Keeping an Eye on the Unruly Masses--Orwell

Have you ever secretly wished that you could look through someone else's stuff?  Or secretly peep at their messages, e-mails, or phone calls?  Okay, that does sound a little bit creepy, but we've all pretty much accepted the reality that someone is reading our messages, right?  If you've ever read 1984 and thought, "yeah, I'd love to be Big Brother," look no further than the video game equivalent--Orwell.

In Orwell you play the role of an agent working for the government in a fictional country.  You have access to special technology that allows you to analyze public records (that's not creepy) and even better technology that allows you to secretly spy on the phone, e-mails, and computers of private citizens.  You're basically Big Brother....keeping an eye on everyone in the name of the common good.  Or, at least the good of the state.  The story begins when a bombing takes place in a public square.  The government wants to track down the perpetrators and bring them to justice.  Of course it turns out to not be that simple...

The gameplay in Orwell consists of looking for clues in documents, spying on the personal devices of various key figures, and trying to piece together all the actors in a large conspiracy.  Piecing together this puzzle is complex as some clues are very concrete and others require you to make a judgment using information that can sometimes be conflicting.

Pros:
+ Novel gameplay.  The entire concept of spying on people and piecing together various chunks of information into your theory about who was involved in a large plot is fresh and fun.  You get a true Big Brother feeling that is enjoyable.

+ A nice relaxing experience.  If you're looking for something that's relatively short, can be enjoyed in small chunks, and still manages to be fun, Orwell is a good choice.

+ Choices.  Part of the gameplay involves making choices--you have to suss out what actually happened from conflicting information and present the most likely scenario.  This can be tricky and requires attention to details about the people involved.  One of the other interesting pieces is that you can choose what info that you actually pass on to your even bigger Brother--you can choose to withhold valuable intel in the name of protecting the people involved.  It's up to you what you pass on and it does have an impact on the story.  There are multiple endings.

Cons:
- It can be challenging to piece together some of the more vague clues and you really only get one shot to get them right.  The game is pretty short and lends itself to replayability though, so there is the possibility of playing through it several times to see the many endings.

Recommendation:
If you're looking for a different kind of game that's short and engaging, Orwell is perfect for you.  It's the kind of game that I would put on my wishlist and wait for a sale.  It has definite replayability value and is unique.