Computer games resemble novels to the extent that both are narrative art forms that most people, most of the time, interact with alone. On the other hand, most computer games are no longer text-based. And with most novels you don't have to get the protagonist to solve a puzzle or kill a certain number of bad guys before you can progress to the next chapter. But there is a place where narrative text and even the most bewilderingly multimedia computer game meet: the walkthrough. If you can't be bothered to solve all those problems yourself, or you find yourself completely stuck, you can be sure that there'll be someone out there who's enough of a show-off to have written a step-by-step guide to completing the game and posted it on the internet.

LRB 25 September 2008 | PDF Download