Something fishy is happening on the island of Darkwater where Edward Pierce, an alcoholic private detective, travels to uncover the mystery of a missing artist.

This fishing port is inhabited with oddballs who worship creatures from the ocean depths: an unsettling backdrop inspired by the supernatural literature of HP Lovecraft, whose obsession with haddock-faced humans, tentacled demons, and decorative entrails, would put you off your cod and chips. Use detective skills to hunt for clues, before winding up in an asylum where a Lovecraftian monster runs amok.

Some games tried to capture Lovecraft’s mythos before, most notably 2005’s Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth. Cyanide’s version almost captures the writer’s exotic, nightmarish vision. Despite clever RPG elements – in which you assign skills to the tortured protagonist – the clunky writing and wooden voice acting are the real horrors here. 5/10

Cyanide