Apprentice II: The Knight's Move

The Good
Some people say that you get what you pay for, but in this freeware game you get much much more.

The first thing to note about this game is that it has quite good graphics. Sure, doesn't have any anti-aliasing or bling-mapping or whatever, but it's graphics are well made and pleasant to the eye. The cartoonish hand-drawn style reminds me of Monkey Island 3 and is a stark contrast to most other indie games (such as Fully Ramblomatic games).

The music is also well done. While not outstanding the music is quite pleasant and changes from location to location, to indicate the atmosphere of each place.

The dialogs are well done and are funny at times. The aren't on the scale of Monkey Island, but they clearly strive to reach that high mark. From petition-writing highwaywoman to the book wyrm, the game has quite interesting characters.

Of course the main point in a puzzle game are the actual puzzles, and the game is rather adequate in that department, but not spectacular. Most puzzles are rather easy with only one or two exceptions. This makes the game rather straightforward, but still keeping the game fun and interesting.

The Bad
I feel bad criticizing the game too harshly, because it's hard to criticize someone after they put long hours of work with no compensation but the love of their fans. However, I'll give it a try:

My main beef with this game is that it's very short - you can finish it in a couple of hours. The reason for that is not only the size of the game (though A Tale of Two Kingdoms shows you can make a high quality indie game with decent length), but the fact that the puzzles weren't difficult at all. Other than that there weren't any other real problems (OK, there was one screen, at the docks, where the game menu didn't appear, but was a minor bug because you could enter a different location and save/load/quit there) and gameplay was smooth and enjoyable.

The Bottom Line
All in all this is one good game that you shouldn't pass. While not in the same league as the big names of the adventure genre, it will entertain you for a few hours (the game also has a "secret puzzle" that may occupy you a while longer, but for find it you'll be rewarded with a very nice cutscene).