Check it out Day 3: Portal

Day 3 of this Check it Out series sees the first foray into gaming with Valve’s wickedly entertaining and head-bending Portal. Released as part of The Orange Box gaming collection earlier this year (comprising of the also excellent Half Life 2, Episode packs and team Fortress) Portal became a bit of a cult hit within gaming circles but its wider popularity I’m unsure of. Now the game has been released on its own outside of the pack and is well worth playing if you haven’t heard of it yet.

Portal is essentially a first person puzzle game, using the Half Life 2 Source engine you start the game to find yourself in a test chamber, the objective is the game is simply to make your way through each of the levels (you go up a floor in a lift after each stage), in true puzzle game style though it’s the how that will keep you going. The main hook of Portal is the Portal gun, a stroke of genius it is a device that allows you to create a portal in a wall, then create another ‘exit’ portal on another wall, then simply walk through one portal and you will emerge from the other. From this mind-bending premise come some of the most ingenious and head-scratching designs put into a game.

That is basically all there is to the game but Valve superb design and the game world created keep it compelling and, thanks to the genius of GLaDOS the test chamber robot who guides you through the challenges, downright hilarious at times. Portal is a very funny game at times and feels like such a breath of fresh air compared to the other games out there that it is a constant joy to play. The game is short, and can be picked up for about £15 (though the all in one package of the Orange Box for £35 is much better value). The game also includes extra levels, developers commentary and achievement challenges which will keep you coming back long after the brilliant end credits. Basically portal is one of the most fun and surprising games of recent years and hopefully its popularity will lead to similarly creative and offbeat games being produced further down the line.