What? You, an adventure gamer, haven't played Grim Fandango? Run, don't walk, and get a copy. Once again, LucasArts has graced us with a great adventure game, sans the lameness that happens in most games of similar genre. No more getting killed in bogus fashion or having to play an entire level over because you asked the bartender for an extra drink. Grim Fandango is a tale set in the Afterlife, based on imagery and mythology of the Mexican Dia de los Muertes (Day of the Dead). You, the amiable but slightly embittered Manny Calavera (a dashing skeleton) are a travel agent for trips to the Final Reward. The method of travel depends on the karmic frequent flyer points earned by the dead -- if you lived a good life, you get a direct flight. If not, let's just say it might take a while longer.

Join Manny on his Noir-style quest to find the Afterlife and the mysterious Mercedes, a seemingly sugar-and-spice skeleton who rolls snake eyes on the karmic dice. Does Meche deserve her fate, or has she been wronged? And where the heck is she?

The plot is terrific; the dialogue is genuinely funny. You may want to take a little extra time to try out all the possible dialogue sequences. A highlight for me is hanging out in a beatnik joint making Manny perform really bad poetry readings. With the exception of a couple of frustrating mazes, which always drop a game a couple of points for me (especially red herring mazes, you LucasArts scamps, you), the gameplay is smooth, challenging, and (the whole point) fun.

Trust me, do the Grim Fandango. Download the demo from GameSpot.