After a looong break from this (stemming from a personal tragedy), I'm pleased to announce that development of Vendetta: Rise of a Gangster has once again resumed. The online demo has been updated and a single full playthru -- i.e. one in which you survive to the very end of the demo -- will take roughly 1.5-->2 hours, but it is playable entirely within your browser; no downloads or plug-ins required.

Never heard of "interactive fiction" games? Quite simply, these are multiple-choice stories in which you assume the role of the lead character (in this case, an up-and-coming young gangster in the 1920s) and the story unfolds based entirely on the decisions you make along the way. In the process you build up your rackets, businesses and 'henchmen', carry out hits and heists, pursue romantic interests, increase your skills and talents, do your best to avoid heat (and the inevitable consequences of generating too much!) and generally try to claw your way to the top of the local underworld by any means, fair or foul.

Although experienced players of these types of games rate Vendetta very highly indeed (which is obviously extremely gratifying), I am especially interested in hearing from players who have never tried anything like it before, for a fresh perspective. Thoughts, comments, suggestions for improvements -- any / all of these would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/82562041/web/vendetta1/index.html