Rating: 
Summary: Thank God for sequels!
Review: Having finished Myst some time ago, I have been desperately searching for something, anything with which to challenge my brain. Luckily Riven, the sequel to Myst, is here! I immediately bought it, but to my utter frustration, the sound card in my computer did not support Riven. I immediately fixed the problem (I bought a new computer) and having been living in the blissful agony that is Riven. The game, as most other reviewers have verified, is not for the weak of mind. You have to thoroughly devote yourself to figuring out all the puzzles. Also, be prepared to have your life entirely consumed by Riven. It gets very addictive, very quickly. I recommend beginning with Myst as that is set up in a more linear fashion (in other words, cause and effect on the island Myst is more obvious than on Riven). I am trying to play Riven as slowly as possible in order to prolong the sweet agony of solving the game. I just hope Cyan comes out with another edition soon so that my addiction can continue.
Rating: 
Summary: A Worthy Effort
Review: Riven is a worthy sequel to Myst, and takes the Myst "mystique" to another level with five new worlds and an expanded story line. The brilliantly realized environments and mood-setting soundtrack draw you in immediately and keep you there until the sun comes up. Riven is not for gamers with short attention spans--simply navigating and charting the accessible areas of the Age of Riven take patience and time, and solving what I would characterize as the two major puzzles requires all of the intelligence and tenacity one can muster. As some reviewers have said, having played Myst first is helpful background to have, but this is not because the puzzles of Riven are similar to those of Myst, but because Myst will acquaint you with how the creators conceive puzzles, and heighten your sensitivity to factors in the environment that bear noting and investigating. I gave Riven 4 stars, rather than 5, for two reasons: (a) one of the major puzzles is sound-based, and after some long and frustrating efforts at solving it on my own, I obtained some hints on the internet and found that the solution required matching up particular sounds from the game that, in fact, simply did not match up (at least not in the version that I bought); and (b) one other crucial clue is a tiny, blurry image. In these respects, I felt that the creators did not play fair. Two other points:(i) contrary to what some have said, it is indeed possible to lose this game and meet an untimely end, so be careful out there, and (ii) recognize that the CD-Rom version is on 5 discs, which need to be changed every time you travel from one world to another--if you have a DVD-Rom player, by all means spring for the DVD version, which consists of one disc.
Rating: 
Summary: Adventuring ain't for loners
Review: Others have commented on the richness of the sound score, the sumptuousness of the graphics, and the immersion the puzzles provide for you. All true. But I find people's devotion to Riven and its predecessor a bit overblown. There are design faults here that should be pointed out. The 'slide-show' effect when moving probably does allow sufficient computer memory for photo-realism while standing still, but it compromises the realism that the producers were otherwise attempting. Besides that, it's simply annoying. Some have said that it adds a certain elegance to movement throughout the game, but I don't like seeing my surroundings 'melt' away as I move through them. Nor do I like sterile, empty environments. Oh sure, it all adds to the 'creepy' vibe the producers were hoping for, but a universe which is largely uninhabited is mighty boring after a few hours. I wanted wayyyyy more interaction with people than I got here. I also wanted to understand why I was doing what I was doing. Oh I could solve the puzzles, given gobs of time and guesswork, but at the end I found the plot rather too spare for the amount of work invested. If I'm going to spend weeks solving puzzles, I better understand more at the end of the story than at the beginning. I'm not altogether sure that happens here. The universe here, for all of its graphical excellence, left me hungry for more. Clearly, this is an entertainment crafted by fine artists rather than fine writers. If you're happy with that orientation, you'll be overjoyed with the final product. But if, like me, you want a game to surround you with an active, vibrant plot revealed by characters of substance, Riven isn't much of an adventure.
Rating:
Summary: thIS IS GOOD
Review: This game has beautiful graphics, but might be a bit hard for those who dont have the smarts for puzzles. After beating MYST, i think that i am ready for riven. It is a beautiful island, and it seems so real.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: I thought Myst was great with it's graphic and sounds but Riven outsmarted it by far. Riven is much more complicated than Myst and the graphic and sounds are amazing!. Riven is a strategy game. None of that bang bang violence. I had a hard time figuaring it out. You need sharp eyes for all the tiny clues you need to find out. But I got on better than my friend. I you like great graphics, sounds, and love looking for clues than this is the game for ya! Of course if you want to know the history than get Myst or read the Myst books that came out. I read all 3 of 'em and I thought they were really good.
Rating:
Summary: The Great Escape
Review: Imagine what it would be like to be the only living intelligent being in a strange and mysterious world and the only tool you have to discover it's secrets and get back to your own world is your grey matter. One of the best things about this game, aside from absolute non-violence, is that you cannot be hurt or killed and have to start over. You can explore to your hearts' content and never fear anything. It certainly is extremely challenging and requires intelligence and reasoning. It is not a game for the average person. It has been a year since I finished the challenge and I still miss the adventure. I have yet to find anything as satisfying and enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: More realistic, better puzzles, but less mystery than Myst
Review: Riven is, in many ways, what Myst would have been if Cyan (the game's creators) had had this degree of technology and experience the first time around. Not only are the sights very realistic, but the game design shows the wisdom that went into the production. There are puzzles, all right, but none of them sticks out like a sore thumb -- they're smoothly integrated into the environment. The payoffs are greatly satisfying and the solutions all follow a logic that can be deduced from attentive observation (take notes!) of the places around you. And therein lies the caveat others have brought up: Some of the puzzles are very hard. The world of Riven is not a simple place; some puzzles have interconnections which are not apparent unless you are accustomed to hunting for patterns in the environment. A seasoned puzzle master (or research scientist) may work them out alone -- kudos to the user who solved them all in two days! -- but mere mortals may need at least a tiny hint or two. (My brief advice: When in doubt, click everywhere. And make your screen brighter than the game recommends. Some things are camouflaged, intentionally or not.) The best preparation for playing Riven, though, is to play Myst, which (in addition to telling you how you got to Riven) will attune your awareness to the kinds of patterns that hold true significance. Sound esoteric? It can be. Solving Myst and Riven requires a level of attention that many people are unaccustomed to exercising -- especially for a computer game. As a previous reviewer said: "Not for the weak of mind." If you love an intellectual challenge, or if you're humble enough not to mind running off for a hint now and then, then your personal "system requirements" are good enough for Riven. Speaking of system requirements, a note to Mac users: The Mac specs on the box specify a 100 MHz PowerPC and 4X CD-ROM, but I strongly suggest, from personal experience, a faster system. (Also, if you have a Mac and want to look for Myst, I suggest you find the original Mac version, not the flawed and badly misnamed "Masterpiece Edition." I've seen copies of the original on auction sites.) Whatever your platform, Riven deserves the best speakers or headphones you can get. The audio, like the visuals, is impressively rich. And by all means -- by ALL means -- go on to Myst III: Exile when you're finished. Final note: If your computer has a DVD drive and you can get your hands on the DVD-ROM version of Riven (check those auction sites again), by all means do so. It's certainly nicer not to be interrupted by periodic requests to switch the CD in your drive (though the breakpoints are well-chosen and didn't ruin my CD-based playing), and you can watch the interesting "making of" documentary in a video DVD player.
Rating:
Summary: Not for the weak of mind...
Review: Now this is what I call a game. No need here for senseless mindless violence to keep you entertained. Riven demands that you use your mind. It is an exquisite experience, visually beautiful and brilliantly executed. The rides from island to island were worth the price of the game for me. Both Myst and Riven are in a class by themselves. I cannot begin to thank the creators of both these games enough. If you want to use your intelligence and your imagination as fully as possible, and have a wonderful time doing so,do yourself a good turn, and get Riven.
Rating: 
Summary: What I feel about Riven
Review: Riven is an ok game. The graphics are ausome! And I like the plot. the sounds were good to. I do not like the ending though, I thought it was lame, and that it ruined the whole game for me, but that's my opinion my freind say "it's one of the coolest endings." The game has puzzles, and there are only a few possible endings. it was so easy I beat the game in less then 2-days, and that was just because some parts of the game took some time, and the puzzles were so lame, and don't think oh, "that's because he used a stradagy guide." but I did not get help from anything, I did everthing using "my 'noggin'" as my grandfather would put it. But my friend here has been playing it for 3 mounths know and he still didn't beet it, and don't think its because he an idiot because he beat some other game in one week that I have been trying to beat for the passed mounth and still didn't. and one thing I really dislike about the game is you have to do exactly there way or no way there is no "alternate way" as my friend puts it. in other words "you can only beat the game one way you can't take other roads to get there you must take theirs", that ones by me. it is a big improvement over its predisessor "myst". also it takes place in a world that seems ancient, and I like futuristic games better. so what I mean is the game has its ups and its downs.
Rating:
Summary: No violence, all brains & beauty
Review: What a truly incredible, fun, graphically gorgeous, complicated, frustrating, rewarding experience. I recommend Riven without hesitation to anyone looking for a challenging & totally non-violent game. The puzzles are clever, the 'story' is intriguing, you will be totally hooked. Good for any age but younger kids (less than 10) will probably get too frustrated (see "The Manhole" for them, aslo by Broderbund I think).
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