If you ever wondered what it would be like to step into an interactive imaginative of every little kid's dream when they grow up, then surely you'll be beside yourself to play Graveyard Keeper. Apologies for the title not containing 'astronaut' or 'firefighter', surely every child aspires to work, play and have their life exist around a morgue, right? Brilliant! Then Graveyard Keeper is your golden ticket.

Judging by the title alone, one might venture a guess as to what this game actually entails--and you know what? They would be right! You play a (gasp!) graveyard keeper who in the short time between title screen and gameplay dies a normal man and comes back as a less than spooky helping hand in the local morgue. The gameplay itself is based around crafting items to craft more items so you can use those items to craft more items. Get it? Great!

Diving in the first time, I was met with a talking donkey that delivers dead bodies on his own, a floating skull with a cheeky lip named Gerry, a Bishop that is probably doing the Lord's work and a graveyard in slight disrepair. The first task at hand in my mind was to fix up said graveyard--you know, maybe plant a few pansies here, get the koi pond on...spruce up the place a bit! I'm not saying we have to throw upscale cocktail parties here, but for Pete's sake--let's roll out a red carpet for the dead!

The gameplay is straightforward in knowing what you have to do, but it usually takes a long process to get to what you actually want. Resources and crafting tables are a process built to drain the clock. Much in the way one might play Minecraft and zone out, Graveyard Keeper shows us a bit of that sort of thing dotted with little events here and there and a cast of characters that really are quite entertaining.

It's cute to look at, which is a big plus when you're chopping up dead, rotting-by-the-minute bodies. It's colourful, the different parts of the map are distinct, the animations are totally in line and with all this--it makes it a joy to walk around and explore. I never felt lost (even with the map on standby) and I never felt bored of what I was looking at on screen.

Aside from the learning curve being a bit stiff, I would wholeheartedly recommend this title to anyone that enjoys crafting games with a touch of gruesome to it. Where else can you say that you sold corpse meat to the butcher other than in prison? Fun for the whole family, I say! On a serious note though, it's not a bad game for the inquisitive kid--my seven year old had a go and was endlessly fascinated by the premise and mechanics. There are talent trees to spend points in to upgrade as well--so it all requires a fair bit of thinking, not to mention plenty of planning. As an in-depth, Stardew-esque, touch-of-death crafter, Graveyard Keeper digs it deep and comes out on top.