Manhattan Requiem is the first adventure in a series of two featuring J. B. Harold, the small-town detective from Liberty Ville. Sarah Shields, a witness from one of J. B.'s former cases, has died. She plunged to her death from her Manhattan apartment window but J. B. doesn't believe in accidents. You slip into J. B.'s role and it's up to you to unravel the mystery of Sarah's death.

This is a complex and difficult game with a fascinating and twisted story line. What starts as a simple murder investigation turns into a quest to solve the secret behind the multiple Sarahs. Numerous side stories flow into one main story line and lead up to the grand finale. Although this game has its lengthy moments and becomes pretty repetitive towards the end (when you have to make the round and interrogate all the various witnesses) it is an excellent showcase of what the LaserActive system is capable of.

Graphics are beautiful, detailed and convincingly portray the atmosphere of Manhattan. Although this title has a nice introduction video, most of it is in the form of stills - video sequences are rare. The menu system is well done, map navigation is intuitive and the individual locations are well designed. Switching between different screens is quick but after playing for a while you start wishing for a way to skip some of the in-between-screens. Sound is excellent, the audio track is available in English and Japanese and the English voices go very well with the portrayed characters!

Overall one of the best games for the LaserActive system and a must have for the NEC control pack!

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