Independent adventure development continues to flourish around the world, this time extending to Iran with the announcement of Sophora Toromiro, the debut adventure from spbyte.

The game's title is derived from a rare and supposedly extinct plant once used on Easter Island to "create anthropomorphic (holy) statues". In 1771, Captains James Cook and Tobias Furneaux sailed out in search of the plant, and accounts tell of their success on the (fictional) Pacific island called Numaru. Over a century later, three British researchers travelled to Numaru Island to find the seeds of Toromiro. The trio vanished without a trace, however, and as the man who lead them to the island, you are now being held responsible and have only two weeks to discover the truth behind their disappearance.

A 3D point-and-click adventure, Sophora Toromiro is being self-financed by the small spbyte team, and the current target is to complete the game before the year is done. Though still in the early stages of production, a short playable sampler is already available at the official website to demonstrate the first scenes of the game and introduce the basic gameplay mechanics.

Comedies may be hogging the PC news this week, but terror belongs to the Nintendo Wii, as Hudson has recently released a new horror adventure, Calling.

Based on classic Japanese horrors, Calling follows the stories of four different people lured by a mysterious "Black Page" into the "Mnemonic Abyss" in which they become trapped. Although not part of our world, the experience is partially rooted in reality as "memories of houses, schools, hospitals and more bring players closer to either an escape or an untimely death."



As seen in the launch trailer, Calling makes creative use of the Wii Remote to simulate such equipment as flashlights and phones. Along with these motion-controlled actions, players will "solve puzzles, search and interact with objects, and ultimately try to escape this alternate existence."

Calling is available in stores now, retailing for a cost of $39.99. For more information about the game, be sure to check out the official website.

After spending nearly two years out of the limelight—recovering from their trip to hell and back, no doubt—the Freelance Police are making yet another comeback. Telltale Games has announced that a new Sam & Max season, subtitled The Devil's Playhouse, will premiere on April 15. The series' five monthly episodes will release simultaneously on PC, Mac, and PlayStation Network, making Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse Telltale's PlayStation 3 debut.

The demo being shown this week at the Game Developer's Conference reveals that the new season will stretch the usual Sam & Max weirdness to the extreme. Characters in the first episode, The Penal Zone, will include a disembodied brain, a giant monkey from outer space, and a Twilight Zone-inspired narrator whose appearances occur in black and white. One of the gameplay elements involves a collection of enchanted toys that give hyperkinetic rabbity-thing Max a variety of psychic powers that can be utilized to solve puzzles. The series will feature more detailed graphics than Telltale's previous Sam & Max games, as well as an improved direct control system developed with the PlayStation audience in mind.



The game is available for preorder today for PC and Mac from Telltale's website, and for PSN through the PlayStation Store. Stay tuned for a hands-on preview of the first episode in the coming weeks.

Almost a year ago, LucasArts shocked the world with the announcement of Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition. There's no shock this year, just plenty of delight and relief as today the company officially confirmed an updated version of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge coming this summer.

Like its predecessor, the new game will include a re-mastered orchestral music score, a hint system, and an alternate direct control scheme, along with additional goodies like a bonus art viewer and in-game audio commentary from the game's creators. More notably, this version once again includes both the original art and a "re-imagined contemporary art style", and its "scene-for-scene hot swap allows for seamless transition between special edition and classic modes anywhere and at any time." This time around, however, newly recorded voiceovers from the original series cast will be available in either version of the game.

There is no firm release date set for the game yet, but Monkey Island 2: Special Edition is scheduled for digital distribution this summer for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, plus a portable version for iPhone and iPod Touch. In the meantime, be sure to check out the game's official website for more information.

With the UK release of Daedalic's The Whispered World nearing its scheduled release, all has been quiet on the North American front. Not even a whisper. Today, however, Viva Media is making plenty of noise with its announcement that they'll be releasing the game in April.

The Whispered World tells the story of a little clown named Sadwick and his caterpillar companion, Spot. This is one clown with serious issues confronting him, however, as Sadwick has a prophetic dream that the "the world he knows is doomed to crumble and fall." Worse still, he himself will be integral in its destruction if he can't find a way to reverse the current course of events. And so he and his skill-adapting pet set off on a journey that takes them through a variety of stunning hand-painted locations, though numerous obstacles and dangers await them on their way.

The scheduled release date in North America is April 26th. In the meantime, for more information about The Whispered World, be sure to check out our hands-on preview and the game's official website.