Ah, Paris in Autumn. The cafes, the romance, the history...the smell of exploding plastique. You are George Stoppard, or, as everyone in this game calls you, "Joj, the nuzzy tourist."

Apparently, "Joj" just can't get enough of France, its history, and its notorious loathing and mistreatment of American visitors. He is compelled to push on and solve the murder of a man whom he doesn't even know. He seems drawn to being endangered, threatened, and generally snubbed by every European he meets, just to avenge one man's murder. But who else is going to do it, eh? For the French, it's just "another day, another bombing." And "Joj" seems to be the only one with the spare several grand it takes to fly from Paris to Syria, Spain, and Ireland to hunt down clues.

Okay, so there are some canyon-sized gaps in George's motivation. Nevertheless, of any game, Circle of Blood still comes closest to approaching the depth of a novel. You can race through the puzzles, locations, and conversations to get to the end, but then you would miss the layers of characterization and sense of place that the ephemeral narrative, as a whole, has to offer. Like a good French meal, this game should be savored at leisure for its subtler details and flavors. This walk-through, while not exhaustive, will recommend not just solutions, but also ways of getting more out of the storyline itself. Also, keep in mind that the right mouse button allows you to look more closely at objects, and using it liberally opens up an even more detailed sense of place in the game.

George's responses to some questions can determine different conversational branches. Like any investigator, George's route to getting richer information from his contacts may be to play his own cards close to his chest and occasionally lie. Also, consider the order in which you ask about particular topics, as this can affect how you get information - and how much - from some sources.