Rating: 
Summary: Dripping with atmosphere
Review: I am an old text adventure game player from the 8-bit computer games and one that often feels that graphic adventures actually hinder the game than help. Let alone rival good story, etc.
But Amber hits home big time! I am a horror freak and this game gave me the creeps! There where only three puzzles that frustraited me enough to think about putting it away for good (which happens often when logic doesn't make since). I mean... why try to get into someone's head to figure a puzzle when the story should weave it seamlessly into its fabric?
But the strong story and mood that Amber set put me in the mood for more, more, more. Like a good book, I couldn't put it down. The graphics were great, the audio intense. This game just reminded me of the old Scott Addams and InfoCom adventures. Something Myst just never seemed to be able to rival. It absorbs you and you don't walk around in a 'cold' environment, like Myst. You feel right at home in a truely interactive feeling environment. If you're a fan of old horror like "The Haunting", "The Haunting of Hell House", "Last Man on Earth" - you are missing out if you haven't played Amber.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good game...
Review: This game has nice visuals and a decent storyline. It's not terribly difficult, so there shouldn't be too many times when you're stuck in a rut at any given point. Ignore the reviews by people who are down-grading the quality because they didn't bother to look at the system requirements before purchasing it (Windows2000 is not and never has been "backward compatible" with Windows 95...they have totally different source code and work on different architectures. As for XP, yes this game will work on XP, if you run it in compatibility mode for Windows 95 or 98. Compatibility mode isn't a feature of Windows2000, so that's why you won't be able to run it on that platform).
Rating:
Summary: Rating for Amber: Journeys Beyond
Review: Even though the game was relatively short and easy, it was a good game.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best "Journeys" out there..
Review: I've been reading these reviews. People have complained that the display is small, that the puzzles are difficult - and yet it's also been said that the game is good for kids. Yes, the display is small. The puzzles are difficult and often very frustrating, but that's part of playing the game. It's NOT an easy game, especially if you don't do things in the correct order. It can get very frustrating. But here's what's really important. I don't play many computer games, because they don't interest me. AMBER: Journeys Beyond ranks among my favorites because of its incredible attention to detail, beautifully eerie ghost worlds, and direct realism to actual paranormal investigation despite its sci-fi/fantasy nature. Each setting is complete, different, and in some way unusual. Going through Roxy's house at the beginning, if you're playing it in the dark and paying attention, will definitely give you a few frights - that is, if you believe in ghosts and have experienced some similar things. Margaret's world is mournful and nostalgic. Brice's realm is fantastical and beautiful, with a definite hint of psychosis - everything is slightly warped. Young Edwin's world is childishly delicate and painfully sad. Each setting has alarmingly creepy moments that will make you jump if you're not prepared. If you're into the paranormal and the stories of the dead, then the game should be more enjoyable for you. If you're a hardcore game player looking for action and adventure, this isn't where you'll find it. With this game, the play is almost less important than the story. If it's frustrating, find a walkthrough of the game and play it that way - which is normally unethical, but the experience of the story will be greater. My only problems with the game are - yes, the display is small, but one can look past that; one might have to replay a section of the game over and over in order to get a certain clue because sometimes you can't go back to it more than once; and that it doesn't exist for Macintosh. Newer versions for Mac and Windows should be released to compensate for the better systems. I recommend this game for the ghost-hunters, the ones who live in haunted houses, the ones who use ouija boards, the ones who experiment with EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) - you're the ones who will find it the most realistic, even though there are so many elements of science fiction. I recommend this game to the storytellers, the writers, the readers - you'll get sucked in. I don't recommend this game for someone just looking for action and difficult puzzles to solve, people that don't care about story or atmosphere. This game isn't for them. This game is for the rest of us. :)
Rating:
Summary: Journey Beyond!!
Review: Amber: Journeys Beyond was a pretty decent game for the price, if your looking for nice graphics and a fun evening player or even a game that two can sit and figure out the puzzles together this should be your game. This game was very suspencefull in the beginning from the old house to the odd occurances and strange aperitions. I felt that as the game progressed it lost a lot of its (goosebump) stages and became more of a "figure this out to move on" kind of thing. But, as the end drew near I found myself just as the other reviews stated "wanting more" still, the game came to an end after about eight or ten hours of gameplay (depending on the player) it had a decent ending kinda like an interactive movie. Decent graphics, easy to moderate puzzles, good storylines and a low price tag gets this game five stars. Remember its ten dollars, think of that and you wont be let down.
Rating:
Summary: Actually one of the best adventure games
Review: Certainly does a better job of creating a spooky atmosphere than, say, Nocturne. You visit your friend, a paranormal researcher, and discover something's gone terribly wrong with her latest experiment. To save her you basically have to follow in her footsteps, and (trying to be vague here) in the process you help out a few recalcitrant spirits. The creators sensibly realized that atmosphere is better than cheap shocks, and the game is extraordinarily atmospheric, with a brilliant use of ambient sounds. The story is kinda New Agey, but nothing really offensively stupid, and actually a nice change from the comic book sensibilities that pervade computer horror games. The voice acting is very good. The graphics were fine for me, though may seem dated by this point. The puzzles are fairly easy -- and only one maze, which is a GOOD thing. But they make sense in the context of this surrealistic world -- and that's a hard thing to do in the adventure genre. There's a lot of interesting ways to interact with the environment, and the game seems perfectly paced to me --I was never bored. You won't spend hours on the game, but as a quick diversion it's eminently acceptable. Very underrated, and a must-play for fans of either horror games or adventure games.
Rating:
Summary: Big on Atmosphere, Short on Challenge
Review: I really enjoyed playing AMBER. The graphics are good, the sound effects are great, and the storyline dealing with paranormal research makes the most of what draws me to the adventure genre. To have the best experience with this game, you really need to be patient and pay more attention to exploring your surroundings rather than just want to get through it. There were several times that I missed necessary items or possibilitites for interaction the first time through a room. But there are no really difficult puzzles, so rather than run to a walkthrough if you can't find something it's a good idea to just keep looking. Everything is pretty much in the open. Also, there are a number of optional activities that a walkthrough might not tell you about, but that it would be a shame to miss. This is one of those games where the rule is, pick up everything you can and interact with everything you can. Doing so can only heighten your experience. The first half of the game is truly spooky, with numerous close encounters of the ectoplasmic kind and lots of paranormal activity showing up on your equipment. One such encounter actually made my heart stop for a minute, even though I was expecting it. Another that I wasn't expecting made me afraid to go back to the game for a minute. The atmosphere of weirdness is aided by the sound effects which are used subtly and with great skill. You're always thinking you're about to stumble on something unexpected and sometimes you do. Nothing is very grotesque or frightening in and of itself, but the atmosphere of suspense makes even the ordinary seem hair-raising. The second half of the game is much quieter. Entering the three actual ghost "worlds" is almost mundane and somewhat anticlimactic. When things are spooky, it's more because you're experiencing the reality of a person who is himself creepy, than because the actual events are scary. I found this both a disappointment and a relief, after the excitement of the initial half of the game. AMBER is a slide show game in the style of MYST, but I didn't miss the 3-d presentation or 360 degree vision of more recent games. Navigation was generally pretty easy, although there were one or two places where I had a hard time getting to where I wanted to go. One ghost world utilised a special diagonal cursor that was very hard to understand; another featured a view of the world that was pretty distorted (in more ways than one). Again, in these spots patience was necessary. Also, the screen size is small. Setting my monitor to 640 X 480 helped some, but I, at least, found I had to do that manually before playing; the game doesn't do it for you as most do. My main complaint with AMBER is that it was too short (I finished it in under 10 hours). You spent a lot of time setting up, and very little actually accomplishing anything. Also, the few real puzzles were very easy. Sometimes I felt like I had barely begun to look at them before I accidentally solved them. The ending was also a little abrupt. I wanted more. If you like games with lots of atmosphere, you will probably like AMBER. If you like lots of challenging puzzles, you might not. Still, at under ten bucks it's a worthwhile way to spend a rainy afternoon or two.
Rating: 
Summary: Boo Windows 95
Review: I couldn't even get the game to play (Win 2000) .Script errors: handler not defined. I sent an email to the company and got a response saying it ONLY works on windows 95 (but isn't Win 200 supposed to be backward compatible so what's up with this?). Pretty lame is you ask me. Otherwise was looking forward to playing it.
I did peek at the movie in the movie folder and they look fairly lame. Small screen and very pixulated but I guess for when the game was put out that wasn't so bad. Storyline intrigued me so if I ever get to play it I may post again
Rating: 
Summary: Could be better, could be worse.
Review: I did enjoy "AMBER Journeys Beyond" up to a point. The puzzles varied in their difficulty from amazingly simple to frustrating and illogical. The storyline was less than I imagined it to be, but still interesting. The atmosphere was enthralling, but the display was far too small for comfort. I would recommend this game for a busy time in your life, because if you play it nonstop then you will be dissatisfied. The game is TOO SHORT! I expected much more play time, and was quite disappointed by its speedy ending. Don't get me wrong, this game has many good points. The graphics are very realistic, and scene movement is smooth. The voice acting is flawless, which is very nice seen as how it is important to game-play. I greatly enjoyed the storyline, and I'll state again that the atmosphere was spectacular. It has a unique eerie quality that I have not seen anywhere else. This game is a good buy for [$], and I would recommend it to bored adventure game players, who have limited experience in this genre.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor Storyline
Review: I thought the game was dull. It wasn't even scary! The storyline was weak and really didn't have a point to it. The playing screen was also small but the graphics were good. It needs more excitement and adventure. Overall, I was disapointed.
| 
