The first true adventure games that I played were Myst and Riven, and since then I have always preferred first person adventures, where the player is the main character.  Since discovering those games I have also wanted to make a first person puzzle adventure myself, but was deterred by the technical demands of such games.

However, the work I did on the two first person sections in Adventure Island, together with a helpful hint from another Adventure Games Studio (AGS) programmer, convinced me that I could produce a full length first person game.  The AGS engine does not allow for 360 degree all round viewing, and even if it did I doubt if I have the graphic resources to produce such panoramic backgrounds, so The Clockwork Labyrinth uses the more static format of my original inspirations.  By setting my game in the confines of an underground labyrinth, I also reduced to some extent the considerable undertaking of making four separate views for each location.  It has taken me a little over two years to complete this new game.

The idea for the theme of the game came from a television documentary about clockwork automata, and from this starting point I developed a surreal mix of Steampunk, Gothic, ancient civilisations and fairground kitch.  The game's focus is on its puzzles, which I hope will offer a broad range of challenges, from simple fun games to more complex, interconnected puzzles. In 2018 The Clockwork Labyrinth won Best Puzzles in the AGS Awards  for adventure games.

I have now added a User Guide to download for players struggling with any of the puzzles.