American McGee's Alice is a dark and twisted warp into classic literature.
While Lewis Carol's intent was to create a tale for children to enjoy, it was by no means as delightful and cheerful as the cartoon. The style of writing is old-fashioned and somewhat complex given that the reader is of this day and age. The books are not nearly as dark and violent as American McGee has shown us here, but the original text leaves space for re-imagined ideas and thoughts in which Disney's cartoon disposed of entirely.
The game begins essentially where Through The Looking Glass left off. The story, as far as Lewis Carol was concerned, was over. But American McGee has created an event that has called Alice back to Wonderland, only this time things are not quite as they were. The Queen has gone mad, well, madder than she was before. She is now a psychopath, murdering and killing any who oppose her. Her twisted rule has retaken Wonderland, controlling and destroying it alongside the Mad Hatter and other familiar re-imagined baddies.
Without giving away any of the story, Alice experiences an unfortunate event that tosses her back down the rabbit hole. Through her journey she discovers just what has happened to Wonderland, and why it has happened. She is forced to fight her way through the denizens of the Queen using a creative array of weapons based off items you would typically find in relation to the subject matter. For example you find a deck of cards that you may throw at enemies to dismember them, a jack-in-the-box that explodes like a bomb, a clock that stops time, and many more.
The gameplay and combat is extremely straightforward and simple, but that's not the point here, the point is to be immersed in a dark atmosphere with stunning visuals and a memorable cast of once familiar characters gone horribly mad. All of the characters from the books are here, only this time they have become deranged and twisted both in appearance and personality.
The graphics, for it's time, are amazing. The game is beautiful. The attention to detail is astounding. I think that Alice has captured the best of what the Quake III engine has to offer. The screen shots only do the game partial justice; you must play it to achieve the full effect.
The music is also the best I've heard in a game, period. It is composed by Chris Vrenna of Nine Inch Nails fame. It sounds professional, dark, dreary, and morbidly soothing.
If you like the original works of Lewis Carol and are willing to look past the simplicity of the game, American McGee's Alice will quickly become a game you may never forget.