Ben There, Dan That is a free downloadable adventure game designed by and starring the guys at Zombie Cow Studios, Ben Ward and Dan Marshall. For a free game, it’s got a remarkable amount of depth, with a lengthy storyline, lots of puzzles, and copious amounts of hilarious dialogue. Ben and Dan are a couple of regular chaps living in London who are accidentally transported to a mysterious craft existing outside of space/time. Inside the craft are a series of doors to various dimensions, one of which appears to be the door leading back to their apartment, but each one requires a bizarre object in order to open, which can only be retrieved by exploring all the other dimensions first.

The puzzles in Ben There, Dan That are very well-designed and unapologetically silly. It’s clearly inspired by the early LucasArts games, and has a very similar structure to Sam & Max Hit the Road, particularly in that the player controls Ben but can “use” Dan as if he were another item in your inventory. They make no bones about their inspirations (a Sam & Max poster is even a vital inventory object early on in the game), as references to various adventure game cliches are peppered throughout.

The best part of the game is definitely the humor, and should especially appeal to fans of British comedies. There are a couple of really great running jokes, one involving a lightswitch and the other involving multiple manslaughters. Some of the dimensions Ben and Dan visit include one overcome by zombies, one where England has become part of the United States, and another where everybody (except our heroes) has super powers. No matter where they end up, hilarity always ensues.

If you like adventure games, and enjoy irreverent, absurdist humor (with a slightly twisted bent), then you should give Ben There, Dan That a try. IT’S FREE!!!