Description:
Ms. Li is on a discipline rampage. Five items have been stolen from Lawndale High, and the principal plans to keep everyone on detention--forever--unless the contraband is returned. To make matters worse, Daria's English class is studying Dante's Inferno, and Mr. O'Neill's account of the classic poem is putting the students to sleep. Daria's Inferno has a simple enough premise: players become Daria as she searches for the missing items. Because she has fallen asleep in class, the junk is lost in a hellish dream landscape that's almost more terrifying than real life. Jane and Trent are your guides on this spiritual journey, and all the other Daria cast members make prominent appearances. This game is quite remarkable in that it truly captures the flavor of the show on which it is based. Somewhat surprisingly, Daria's deadpan humor translates beautifully to an interactive format. Sly in-jokes abound, with lots of witty touches--visual references to classic European paintings, for example. Helpful tips come packaged in the form of clips from Daria's own favorite TV program, Sick Sad World. As she pursues the lost objects, Daria herself is pursued by a number of irritants: nagging parents, mall retail staff, and even Charles Ruttheimer. Too much contact with these forces can overload Daria with irritation, causing you to lose the game. Luckily, players who don't want to spend their gaming time dodging these pests can usually find a way to defuse them, whether it's by crushing them in a giant book, using a voodoo doll, or warding off Quinn with a pair of unfashionable clogs. If there is a significant drawback to Daria's Inferno, it's that it's too short. There are only five missing items to find (to really draw a comparison to Dante's Inferno, there should have been nine), and the levels in which the items are found have some unfortunate repetition. Young players will find the game somewhat challenging, but its mature humor might make some parents uneasy. Teen and adult players will finish the game in a matter of hours. These factors make Daria's Inferno a game best suited to those players predisposed to love it--those who are already fans of the television program. --Alyx Dellamonica
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