I am not a big fan of VN, but this one kept me interested the whole way through. Most likely the game would have been way more enjoyable if I understood japanese, but I literally looked forward to read hours of dialogue every night as I was playing this. In some ways, I'd say the game is even more interesting than the anime, it really pulls you into lain's world and psyche and feels much more personal. Though I believe the anime is overall the better experience.

The way it is structured is both interesting and annoying. You navigate a clunky UI to open files that contain different recordings of the events, they won't always be in proper order, but you will eventually piece things together. Some other reviewer felt the voyeuristic treatment of lain was "suspicious", but I feel it is intended- you are basically a stranger searching through her files in the wired. This game is dark.

Overall I have my theories about how this connects to the anime. Some say the connection is simply thematic and they are alternate realities. Personally I believe this is a prequel of the anime telling the story of the other 'wired' lain, that would later 'inspire', or in a way of speech, reincarnate in the artificial lain in the anime.