The Martian Memorandum is the second Tex Murphy adventure in what became a trilogy, with Mean Streets serving as the predecessor and Under a Killing Moon to follow. Martian Memorandum was released as a two-dimensional adventure game with a deep plot.
With the standard interface of a point and click adventure, Martian Memorandum begins where Mean Streets left off. Tex Murphy is a detective who won great acclaim and the attention of millionaire, Marshall Alexander. Alexander’s daughter, Alexis, has been kidnapped, and he hires Tex to find her.
The Martian Memorandum is the second Tex Murphy adventure in what became a trilogy, with Mean Streets serving as the predecessor and Under a Killing Moon to follow. Martian Memorandum was released as a two-dimensional adventure game with a deep plot.
With the standard interface of a point and click adventure, Martian Memorandum begins where Mean Streets left off. Tex Murphy is a detective who won great acclaim and the attention of millionaire, Marshall Alexander. Alexander’s daughter, Alexis, has been kidnapped, and he hires Tex to find her.
The year is 2039 and the scenery with which Tex has to work is futuristic and space themed. Alexander gives Tex a few leads, and Tex has to use these clues to ask the appropriate questions of the next group
of characters he meets. In turn, these characters will provide more clues that must be deciphered and followed. Since this is a space adventure, about half of the game occurs on Mars, and Tex must interview both human and alien characters, most of which are well drawn and sometimes just plain disgusting.
As Tex uncovers more clues, he also uncovers more about his wealthy boss, and begins to wonder just what he has signed up for. There is more to this detective adventure than a mere kidnapping, and Tex becomes interested in finding out just exactly what drives Alexander. The puzzles leading to this revelation begin on Earth and lead to Mars, and most are fairly clever and logical. The interface is typical mouse action with a keyboard parser. The graphic display is actually very good, even for the age of the game, and the sound is even better. All of the colour and dialogue reflect the theme of the game very well, and there are even some humorous moments in the interactions with a couple of characters. Some of the unconventional methods of dying are also actually humorous.
The game is two-dimensional and features a save option, which is useful. Although there are few opportunities to die, the save option is still a safe bet to use. This is a true adventure and features virtually nothing in the way of action sequences, making it a thinking cap game instead of one of flying fingers. It is a solid play that will challenge most gamers without frustrating them. Martian Memorandum is recommended as a short play for the purist adventure lover.
