Stephen King is a renowned author of the horror and thriller genre. With a collection of over 50 novels, roughly 200 short stories, and over 15 film adaptations, King is, without a doubt, one of the most successful authors of all time.

The first Stephen King book I ever read was Christine when I was thirteen. It was my mother that first suggested I read the book. King is her favorite author and as a young teenager, I desired something more challenging to read instead of the classic tween novels from authors such as Andy Griffiths. She suggested this book to me because it was the first Stephen King book that she read when she was around my age, and it is one of the less grueling and psychopathic novels by King that would help me wean myself into the genre.

Christine was first published in 1983 by Viking Press. The story surrounds a bright red 1958 Plymouth Fury that has something very different and very special about it since it first came off the production line. The car originally belonged to a man named Ronald D. LeBay who endured a series of family and close friend’s deaths during the time that the car was in his ownership. After many years he decided to free himself from the Plymouth, and sold the car for $250 to a young college student named Arnie Cunningham.

Arnie is forced to store the car in a do-it-yourself mechanics shop because his family, and even his best friend, severely dislike the car. As he spends time repairing the care he becomes disconnected and cynical yet gains more self-confidence. The appearance of both the car and Arnie change dramatically overtime. Seemingly impossible repair jobs get fulfilled, though they don’t seem to be done by the pimple-faced and pale young Arnie who now seems to have a flawless completion and more adult appearance. Arnie and the car become more and more connected with each other and he names her Christine.

Arnie becomes ultimately obsessed with Christine, becoming withdrawn towards everyone in his life including his girlfriend and parents. Dennis, Arnie’s best friend, learns that there is more to the deaths related with Christine, especially in the past when it belonged to LeBay. He pieces together the notion that LeBay may have deliberately sacrificed his own daughter to make Christine a receptacle for his spirit because he forcefully took her into the car when she began chocking on a hamburger. Dennis becomes increasingly concerned for Arnie, especially when he learns of all the deaths that have occurred within Christine. As time goes on, an increasing number of car-related deaths occur within the small town.

Within the novel, there are various car-related mini poems, usually at the beginning of each chapter. These are excellent little breaks in the story and they are all matched with the era, adding to the ambiance of the novel. It is well written, using direct colloquialism to piece together each character’s personality. It is also graphically detailed to bring further drama and suspense to the story.

After reading Christine I became captivated by King’s writing and genre. I have had a love for the author ever since. Christine is certainly an excellent starting place for any new King reader, and a definite book to add to your to-read list if you are already enchanted by King’s works.

Marvel Studios is infamously known for hiring up-and-coming independent directors to assemble their focus-grouped-to-death features, but when was the last time they brought one with such an established style and cult fandom as Sam Raimi? The man behind The Evil Dead, Drag Me to Hell, Oz the Great and Powerful (well … we can forget about that one), and yes, the initial cinematic outings of Spider-Man was brought on to spearhead the newest Doctor Strange project after Scott Derrickson, director of Strange’s first solo adventure, left over “creative differences.” It was assumed Derrickson wanted to make Marvel’s first real horror-ish outing just a little too scary – then they brought on the guy who gets his kicks directly from campy frights.

It’s no surprise, then, that there’s an interesting tension at play within Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the strongest MCU outing since Black Panther, that’s nevertheless as much Marvel Machine as it is Raimi enjoying his return to the big screen after almost 10 years away, deploying every trick he keeps up his sleeve. It’s a movie well-suited to his sensibilities, full of monsters, portals to other worlds, evil spiritual books, doppelgängers, eyeballs where they don’t belong, and even the undead. When he’s able to let loose, it’s a total blast that’s replete with creative scene transitions, generous use of Dutch angles, a few jump scares, weird grunge guitar riffs, superimposed editing, and some appearances of his signature projectile POV camera effect.

Harder to determine is how much say Raimi had over Michael Waldron’s script that has the ultimate obligatory task of moving the greater universe along, which means this is still an MCU movie that is forced to go through the motions. We catch up with Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) not long after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, as he saves a multidimensional traveler named America Chavez (Gomez) from a giant, one-eyed alien monster trying to kidnap her for her powers. Strange attempts to enlist the help of Wanda Maximoff (Olsen), still reeling from the events of WandaVision, in protecting Chavez. Things don’t go as planned, to put it lightly, and Strange and Chavez end up in a multidimensional chase to outrun the evil that threatens them.

As is requisite for these films, all of this means dealing with a lot of info-dumping and clunky exposition shot in generic coverage about this film’s context within the MCU at large. Being a sequel to both Doctor Strange, WandaVision, and a general extension of the franchise, it also cannot escape feeling like various parts and ideas cobbled together into a single entity that, surprise, doesn’t always mesh. That said, there are portions outside of the genre leanings that are pure echoes of the more overt earnest sentimentality and attuned sense of story and character present in Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy that find their way into this. Even the quipping is amazingly reduced down to the absolute barest essentials. There are several truly touching moments around the climax that feel downright refreshing in how they allow the emotional character beats to just breathe.

Also noteworthy is how surprisingly mean this is able to get at times. This is maybe somewhat pushing the boundaries of a PG-13 rating, but it certainly is pushing the boundaries of what has been acceptable in the MCU up to this point. One particular segment around the halfway mark has some kills that carry a genuine sense of shock from just how bleak they are. This seems about as far as Marvel would be willing to go on the gore and scares while still maintaining the brand identity, but it’s the most revitalized the franchise has felt in a long time. There are plenty of reservations to be had about the baggage that comes with it, but it’s also just a ton of fun to sit back and watch the keys to the castle get handed over to someone who knows what to do with it.

Spanning three continents, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis finds our intrepid hero embroiled in a deadly race against the Third Reich to discover the secrets of Atlantis. With the help of archaeologist-come-psychic and ex-flame Sophia Hapgood, Jones attempts to foil the Nazi’s diabolical plans, save the world, and get the girl…again.

From the outset, Fate of Atlantis is exceptional, with an interactive introductory sequence that sees Jones repeatedly battered whilst exploring a collection of artifacts at Barnett College, looking for an unusual statue for the antiquities collector “Mr. Smith.” With the statue located and unlocked, a bead of the mythical Atlantean metal orichalcum is discovered. Smith threatens Jones and escapes with the artifact, though not before Indy recovers his jacket in a struggle, finding a passport exposing “Smith” as Nazi spy Klaus Kerner, and a magazine article featuring Jones and Sophia Hapgood. Fearing she is in danger, he goes to New York to track her down. We soon find out that ten years prior to the events of Fate, the two worked together on an expedition in Iceland, from which the latter stole artifacts. Through one such artifact, a necklace, Sophia “channels” the spirit of Atlantean King Nur-Ab-Sal, and has become an expert authority on Atlantis. She reveals the Nazis are hunting for orichalcum, an awesome source of energy that can power trucks, airplanes and bombs, ultimately assuring Nazi world domination.

Fate of Atlantis is fortunate in that, unlike its predecessor Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the story is not confined to the limits of the movie franchise. Instead, Fate of Atlantis enters uncharted territory with a highly original plot based upon the legend of Atlantis, the fantastically advanced city, which legendarily sank beneath the waves. Although the plot here is fictional, it is strongly based upon popular Atlantean lore, with the game manual listing a bibliography. Such research is impressive, and gives Jones’ somewhat unbelievable discoveries an air of authenticity. Despite this originality, Fate never forgets its source, with abundant references to the movie franchise. On one path, Jones is confronted by a boulder, precariously balanced on a ledge. “You know, I can’t put my finger on it, but this boulder looks vaguely familiar,” he quips delightfully. Gamers will rejoice in this combination of original plot and movie references to create a thoughtful title, instead of a shoddy, overpriced cash-in.

The characters populating Fate of Atlantis are colourful and lively, from sharp trader Omar Al-Jabbar, to an egomaniacal German scientist. The chemistry between the two lead characters, particularly in the team path provides an interesting dynamic due to the combination of two abrasive personalities; that of psychic and believer Sophia, and the other the pragmatic, cynical Jones. This is a source of much humour as the two characters make continual snipes at one another. Although characters are arguably less developed than in games such as Microïds’ Syberia, this is true to the spirit of the original films, in which clichés and stereotypes were also utilised to allow focus on the action-packed plot.

Fate of Atlantis utilises the classic SCUMM interface seen in other LucasArts games such as Monkey Island 2, with verbs such as “use,” “pick up” and “talk to,” yet it is unique in the incorporation of different sequences throughout the game. In the course of the adventure, Jones is called upon to pilot a hot air balloon, commandeer a German U-Boat and race through the streets of Monte Carlo. The only weakness is the arcade-style fight sequences, with their rudimentary punch and block functions. These sequences are, however, still a vast improvement from those in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; in Fate Indy recovers more of his health between fights, and purists will be pleased with the addition of a “sucker punch” key that will automatically KO opponents at the expense of a few Indy Quotient points.

The VGA graphics used in Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis are similar in style to those in Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, which (though perhaps now looking dated in light of modern developments) were breathtaking at the time of original release. The colourful streets of Algiers and imaginative scapes of subterranean Atlantis are rendered in beautiful detail, complimented by smooth animations and fantastic cut-scenes.

The musical score is superb, which along with the exhilarating main Indiana Jones theme embraces a range of styles to suit the location Indy is exploring. In Tikal soft strains of pan-pipes can be heard, whilst the music during confrontational scenes heightens the impression of danger. Unlike many other LucasArts adventure games, it is possible to die in Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. Dangerous situations are, however, clearly signposted, and, after all, one can hardly expect to confront the Nazi hordes and escape completely unscathed. Playing the CD-ROM version of Fate, I benefited from an enhanced audio score, though due to unfortunate compatibility issues was unable to receive spoken dialogue. The only problem with the game are some technical issues associated with newer systems, though it will run comfortably in Windows ’95 and ’98.

The challenges in Fate range in difficulty, depending largely upon the “path” chosen by the gamer. Puzzles are generally logical or require a degree of lateral thinking, though not the zany sense of humour demanded by games such as Day of the Tentacle. Challenges include traditional dialogue puzzles, object hunts and inventory based challenges. The first segment of the game, where Jones must search for the Lost Dialogue of Plato presents a gentle learning curve, though the difficulty soon increases. Perhaps the most striking feature of game play is the ability to choose a “path” according to your own tastes. You can continue your quest alone and unaided on the “wits” path, or be accompanied by Sophia, who provides hints on how to proceed in the “team” path. Those preferring a brawn over brain approach can select the “action” path, involving fewer or simplified puzzles, but more fighting. Each of these paths interweaves, so gamers experience the same locations but in different scenarios, before the paths converge for the denouement in Atlantis.

The originality and innate re-playability of Fate stems from the different ways in which gamers can approach puzzles. For example, one of the first challenges is to gain entry to a theatre in which Hapgood is lecturing. A doorman bars your way, but can be overcome in a number of ways; by reasoning with him, starting a fight, or by finding an alternative entrance. The more inventive your approach, the more IQ (Indy Quotient) points are earned. Ingeniously, based upon your approach to these early puzzles, in a short sequence where Sophia “reads your mind” the computer suggests the path to which you are best suited. You are free, however, to select any path of your choice, and a saved game slot for the decision is highly recommended.

Fate of Atlantis is a true classic, worthy of every adventure gamer’s collection. The epic plot is involving and suspenseful, putting you in the shoes of the world’s most famous archaeologist as he single-handedly wards off the forces of evil. Effectively three games in one, due to the multiple paths, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis offers excellent value for money, with re-playability, a fantastic musical score and lively characters combined to create an exceptional gaming experience. I thoroughly recommend buying a game that forever raised the bar in the adventure gaming genre.