Another notable addition to the game takes the form of new mini-game-like puzzles that occasionally pop up to provide a break from the standard point-and-click progression. On the Wii, these animated pictures were superimposed over the main action, but now they occupy a slightly more natural space on the handheld’s top screen. As with the Wii update, this DS Director’s Cut now features large portraits that appear whenever two characters enter into dialogue, close-ups drawn by Dave Gibbons – co creator of the comic book Watchmen. The original Broken Sword was a superb game, and many of its key strengths – particularly its story and sharp puzzle design – are as potent today as they were back in 1996.

If you’ve already read my review for the Wii version of this game, you’ll know how I feel about Shadow of the Templars: Director’s Cut. Nico’s investigation into the killing forms a new prologue-like episode that dovetails neatly into George’s main adventure, adding a couple of hours worth of fresh gameplay. Nico ends up witnessing the murder of a celebrity named Pierre Carchon, a man who may have had some connection to her father. The original Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars began with the sequence I’ve described, but this new Director’s Cut shakes things up a bit by starting its tale with Nico Collard – a nubile photojournalist whom George encounters shortly after the bomb-blast. It’s a highly provocative opening – or rather, it was. The ensuing explosion utterly destroys the café, but George survives and immediately sets out to find the red-nosed killer.

The clown snatches the man’s case and runs from the café, leaving behind an accordion with a suspicious blinking light. A man with a grey hair and a briefcase appears, and moments later a sinister clown arrives on the scene. As our story begins, we find George sitting at a café, flirting with the waitress. How about that for an opening gambit? These are the first words spoken by George Stobbart, American tourist and the hero of Broken Sword – one of the most celebrated games in the history of point-and-click adventures. The city holds many memories for me – of cafes, of music, of love… and of death.” The last months of the year, and the end of the millennium.

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