Second best = Very good

I've been hooked on the Myst game series for years. There's something about the music, the mythology, the interface, the fact that you can't die, and the challenge of puzzle solving that keeps bringing me back.

Mostly it's because of the game Riven (Myst 2), which featured the most well-thought out integrated puzzles in the history of gaming. Every time I play a Myst game, I hope it will approach the quality and intelligence of Riven.

Myst III: Exile sure didn't. But I'm happy to report that Myst IV: Revelation does.

Introduction:

For any who don't know how games in the Myst series works, I'll do my best to acquaint you. When you start one of these games, you are transported to a fantasy world, called an age. Once there, you may have a few moments of scripted interaction with a human being that spurs you to complete some task, but mostly you are on your own.

The game itself is played in a first-person perspective (like Doom, with no shooting and virtually no inventory). Also, you do not smoothly move from location to location in Myst, but jump to a number of pre-set locales (many of which may be different positions in the same room). In each, you have the ability to manipulate objects lying around with an onscreen cursor: journals, pans, knick-knacks, levers, doors, etc.

The object is twofold: read journals to learn more about the characters you are helping (at the beginning of each game you are given almost no information about them), and fix broken machines.

The latter task is where the puzzle solving comes in. In virtually every age, you'll come across controls for machines. (The machines, which might be for transport, construction, or observation, usually run on electricity supplied by visual wires.) Yet you don't know how they work (what does each lever or button do?) or even what they're for! Yet using deduction (throw a lever, then walk around to see what physical changes have occurred on other screens), you can usually figure this out.

Exploring these ages is a timely process. There is no time limit and you go through much trial and error in getting these machines to work. When you do, the plot of the game usually advances or you are able to access a new gaming area.

The Story:

This time, you show up at wise old Atrus's house, and are there to help him determine if his sons Sirrus and Achenar - once very evil - have reformed in the 20 years since they've been sealed up in prison worlds. To up the ante: it seems they've escaped from their prisons and have kidnapped Atrus's young daughter, Yeesha.

To find and save Yeesha, you must unlock the secrets of both Sirrus and Achenar's pasts as well as that of a dream world called Serenia. This involves a heavy amount of exploration, much of it being spent on the now-vacant prison worlds. What's cool is that you get to see what the sons have been doing in their twenty years of confinement: they've had time to build lots of very complicated machinery!

The Interface:

This is the sleekest version of Myst yet. The game is gorgeous, featuring lots of complex, layered graphics. In every screen you have the ability to look in any direction (up-down too) and to touch any object. The tried-and-true method for doing this is the on-screen cursor, which is shaped like a hand. As it approaches any hot spot, it changes into a microscope or a different shape to indicate it is about to touch or grab something. In general, the game is easy to navigate.

Speaking of that, the "zip" feature (introduced in Myst 3, I think) is highly useful. Instead of having to walk everywhere, it is often possible to immediately zip to certain screens within a given world. This is a huge timesaver.

In addition, the creators have added a camera feature, which allows you to take a snapshot of any image you come across. You can add notes under any picture as well. I found this feature useful, but by no means essential. In general, all my best puzzle solving is done with a notepad and pencil.

The Puzzles:

Really good work here. As someone who solved this game without a single hint, I thought the puzzles were very well constructed.

That is: they're weird enough to stump you for a few hours, but extreme patience always pays off. I found it very rewarding to leave the game, brainstorm ("Oh! Maybe those levers actually turn on THIS!), and come back and try it. Plus, solving some of the monster electronic machines on Sirrus's prison world (which took a month) made for some of the most satisfying gameplay I've ever experienced. At one point, I literally leaped with glee at having figured out a major piece of a puzzle.

Another plus is that - if you REALLY have figured out what a puzzle is asking you for - some guesswork will pay off. In reading the online walkthroughs, I learned that I had missed at least two critical pieces of information while playing the game (It is very easy to overlook hotspots, those places on the screen when your cursor signals that there's something that can be manipulated or examined). Yet I was still able to tinker with the machines and beat them. I regard this as a major plus!

OVERALL:

I highly recommend Myst IV: Revelation. Of course, don't buy it if you don't know what you're getting into. These games are only for the extremely patient, who don't need to pass lots of levels at a time to feel that progress is being made.

If you are one of these people, though, this is probably one of the best games out there for you.