Riddle of the Sphinx

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable, BUT....
Review: I enjoyed solving the puzzels in this game, however the game play has some flaws... First the game gets jumpy if you play for too long, so you should stop and restart your computer at regular intervals. Second, instead of smooth motion you move through a series of still pictures, (although there are occasionally animated parts to those pictures) and you have to check the shape of your cursor at each side of your screen to discover what directions you can move in for every spot that you stop in. Third, while the game changes the cursor to let you know what to click on, there were a few times when the cursor didn't change and one in particular (to find the tablets in the room with the snake) where the spot you have to click just looks like any other shadowy area. Finally, you can not adjust the sound and music seperately; several people in my house were rather irritated at the repetative music.
There are several good walkthroughs available online, and I recommend keeping one bookmarked while you play - even if all you use it for is to find a room (or single sceen) that you missed, to find where the next puzzel is, or to decide which clues to write down (I wrote down many MANY unnecessary details because of items that cannot be carried...)

Rating:
Summary: Definitely one of the best Dreamcatcher games out there.
Review: O.k. First for the negative stuff. For all those who have been complaining about the game "crashing" and for all those who complain about the game taking "so long" to complete, this is far from the truth.

First, I admit my computer crashed when I was playing this game. Did I just swear and reboot time after time getting frustrated? No. In fact, if you just go to the Dreamcatcher web site, you will find (no surprise to me) that there is a patch for the game which will prevent your computer from crashing. No more problems there.

Second, I have not used any walkthroughs, and it has only taken me about 50 hours to complete this game. So if you have the patience of a hungry lion, don't play this game. The puzzles are not as challenging as I'd like, but enough to keep you interested throughout the game.

Finally, the good stuff. The graphics are awesome. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out how to move around the scenes. If the prelude movies annoy you, you can just click through them. The gameplay is non-linear, so you don't have to do one task before you do another one (and there aren't too many games out there which are not linear in nature).

This is definitely a good buy for the price.

Rating:
Summary: Beware of Hidden Agenda in This "Egyptian" Adventure Game
Review: I have played lots of adventure games, and I usually enjoy them, even if many of them are a bit clunky or goofy compared to their sleeker cousins. "The Riddle of the Sphinx" is definitely in the "Myst" family of games, the best of which (in my opinion) are probably "The Journeyman" series, or "The Longest Journey," because they have such a good sense of humor along with their solemn "save the world" messages. Most of these games involve aliens, popular mysteries such as Easter Island, the Pyramids, etc. Some have a sense of humor, with funny and self-conscious dialogue, and characters who are appealing and interesting. "The Riddle of the Sphinx" takes itself very seriously throughout, which is one strategy for building suspense, imitating the "solemnity" of the Myst series, and it's fine if you don't take it toooooo seriously. But the game also has a hidden agenda which appears at the very end, and is, to my mind, insidious.

I played this game with a walk-through because the puzzles, which mostly involve wandering from room to similar room picking up similar objects and dragging them around with you, tend to resemble each other. (By the time you "solve" the ultimate mystery, your inventory bag must weigh about 400 lbs!) I didn't have the patience or energy to solve the puzzles, and I admire players who did! Other reviewers have commented on the game's tendency to crash (it does freeze a fair amount), but if you save frequently, this is not such a problem. The game uses a tremendous amount of computer resources, and you have to be careful to close all applications which might be running in the background. You can do this during game-play by hitting Ctl-Alt-Del, and closing various applications as you go.

But it's the conclusion of the game which was really problematic for me. All adventure games give you a "reward" when you solve them-lights come on, music plays, and all the mysteries come together in a big, satisfying, "bang." Usually, you are smiling at the end, pleased as your computer takes off into never-never-land. Unfortunately, the ending of this game veers off into a grey area of religious doctrine which I think many gamers might find offensive--I certainly did. Without giving away the "mystery" for those who still want to play "Riddle of the Sphinx," suffice it to say that the creators of the game suggest (without much subtlety, and with little or no humor) that there is a literal biblical basis for much of the world's history, and that non-biblical cultures around the world ("pagans")have been "cursed" for meddling with the "true" (i.e. biblical) plan of the world. While I respect the beliefs of those who wrote this game, I think this kind of suggestion is inappropriate in any product not sold as "religious."

A line has been crossed here which many alert gamers will not appreciate. Most people play computer adventure games to be carried into a self-contained fantasy world. Whatever "preaching" goes on should be ecumenical and in the spirit of fun. I suggest that the game's creators might want to consider revising the ending of their game, or advertising it differently. And for gamers thinking of playing "Riddle of the Sphinx," beware the true curse at the end!

Rating:
Summary: Beware of Hidden Agenda in This "Egyptian" Adventure Game
Review: I have played lots of these "Myst"-take-offs, and I usually enjoy them, even if most of them are a bit clunky and goofy compared to the original model. This one is a typical knock-off like others in the same vein, the best of which are probably "The Journeyman" series, or "The Longest Journey." Most of these games have a "save the world" message, and some involve aliens, popular mysteries such as Easter Island, the Pyramids, etc. Some have a sense of humor, with funny and self-conscious dialogue, and a main character who is appealing and interesting. This game takes itself very seriously throughout, which is one strategy for building suspense (imitating the "solemnity" of the Myst series, which is fun if you don't take it toooooo seriously). But it also has a hidden agenda which appears at the end, and makes it different, and to my mind, even a little insidious.

I played this with a walk-through because the puzzles, which mostly involve wandering from room to similar room picking up similar objects and dragging them around (by the time you "solve" the ultimate mystery, your bag must weigh about 200 lbs!) are mostly alike. I didn't have the patience or energy to solve them. Other reviewers have commented on the game's tendency to crash (it does freeze a fair amount), but if you save frequently, this is not such a problem. The game uses a tremendous amount of computer resources, and you have to be careful to close all applications which might be running in the background. You can do this during game-play by hitting Ctl-Alt-Del, and closing various applications as you go.

But it's the ultimate conclusion of the game which is problematic for me. All adventure games give you a "reward" when you solve them-lights come on, music plays, and all the mysteries come together in a big, satisfying, "bang." Usually, you are smiling at the end, pleased as your computer takes off into never-never-land. Unfortunately, the ending of this game veers off into a grey area of religious doctrine which I think many gamers might find offensive-I did.

Without giving away the "mystery" for those who still want to play "Riddle of the Sphinx," suffice it to say that the creators of the game suggest (without much subtlety, and with little if any humor) that there is a literal biblical basis for much of the world's history, and that non-biblical cultures around the world are "cursed" for meddling with the "true" (i.e. biblical) plan of the world. While I respect the beliefs of those who wrote this game, I think this kind of suggestion is inappropriate in any product not sold as "religious."

I think that what this game's creators have suggested at the end of their game does cross a line which most gamers will not appreciate. Most gamers play computer adventure games to be carried into a self-contained fantasy world. Whatever "preaching" goes on in these games should be ecumenical and in the spirit of fun-otherwise there is a different, and to my mind at least, inappropriate agenda. The game's creators might want to consider revising their game, or advertising it differently.

Rating:
Summary: Save your money :(
Review: I love Egyptology and enjoy a good game now and then, so I was really looking forward to this one. The opening graphics/movie and the music are cool, but, beyond that, I found the game itself to be *painfully* slow and unwieldy. If you are used to playing real games (for example, Diablo II), you will be disappointed with the slow, difficult movements of the character and the lack of ducumentation or clear direction. I spent the first 30 minutes of "play" just trying to make him MOVE and get somewhere INTERESTING. I tried it again, today, just to be sure, and I had to sit through the entire opening movie all over again. (And, it's long.) There's no apparent way to skip the movie/intro and escape directly to the game. Once inside the game, the program couldn't find my last saved game and then closed with an error when I selected "new game". (I use WIN2000Pro and have no problems running Diablo II with the expansion on my sys.) There's no way I'm restarting it and sitting through the movie yet again. :P This game is being removed from my system and I'm giving it a thumbs-down. You may have the time and patience to figure this one out, but I just want to get on to playing and having some FUN... ;-)

Rating:
Summary: Yeah, Yeah, OK, OK
Review: Ummm... Ok. Don't get me wrong but this is a great game. Graphics and transitions need a lot of work but music and storyline are majorly awesome. I would only suggest this game if you don't mind slow gameplay and have about 5 hours a day free to play for oh... say the next 2 years! Try Myst and it's followups first, and play this only if you are happy with the level of your IQ.
Hint...> Print out a walkthrough. Trust me!

Rating:
Summary: Dreadful
Review: I was very much looking forward to playing this game but it never worked! I had several people try and find the problem but all gave up and said it was impossible to make it play faster. I have a very new system so I don't think it was that. Maybe I just got a bad one but it certainly wasn't worth the money! It's now collecting dust.

Rating:
Summary: Great Game!
Review: I loves this game! The graphics are amazing and there is great gameplay. The mystery is very intruging and mysterious. It was my first real puzzle-adventure game. I completely fell in love with it. I was on the computer for more than 5 hours at a time! I love puzzle games now and I am hoked. I recommend this game to anyone that loves adventure games and you will love it!

Rating:
Summary: Fun, but not quite Myst
Review: The first game of this type I've seen where you must take the threats seriously or die and have to start from a save file, starting relatively early on.

It's like Myst compared to Riven or Exile; needs a little help with graphics, some glitches, the looking around function, and the deserted world effect. I think its optimum sytem is a win95 less than Pen3, rather than a win98 Pen3 as it became sluggish or locked on activated puzzles, or jumped ahead on occasion (I got into the River of Death early, but forgot to save it until I'd already hit the wrong bird tablet)

But a lot of historical accuracy and a fun manner of tying together many of the legends about the area. Plus you get to explore monuments you probably wouldn't be able to see that much of through the crowds and barriers if you went to the real ones.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best games I've ever played...
Review: Riddle of the Sphinx is one of the best games I've ever plaved. The visuail efects are stunning! It's a work of art in all of it's entirties. In this game you get to do so many things including;snouping around,checking out collisial monumrnts, solving puzzles, and discovering the unknown. If you are a big fan of Eygpt, this is a must have game for you!