Portal

As soon as I got my copy of the Orange Box, I tore open the packaging, installed the games and I was soon busy playing Half Life 2: Episode 2. Several hours later I emerged, pleased, then loaded up Team Fortress 2 which I played solid for a few days. Then a week or so later, I decided to load up Portal and give it a go.

Portal came out of nowhere for me. In the build up to the Orange Box's release, all I had focused on were the details of Episode 2 and Team Fortress 2, dismissing Portal as a mere distraction from the main features. Well, now I know that was a big mistake.

Portal is best described as a first person puzzle game, which isn't one of the biggest game genres. Developed by Valve, who recruited some of a team of students behind Narbacular Drop, a similarly unique puzzle game, this series of challenges integrated into a seamless and intelligent story is truly a game like no other I have ever played.

The game begins in a strange and slightly sinister scientific testing laboratory, where you are released and instructed on the use of the "Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device" which forms the basis of the game's ingenious puzzles. The device can fire two portals, one orange and one blue by the press of either the left or right mouse buttons. If you walk through one of these you emerge from the other.

Whilst this is a straightforward idea, which is gradually introduced to you in the first few levels, there soon become a large number of other factors which start to make life difficult for you. Some walls cannot have portals placed on them, in order to activate certain lifts you must transfer energy balls into receivers and the faster you enter a portal (i.e. falling from a height) the faster you fly out of the other.

Whilst this does sound fairly complicated to begin with, the excellent pacing and balance of the game mean you never feel out of your depth when solving the puzzles and the answer is usually difficult enough to prove challenging but never frustrating or unfair. The game is very much split into two halves with the latter part increasing the complexity of the puzzles and really starts to make you think in bizarre but satisfying new ways.

However sewing the fresh and exciting gameplay together is an intelligent, compelling and dark story which is told in a brilliantly constructed way. The less said about it the better as exploring the surreal humour of the story is one of the strongest elements of the game.

Whilst, the game is undoubtedly very strong in all areas, the main problem is the length of the game. The main story took me 3 to 4 hours of casual play, if you were to sit down and really blast through the game or were a puzzle veteran it will likely take you 3 at most. The brevity means that the game never outstays its welcome but it just leaves you wanting more, as just when you have understood and mastered the rules and concepts behind the puzzles, the game finishes.

However, the game does provide a series of challenge maps and an achievements list which does enhance the replayability. To be honest, I have replayed the entire game just to get the experience again, however the fact is any new maps or a sequel are likely to take a long time to get released due to the time Valve invest in all their games.

As ever with a Valve release, graphics and sound are very impressive, even on my mid-range computer I can play it on high settings with no problems. Sound wise, the game's music is different and might not be to some people's taste, but it fits very well with the theme of the game. Also worth noting Portal contains the greatest song in any video game: ever. Really, it is just brilliant.

A well designed, unusual game which when bought as part of the Orange Box works out at roughly £8 which is still excellent value, even for a short game. If you are looking for something different and innovative then Portal is an ideal game.