Ghosts. Their existence has been a point of contention for centuries, and while scientists and skeptics still disavow that ghosts are real, it is ironic that technology will be the key to unlocking the mystery of it all. Whether ghosts exists or not (that is a contentious subject that is well beyond the scope of this space, believe me), the topic is a perfect fodder for gamers who have no problem suspending disbelief to have an abnormal adventure. So with that in mind, it's easy to see why Star Mountain Studios' latest game, Apparitions, is an interesting adventure for gamer and true believer alike (and for the record, I am the former and not the latter).

The game's origin is an interesting story worth repeating as well, before I get into what it is all about. Star Mountain Studios co-founder Briar Lee Mitchell says that Apparitions first materialized during an extended stay in New Zealand:

" After an afternoon at this odd hotel near Christchurch, overlooking the wild waters of the coastline, and observing the bizarre architecture of the place, I was inspired to write a scary novel about a haunting. "

Mitchell would later adapt the story to a screenplay which would then be optioned by producer Louise Barlow - but obviously the story doesn't end there. After forming Star Mountain Studios in 2002 with Richard Sternberg, they sifted through Mitchell's past projects and decided that her ghost story would also make a fun adventure game. But rather than taking the usual route in creating a cliched adventure game about haunts and hunters, Star Mountain decided to give the project a modern, mature feel. And what better group to get input from on that then The Atlantic Paranormal Society, or TAPS. TAPS, better known as the stars of the Sci-Fi Channel's popular reality show Ghost Hunters, were more than willing to get on board with the game after Star Mountain rewrote the game and pitched it to founders Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. The rest, as they say, is history..

While Apparitions may not bear the Ghost Hunters name (which is obviously owned by Sci-Fi Network), it does capture the essence of what TAPS as a group and the show are all about. In the game you take on the role of a lead investigator exploring the depths and heights of an allegedly haunted hotel called the Red Reef Inn. The first thing I noticed is the incredible amount of back story created for this game, delivered as case files and histories in your laptop. The hallmark of any good ghost story (real or imagined) is a laundry list of historical data and personal accounts of sightings. The game does a decent job of delivering that in spades, setting those willing to take the time to read it up for whatever activity is about to happen in the many rooms of the Inn.

The game is served up in classic adventure game style. Each location in the inn is a static 2D picture which you can pan around simply by moving the mouse in any direction (left, right, up or down) - old school adventure gamers will feel at home with this style of play, for sure. As you navigate though each room you'll be using the real world tools that the TAPS team use like an EMF detector, camcorder, voice recorder and temperature gauge. You'll also be able to set up IR cameras remotely, though you won't be able to monitor what they pick up in real-time (that data is pushed directly to the evidence file on your virtual laptop). Whatever anomalies you encounter (or at least the most significant) will be stored in your laptop, which at some point you'll have to sift through and decide if it is real evidence or nonsense.

What's interesting about the game is how much of what you'll encounter would probably be the norm in a real world investigation. These anomalies I speak of are the ones people often mistake for real evidence; for example, you might encounter fluctuating temperatures in one spot, only to find later that there is a door slightly ajar or an open window.. perhaps you'll get a high EMF reading in the basement and find out later that some heavy electrical equipment is in the general vicinity. It is this kind of balance that makes the game fun - it isn't all about floating mists, moving objects and things that can't be explained.