By Marty Mulrooney
Anno Dracula is an alternate history novel by British writer Kim Newman. Set in London during 1888, Queen Victoria has remarried, taking Vlad Tapes – better known as Count Dracula – as her new consort. England is fast becoming a police state, with vampires advancing both socially and politically whilst humans – “the warm” – face the grim decision of whether to “turn”, or brave an existence as a human being living outnumbered amongst the un-dead. First printed in 1992, Titan Books have recently reprinted Anno Dracula in a brand new paperback edition that offers a wealth of extra material.
Ah, Halloween. Very rarely do I go into anything spooky or creepy, but if there’s one thing I can’t refuse it’s a good story. Something with likeable main characters, a flowing plot, a satisfying ending, and above all, length. Not often do you find something with all those things in it. Many of today’s games spend a lot of their disc size on high-end graphics and sacrifice length, or visa versa. (Final Fantasy XII is a good balance of both, amazing for a simple PS2-sized DVD!) But I can’t deny it: if you want length, visuals and balance, you have to go to the PC. Old now (coming out in 2000, and already having a second game based upon it), Activision’s Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption was a game that delivered just that. 
Martin Mulrooney
Guest/Previous
Alternative Magazine Online 