Heileen is a visual novel game set in the 17th century by Tycoon Games.If you are not familiar with Visual Novel types of games, think of them as playable story books, much like a Choose Your Own Adventure. In this game, you play the part of a young girl named Heileen who is sailing off from Liverpool England on a trip to the New World.

As you watch the story unfold, you are given choices to make that control the path that Heileen takes during her adventures that eventually lead to one of several possible endings. The game adds replay value by allowing players to fast forward through dialog they have already read on previous times they played, which makes it faster to experience the multiple endings.

At the end of the game, depending on what ending you have achieved, you are given a score. Your score can be increased by uncovering and completing certain “quests” through out the story. The quests aren’t vital to finishing the story, but the extra points are always helpful. You can refer to your quests by hitting the Q button before you make any dialog choices.

While the art in a Choose Your Own Adventure book may have taken a back seat to the story, in a Visual Novel, the graphics are key. Heileen sports wonderful, anime style graphics that really bring the story and its many charactres to life. If you like a strong, story driven game, and are a big fan of the adventure/romance genre, you will want to give Heileen a try. Heileen is available for both Mac and PC. It retails for $19.95 and is available here.