A quick and easy mission, but with a suspense that makes it worth playing despite its shortcomings.
Final Score: 5 Hammers
Garrett has entered Sir Lector's hostel in disguise, to keep an eye on a certain rich noble whom he regards as his retirement fund. During dinner with Sir Lector in the evening, things go terribly wrong...
Sir Lector Comes to Dine was made for the 2nd small FM contest and with this in mind, choosing to set the mission in a single building was a good idea. This is one of the few contest missions that feel roomy, with suitable proportions and good layout. It's a pity that the choice of textures is so limited; even a log house could use more than one texture for walls and ceilings.
Reading Garrett's journal at the start of the mission fills you in on the events earlier in the evening. The journal gives a detailed account for what happened, but it's written in a style that doesn't sound like Garrett. In fact, I can't imagine Garrett sitting down to write things in a diary in a situation like this (or at all, for that matter). However, if you ignore the part about it being a diary and instead read it as an introduction, it works better.
This mission's strongest aspect is its tense atmosphere. The readables are few and not very convincing; instead the suspense is created with the anticipation of what lies ahead and having the deceptive quiet interrupted by sudden startling traps. Although this is a very short mission, it had me on edge until the end.
The layout of the building works well and proportions are mostly appropriate, but the texture selection is monotonous and decoration is sparse with only one or two visually pleasant locations. All the walls and ceilings use the one and same wooden texture. The only real construction problem is a set of unrealistic stairs with such high steps that they're difficult to traverse.
Atmosphere is the best this mission has to offer. The suspense is built up with anticipation and a number of sudden and unexpected events. However, this means most of the tension will be gone the second time you play, as you already know what will happen.
Pretty much all the details you'd expect from the story are present in the mission itself, including a bloody murder scene. I only wish Sir Lector had a more intimidating appearance. He looked too clean, considering the previous events.
I don't think it would be fair to rate a story that's obviously not meant to be taken too seriously.
The mission is short, easy to finish and offers little to do apart from getting to where you're supposed to go, making the ending pretty anticlimactic. Your gear was taken away, so you make do with what you find in the house, including a new type of weapon.
Final Score: 5 Hammers
