Deck 13 Interactive is proving that 2006's Ankh was no fluke. The German developer's follow-up, Jack Keane, is every bit as colorful and cheerful as that romp through a Disney-fied ancient Egypt. It was also one of those rare adventures that worked for kids and adults. The two games are actually very similar in just about every way, with the same cutesy humor and lighthearted derring-do shifted a few millennia forward in time. A reliance on obscure, overly traditional puzzles spoils the party somewhat, but these old-fashioned conundrums aren't going to trouble your noggin too much.
The Good
* Charming, cartoonish plot and visuals
* Sensible puzzles.
The Bad
* A little too derivative of traditional adventures in spots.
Available for one week only, players can purchase The Great Adventure Bundle 2010 which includes: Hothead's Penny Arcade Adventures, Episode 1, Daedalic's The Whispered World, Activision's King's Quest Collection, Deck 13's Jack Keane; plus Telltale Games' own Puzzle Agent and Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space.
Telltale Games writes: "The Great Adventure Bundle 2010 is here. Telltale has teamed up with some awesome partners to bring you six great PC adventure games for only $19.95. A portion of your purchase - 25% - will go to charitable causes, including Child's Play, The World Wildlife Fund, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Nyota e.V., and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Games in the bundle include Daedalic's The Whispered World, Deck 13's Jack Keane, Activision's King's Quest Collection, and Hothead's Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode 1. The Great Adventure Bundle 2010 also includes two bonus games from Telltale - Puzzle Agent and Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space - which will unlock as more people purchase the bundle."
The Monkey Island series is one of the most loved and charming point and click adventure series of all time, combining quirky humor and traditional gameplay into an engaging overall package. Which is bad news for Jack Keane. Because while the game bares a lot in common with the Monkey Island games, both in terms of its look and style as well as the way it plays, it also fails to muster any of what made them so popular: charm. Instead we're left with a fairly bland and boring adventure that lasts a little too long and is decidedly light on laughs.
