Shadow Play is exactly the kind of mission that could be found in the original game and that could easily replace Lord Bafford's Manor as the first mission. It is a very straightforward mansion heist but it's done so brilliantly it's a near flawless experience.

The atmosphere with this one is through the roof, with excellent shadows, perfect architecture/setdressing and great use of sound. Some areas, such as the baths in the basement or the small music room with the electric wind ambient are just out of this world. Most of the mansion interior has this ominous aura of anguish that can only be found in the original game, and Schlock pulled it off quite amazingly indeed.

Gameplay-wise, the mission is quite straightforward and offers multiple paths into and in the manor. Moving around rooms is never frustrating and the layout is far more interesting than your average mansion mission, with rooms with strange shapes and several overlooks/balconies you can climb to or drop from.

The biggest issue, which prevents this mission from reaching the perfect score, is that the story is basically non-existent. Indeed, there are no readables and the plot itself is as simple as it gets. Still, this mission shows that you do not need readables or even a story to convey strong gameplay and atmosphere. I believe some authors should take a lesson or two from Schlock who, while being a newcomer and this being their first release, showed everyone how a mansion mission should be done.

(this review was originally written for the TDP 20th Anniversary Contest voting form on TTLG)