Are You Afraid...?

A look at a computer game from Nickelodeon that was long forgotten.
On
December 19, 2007
Once again, let me take you back in time. Nickelodeon had it going pretty strong during the 90's. Sure, it did go commercial, but at least it was better than it is today. Anyway, that's beside the point. Let's get on to the point.


During most of the 90's, Nickelodeon had this show called "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" This was very intense for a kids show, as it was live action and was basically about all these intense ghost stories. It was usually a part of Snick, and I found it to be the scariest show that Nickelodeon has ever made.

See this picture?

Let that be an indication of how scary it can get!


In 1994, there was a CD-ROM game based on the show. This was a very rare game, and it didn't get much advertising. The only time I heard about it was briefly at the end of a commercial for another PC game by Nickelodeon, which was "Nickelodeon Director's Lab". I got both of those games for Christmas of that year. If anyone else has ever owned this game, I give you a high five, because this is a very rare game!

The layout:
The game is basically a first person point and click game. Basically, you are playing the role of a guest who has come to the Midnight Society to tell this ghost story. Basically, how you're playing the game is how you're telling the story. It's loaded with a lot of hard puzzles to solve. I remember spending hours trying to solve all those puzzles.


The story:
The name of the story you are telling is "The Tale of Orpheo's Curse". Two kids were visiting their Uncle, who lived across the street from an abandoned theatre called Orpheo's Palace. The big brother, Alex, didn't believe in magic, while his little sister, Terri, did. When their uncle left for a meeting, Terri decides to go to the old theatre to check it out and try to get inside. She talks Alex into coming with her. The theatre has been closed for many years. One night, sometime in the 1920's, during a magic show, something went terribly wrong, and all the performers were killed in their acts. The kids find an open door on the side and walk in, but only to discover that the ghosts of Orpheo the Great and all the performers still haunt the building. Will they escape before they become victims of Orpheo's curse?


Playing the game:
When you start the game after the pre-show and the title, Alex and Terri meet the ghost of Orpheo, Alex gets kidnapped, and it's your job to play Terri and find him. If you're not out of Orpheo's palace before midnight, the two of you will be forced to perform a magic act involving teleportation boxes and be sent to spend eternity in Limbo! As told by the other ghosts in the theatre, the only way to break the curse is to find a wax statue of Orpheo on the top level of the building and place five enchanted items on the statue. Eventually, you'll find Alex, take over playing as him, and then the two of you will reunite for the end part.


The ghosts:
There are eight ghosts who haunt the building. In this section, I'm going to talk about their background stories and how they help you (or what role they play) in the game.
Felicia: Felicia used to be the stage manager of the theatre. On the night of the tragedy, she was involved in the guillotine trick, and she actually became decapitated. Of all the ghosts in the theatre, Felicia is the most helpful. Terri and Alex both meet her individually, and you will see her numerous times in the game. She provides a lot of helpful information to get you where you're supposed to go.
Roberta: Roberta used to be the costumer of the theatre. On the night of the tragedy, she was the lady who got sawed in half, and she literally was. Terri and Alex both meet Roberta at the same time, and the info she provides is just about as helpful as Felicia's, except she's a little silly at times.
The Amazing Aldo: Aldo was an escape artist who once worked with Harry Houdini. On the night of the tragedy, he was supposed to escape from a tank full of water, but he drowned. Terri meets Aldo, and he helps her by pulling off a little trick to help her get to Alex.
Sara: Sara was originally the person in charge of scenery, props and lights. On the night of the tragedy, Orpheo used her in the levitation trick and sent her into orbit. Alex meets Sara, but she's not as helpful as most of the ghosts, in fact, she's a little rude.
Frederico: Frederico was an opera singer. While it's not revealed verbally in the game, you can tell by his looks that on the night of the tragedy, he was killed from being stabbed by swords while in a box. Alex meets Frederico in the game, and he's very helpful; he sings a song about finding a secret room and actually gives you one of the enchanted items you need to complete the game.
Elizabeth: Elizabeth was Orpheo's youngest daughter. On the night of the tragedy, she was sent to Limbo in the teleportation trick. Terri meets her, but you will hear her voice several times in the game calling for her father or calling for help.
Mary: Mary was Orpheo's eldest daughter. She doesn't help you any in the game, in fact, she's evil. She appears often in the game just to taunt you and will do anything to stop you from breaking the curse.
Orpheo the Great: Orpheo is the main bad guy in this game. An evil magician who is always looking for new performers just to make them victims of his curse. Your job in the game is to go as fast as you can to break his curse and not let Orpheo see you.


How it ends?
I'll tell you one thing, I have not once beaten this game. It probably wouldn't be necessary to reveal the ending anyway. I suppose you break the curse at the end and all the ghosts rest in peace. I no longer own this game, but I wish I still had it so that I could see if I could actually beat it, but unfortunately, it runs on DOS and is most likely not compatible with any computers higher than Windows 98. Hopefully, this game will be re-released sometime for a more compatible system.
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