Customer Reviews

AnaCapri: The Dream

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

This game, "Anacapri : the Dream" is a traditional point-and-click adventure. As you might expect from the title, the action takes place in the island of Capri in the Mediterranean Sea. The story is fanciful and imaginative. I'm not giving the plot away, you will find that reality and dream are intertwined during the game. It's a long time since I enjoyed playing a game as much. One travels through the island in full-screen 2D photos (more than 6000!) which display the beauty of the place (as in the original Myst which inspired the developers). The music is unobtrusive and pleasant to hear. The game is long, 50+ hours. You get to travel by bus, boat and cable car as well as by foot. You play scopa, a card game, with a Neapolitan deck. This game is available as a stand alone after the mystery is solved. The puzzles are fair and well clued. There are no action sequences, sliders or mazes and you don't die. The game also has a walkthrough mode which is not a puzzle solving device, but a tour of the game locations. This too is available after the game is over and done with.

So, you get a great long game, a tour guide and card game. It's a steal at the asking price. I highly recommend it.

Players who bought "A quiet weekend in Capri" might like to know that Anacapri is, IMHO, a big improvement. The story is linear (you don't get left marooned by being out of order in the game). The game is full screen. The puzzles are clearer. You see the rest of the island of Capri.

The dialogue and voice acting are weak, and wandering through screens and screens of beautiful location shots slow the pace. However, I find these add to the dreamlike feeling of the story -- very Italian. The previous game I played had too many timed puzzles and life-or-death moments for my tastes, along with up-to-the-minute yet annoying navigation. AnaCapri is the perfect antidote: a game you can enjoy for the ample opportunities to explore a beautiful place with a good plot and puzzles that are enjoyable, not frustrating. If you want an action-packed ride with sizzling effects, look elsewhere. AnaCapri is for relaxing and enjoying on its own terms.

I have to agree that this game feels a lot like clicking through your Aunt's vacation pictures and doesn't come close to the quality of Sierra's adventures from the '80s and '90s. The images are mostly 1024x768 and the game doesn't scale for those with large or wide-screen displays. Game play mostly involves waiting for the game to draw a picture onscreen, moving the mouse around the image to find highlighted "hotspots" (squares drawn on selected portions of the image), and deciding which hotspot (assuming there is more than one) to select. The is the most boring game I've played in years.

I loved this game! This game is not just about going from point A to point B to solve a puzzle or find a clue. It is also about the journey between. This is not an action game, far from it. The game's platform is not based on animated graphics, but actual photos of the beautiful island of Capri, Italy and its inhabitants. The views are incredible. If you like to travel and learn about different cultures, their history, mythology and experience the local flora and fauna you may enjoy this game. I loved searching through the pretty villas and exploring the many nature trails (with birds singing in the background). It was a great escape after a stressful day at work. With all that said, the game is still plenty fun trying to solve the puzzles and the mystery of the Obsidian Disk. It switches back and forth from reality to a dream state, hence the interesting characters you bump into such as talking animals, mythical characters and ghosts to name a few. My favorite part was playing Scopa with the Italian guy (with a New York accent?) at the restaurant while he verbally abuses you.

Note to Vista users: If you are unable to hear the characters speak, there is a fix on the homepage, simply download Screenshots Pack 2 and click on the monk. One of the game developers got back to me with this solution within 24 hours --impressive! This game may not be for some, but I highly recommend it. The island of Capri is certainly on my top 10 places to visit someday.

NOT for the HARDCORE adventure gamer. If you liked A Quiet Weekend In Capri and were left wanting more, then that is what you'll get here. My wife, who has never played a video game ever liked this game as it was easy and had alot of "pretty" pictures. but even she got bored with it after a while and she stated she would rather go there than to play this game. I likewise lasted about 2 hours before the game became too monotonous for even me to play. Let me preface this by saying that I get bored with most games where you have to retrace your steps over and over again screen by screen with NO shortcuts to a location. If you never plan on going to Italy and want to see what it would be like, then maybe this game would be for you. And it is a great improvment over its predecessor, just like Runaway 2, this game is a great disappointment. not a total waste though. The dream sequence idea is kinda cool and there is more interaction/dialog than the previous if you can pick this game up cheap, then go for it, otherwise look elsewhere.

What were they thinking when they made this game! Should of read the reviews before I purchased the game. If your thinking of getting this game, think twice, you will hate it, unless you want to look at someones vacation photos! The box is very deceiving, looks really fun, but it's really not up to todays standards at all.

I too bought this based on the single five star review. I don't know how anyone could compare this to the Myst series. It's not even close. It's more like clicking through your aunt Millie's slide show of her vacation. The voices are amaturish and speak to you as you view their still photo. The music, for the most part, does not fit the scenes. Some of the puzzles are clever and fun but overall it's not a world I enjoyed exploring. It was tedious and often boring.

If the idea of putting you to sleep was the basis of this game, then they have succeeded. This game is extremely boring. The point and click action in this game becomes tiring. At least later you can flash transport from one area to another. The acting is horrible as well as the music soundtrack. The storyline moves slowly, and I moved aimlessly around for the longest time before having to resort to obtaining a cheat. The game description sounded like it would be fun, but that has not been the case. This has been move like a travel site with lots of pretty pictures. I would not recommend this game but would like to visit Anacapri.

This game is a lot of fun, I highly recommend it, especially suited for the whole family. My grandchildren and I played it and we found it is a great adventure; not violent like a lot of the pc games nowadays.

This game is not for people looking for something fast-paced. This is a game of exploration and patience. Each scene is a static photograph allowing you to wander the island taking in the view. The story builds slowly. If you enjoy exploring new surroundings without needing something to happen every five seconds, this game is for you. The puzzles are fun.

The gameplay is fairly standard point and click. There is no way to screw-up. The voice acting, however, is pretty bad. Still, there is a screen that lets you see everything that has been said so you can grab a cup of coffee and then read the dialogue at your own pace.

This game makes a nice break if you're stressed out.