'The Path' a unique, creepy indie game

— -- "If you go down to the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise." Perhaps Belgian designers Auriea Harvey and Michael Samyn were humming this line from the famous children's ditty while creating The Path, a wonderfully strange downloadable computer game that serves as a contemporary retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.

But Tale of Tales' independent game is certainly not for everyone. It's a slow-paced adventure with no fighting, little dialogue and when you attain the game's sole goal, you die. In other words, Halo fans need not apply.

If you're in the mood for something different, however, The Path is it. Whether it's really a game — opposed to a short piece of interactive fiction — might be a worthy discussion. It's an entertaining and thought-provoking digital diversion nonetheless.

Six sisters, ranging in age from 9 to 19, live in an apartment in the city. Their mother sends each of them to visit their bedridden grandmother, who lives in the deep woods, but instructs them not to deviate from the path. You select which girl starts the journey and you return to the apartment to pick another girl once you reach your destination. Eventually you'll play as all siblings.

Despite a warning about lurking wolves, to get the most out of this 220-megabyte download you'll intentionally veer off the road to grandma's house and roam about the huge forest. In it, you'll find temptations, dangers, wonders, choices and consequences — including special story elements for each of the girls. You'll collect more than 150 items, encounter haunting apparitions and visit places such as a well, tent, scarecrow and bogs. Granted, this is a vague description of what you'll explore and experience in this dark game, but it would spoil the adventure for you to give it all away here.

Once you arrive at grandma's house, the perspective changes from third person to first person. Will you head straight to her bed or discover hidden rooms and messages? As with the outside, most activities in the game are entirely optional and voluntary, ensuring no two games play exactly alike.