The Descendant - An Alternate Reality Game set in the world of The Joshua Files

The second book of THE JOSHUA FILES sequence, ICE SHOCK, was launched in the UK (Mar 2009) along with THE DESCENDANT, an ARG in which another story from THE JOSHUA FILES unfolds.

THE DESCENDANT includes material from a dozen websites, including videos, blogs, Twitter and Habbo Hotel, the leading avatar chat site for teens, as well a vital clue printed in the UK edition of ICE SHOCK itself. It is a conspiracy thriller with a mystery at its core: Who killed PJ Beltran? The story unfolded in real-time over one month, with the final fate of Gabi Beltran left as something of another mystery. Some game players claim to have received emails from Gabi in hiding...

THE DESCENDANT ARG was included in a leading ARG site's list of most-talked about games of 2009.

Themgharris.com is the official home of discussion about THE DESCENDANT Alternate Reality Game (ARG).

Who killed Josh's godfather, PJ Beltran?

Is it all part of Josh's mysterious world of global conspiracies?

If you're a fan of the JOSHUA FILES series, you'll be thrilled by the new discoveries you'll make about Josh's world. Things that even Josh doesn't know.

If you're an ARG fan, you can enjoy this puzzle as a standalone adventure.

TWO ways to play THE DESCENDANT ARG

• Start from the beginning at joshuafiles.co.uk/descendant
• Jump right in to a day-by-day story walkthrough

It's FREE to join themgharris.com and anyone can play THE DESCENDANT. It helps (you'll get the clues faster) to have access to a copy of INVISIBLE CITY and ICE SHOCK as published by Scholastic Children's Books UK. However, clues included in the books DO also appear online.

• Frequently Asked Questions about THE DESCENDANT
• Wondering about ARGs? Why not start here: Alternate Reality Gaming Quick Start Guide

Published: February 1, 2009
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First mention of the ARG's name (THE DESCENDANT) and possible hints of the game's content, on MG's blog.

One rumour flying around is that there are already clues to at least one in-game website - buried in the video trailers for INVISIBLE CITY and ICE SHOCK.