STORY
Ben Jordan Case 5:  Land Of The Rising Dead is the 5th game in the Ben Jordan series.  It was released on 1 April 2006 by Francisco 'Grundislav' Gonzalez. 

Ben returns home to recover from his last adventure.  He gets a phone call from his friends Simon and Alice to say that there have been some murders in a place called Osaka in Japan.  Simon thinks that it may be paranormal related, and wants to go and check it out.

Ben and Simon fly out to Osaka (with Alice flying out the next day) to investigate.  They soon find out there is a lot more to the murders than what they first thought, and they even find themselves in danger!

While the gang are in Japan, Ben is learning to cope with his past.  I liked how this was dealt with because it makes him seem more 'real' somehow.

There is a nice twist to the murders - but I will let you discover it for yourself.

GAMEPLAY
The game uses a point-and-click interface, which makes it easy to play.  There are icons along the top of the screen (just move your mouse up there) that you click on to move, talk, use, and see your inventory etc.  To move, just click on an area of the screen and Ben will move there.  You can also load, and save your game. Your score is also shown at the top of the screen.  It is very similar to the old Sierra games.

When you learn a valuable piece of information, you gain some points.  You also hear a gong, which is a nice touch since the game is based in Japan.

There is also a handy 'Notebook' feature.  Click on the notebook to see your currant objectives.  This helps you if you get a bit lost.

There are 2 different endings, and you will enjoy playing the game again to see both endings.

GRAPHICS
The game is set in Japan, and there are many nice touches that add a 'Japanese' feel to the game.  Things like Japanese pictures on the wall, and bed mats in the hotel make it seem more authentic.  I especially like the Japanese writing on the map screen.

You can see a close-up of someone's face as they talk, which is a nice touch.  Some of the backgrounds and buildings are just lovely to look at.  In the hotel, you can even turn on the TV to see Pikachu!

MUSIC AND SOUND EFFECTS
Grundislav has done a nice job in creating Japanese music.  It really adds to the atmosphere, since the game is based in Japan.  The music changes, depending on which location you are at, so there is a nice variety.

There are lots of good sound effects in this game.  You can hear Ben opening and shutting a door, or Simon as he taps on his laptop.  I like how Ben knocks on a door before entering, and the noise of the elevators were especially good.   As I mentioned earlier, the gong sounding as you gain points was a lovely touch. 

CHARACTERS
There are some interesting characters in this game.  It is nice to see Ben team up with Simon and Alice - they have a good rapport, and work well together.  The man from the TV studio is an interesting character, and I hope we will see more of him in the future.  Inspector Yoshi is an important character because you need to correspond with him a lot throughout the game.

I was a little disappointed that Percy Jones is not in this game, considering his role in the previous adventure, but hopefully that will be explained in the next 'chapter'. 

There are many other interesting characters that you meet, but I will let you discover them for yourself.

PUZZLES
The puzzles are interesting, and quite tricky.  Sometimes you have to really think about what to do next - it is not just a case of 'take object X and give it to person Y'.  You get a good feeling of satisfaction when you have solved a tricky situation.

SUMMARY
This is definitely one of the better Ben Jordan games.  The way that Ben deals with his past is very touching.  The interaction between Ben, Simon, and Alice is excellent - like they have been friends for years. 

The whole murder plot is very interesting, with a clever twist.

The game really draws you in as you get to know these characters.  It leaves you on a cliffhanger, and you HAVE to know what happens next.

I highly recommend this game.