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Overall, Jack Keane looks like a promising romp for longtime adventure gamers.

If you’re a PC gamer living in the United States, chances are you’ve never heard of Jack Keane or his daring exploits. Since late 2007, lucky folk on the other side of the pond have been whooping it up adventure style with the latest release from 10tacle Studios.

In it, you play the titular hero in colonial England, who is unwittingly tasked to shuttle a British agent to the mysterious Tooth Island to investigate the questionable botanical experiments of one Doctor T. Along the way you’ll encounter a cast of wacky characters, use your noggin to solve puzzles, and marvel at the abundance of witty dialogue thrown your way. In short, if you’re a fan of classics like Grim Fandango or the Monkey Island series, you’ll feel right at home in Captain Jack’s pantaloons.

Jack Keane plays like your typical adventure game; movement, object interaction, and dialogue are all handled via mouse. If you see something interesting, you simply move the mouse pointer over it. Provided the item is relevant to gameplay (or fodder for a quick one-liner) Jack will usually comment aloud with the appropriate mouse click. When you acquire an inventory item such as a knife, you can use it either in conjunction with another possession or something in the environment, usually to hilarious results. If you’re stuck, you can press a key to display all relevant hotspots onscreen—a useful remedy to the “pixel hunt” malady. It’s point-and-click fare that’s been the genre standard for over two decades, and it all works exactly as advertised.

The backgrounds are done in 3D, and are rich with color and lively characters. As you explore, the camera follows, revealing more of the surrounding world. The art style is very cartoony, but fits the lighthearted vibe. To bring it all to life, ambient sound effects and competent voice acting round out the package.

Adventure games are usually light on gameplay and heavy on story, and from what we’ve seen so far, Jack Keane fits that mold. The main character loves hearing himself talk to the point of nausea, so it’s a good thing that his dialogue is often clever (even if the delivery is reminiscent of a Saturday morning cartoon).

There’s no shortage of moustache-twirling bad guys, “master of the obvious” observations, or campy situations, but given the context it usually elicits a chuckle. Jack Keane is about having a good laugh against the lush backdrop of swinging coconut trees, so don’t expect oppressive Randian themes to get in the way. Simply fire it up, kick off your sandals, and enjoy the ride while it lasts.

Overall, Jack Keane looks like a promising romp for longtime adventure gamers. Look for our full review following its March 2008 release.