Wow, this game is like an RPG board-game based on every good horror movie ever made which also plays like a mystery (think of Clue) with a very awesome plot twist that I'll explain in a bit. It reminds me a little of those "choose your own adventure" books that were so popular in the 80's except that you're competing with up to six players and the story possibilities are virtually unlimited which adds a serious creativity factor and makes for high re-playability value.

Now be aware there isn't a game-board in the conventional sense, rather there is a stack of fairly thick, and nicely-illustrated room tiles that will be connected to each other as player characters (each represented by a detailed miniature) explore one of three levels in a mysterious, old mansion. There are six playable characters to choose from and each also has a small information card (two-sided for dual personalities so really 12 choices) with attachable pointers to keep track of statistics such as "might", "speed" etc. which dictate performance and add the element of character diversity. There are also a ton of events and omens which are triggered by entering certain rooms as well as usable items (including pets) which brings me to the "twist" I mentioned earlier. Basically every time a player draws one of the omen cards, he/she must perform a dice roll to see if they have triggered an event know as "the haunt". Fifty individual scenarios comprise this part of the game wherein one player (a.k.a. "the traitor") becomes insanely bent on taking out everyone else, employing any items they might have picked up along the way and basically joining forces with any monster NPC's that may have been unleashed.

Sounds complicated? Well it is at first, but my advice is to sit down with at least one other serious gamer and just play through while simultaneously learning the rules. No this isn't for the casual gamer but don't be intimidated; it just requires a little patience and some decent reading skills. Also, as I mentioned earlier, the game-board isn't the static, foldout variety (please see pics at top of this page) but rather expands dynamically with each game so try to play on something bigger than a card table if at all possible. As I've alluded to, this box contains detailed, quality pieces (no cheapness here) and well-developed rules and, at the writing of this review anyway, a pretty reasonable price to pay for hours and hours of serious, group gaming fun.

Please play this one on a dark, stormy night whenever possible. Good gaming! :o)