The ward is a great game.  As Astronaut David D. Walker you "explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go were no man has gone before".  Oh wait...this is not Star Trek.  It is however, one of the most interesting story lines I have seen in a game.  Starting with an ill-fated moon mission The Ward begins a startling journey, which will unravel the secrets of the universe.

Installation is simple and the multiple options make it easy to customize the program for your available memory.  The Intro movie treats you to what will be a long line of the best graphics 1995 had to offer, but don't worry the in game graphics are pretty good.  Also even with the outdated technology I was impressed by some of the movie scenes.  They're a testament to what a good creative team can do with even the most rudimentary tools.

The music keeps up with the atmosphere of interstellar mystery.  It changes on a fairly regular basis depending on your entering new sections.  The only time it becomes annoying is if you are stuck on a puzzle.  It will rarely come to that point however, as there is an in game hint option for all you cheaters out there.  CHEATERS!  Actually some of the puzzles are pretty difficult and I found myself using the hint function pretty regularly.

By far the best thing about The Ward is its storyline.  Its better if you don't read it in the booklet but rather allow the game to unfold it for you.  I don’t want to give anything away here but in the words of the creators “The final revelation will take your breath away”.  While they're is plenty of conflict within the game fighting and conquering is not the goal.  This makes the ward a departure from many of your standard science fiction games where the goal is based around the eradication of others.  It is a game full of plot twists and ulterior motives.  In the end one man will control the fated of the universe.  The Ward is a game of discovery and I'm glad I discovered The Ward.

It has been rated T for teen due to mild language and violence.

Install: Easy
Several installation options make it easy to use only the memory you want to use.

Graphics: 6 
In game graphics are fairly decent but the movies are terribly outdated.  

Sound: 7
The music is decent and varies throughout the game but it can become extremely repetitive when stuck on a puzzle.  Also the lack of in game spoken dialogue is mildly annoying.

Concept: 9 
An interesting and original storyline.

Overall: 8.5
A great storyline and and impressive interface make for a great game.