one or two cases, the conversation continues the same way no matter what you say. For the same reason, the game feels very linear, although as a matter of fact it includes a couple of slightly different paths (which cause some minor variations in the ending).

So far, this review has hedged both its praise and criticism, but when it comes to the graphics there is no need for ambivalence. They are gorgeous. Many adventure games, certainly those from smaller developers, struggle to create modern visuals on a low budget, and end up looking cheap and dated. By instead adopting a retro style reminiscent of classic LucasArts and Sierra, The Blackwell Legacy really shines. The graphics are the product of a number of different artists, including Chris Femo (Enclosure) and Ian Schlaepfer (Apprentice, Super Jazz Man). The low resolution (a VGA-like 320x240 for most elements) might strike some players as old-fashioned, but taken on its own terms it is an unqualified success. The backgrounds are vivid and detailed, and the characters amazingly dynamic and expressive both in their poses and in how they are animated.

The animated conversation portraits deserve special mention, as they really help communicate the characters' emotions and personalities. The only way they could be better is if they were lip-synced to the voice clips. In fact, everything from the painted title screen to the mouse cursors, from the map to the inventory items, looks great. Had this game been released in the early nineties, it would have been one of the best-looking titles on the market.

The music, on the other hand, is something of a mixed bag. The style varies, but can generally be described as orchestral with an electronic overlay. Many of the tracks are beautiful—the main theme in particular—and most are at least interesting. However, the choice of music for each location often sounds a bit off, and rather than adding to the mood it becomes intrusive, and after a short time grating. Even more annoying is a glitch where the music skips a beat backwards when changing rooms. This is a problem with the AGS engine, and more likely to occur on slower computers.

Bonus features consist of a "blooper reel" of outtakes from the voice recording sessions, which is unlocked after completing the game, and a commentary track by Dave Gilbert. The commentary, in particular, is a great feature which increases the replay value of the game no end. Other developers take note!

The Blackwell Legacy can be purchased as a 178 MB download from the Wadjet Eye Games site for $15 US. A (more expensive) physical shipping option is promised but not yet available. Is the price a bit high for a game this short? Maybe. For those who enjoy the game there should be no cause for complaint, but since there are some potential reservations, it may be a good idea to try out the helpfully provided demo first.

I wanted to love The Blackwell Legacy, but in the end I was only moderately impressed. Had the story been more compelling, I might have had more patience with the wordy and non-interactive way it is told. Still, this is certainly not a bad effort. Both the writing and the puzzles are of high quality, even if the balance between them is off. The game is professionally executed in all respects, and has a quirky indie charm (especially evident in the bonus features) that raises it above merely average. Others may not be bothered by the issues I had, and will savor a game that recalls such classics as Gabriel Knight and The Longest Journey. There's room for improvement as the series moves forward, but with Rosa and Joey, the legacy is in good hands.