It's a promising start that offers a few hours of decent entertainment, just one that never unearths much imagination along the way.

Telltale's production quality is remarkable, and they must be commended for at least pushing the series violently towards what is sure to be a fascinating climax. However, the game must also be criticized for the inconsistency of its flow and the near-complete lack of original locations and characters (Stan's delightful return notwithstanding).

Secret Files 2 is a highly-polished, enjoyable sequel that’s better than its Tunguskan predecessor in several key ways.

The DS is capable of better, and even diehard fans of the show won't miss much by passing on this game.

In summary, CSI: Deadly Intent is an entirely lacklustre game. The return to traditional form will please those put off by the casual surprise of last year, but even that enthusiasm won’t last for long.

That aside, this is the best time I've had with an adventure game – 2D or 3D, big or small budget – this year. With an original charm all its own, Machinarium is a real winner and an instant classic.

It’s the best game in the series so far, and it will be thoroughly enjoyed by new and old players alike.

The very brief Adam’s Venture has a nice, shiny exterior, and actually feels adventurous in its physicality, but everything else is the very definition of “just okay”.

I used the phrase "very good game-but like its predecessor, not quite great" to describe the previous episode. Lair of the Leviathan not only clears "great", but sails way into the depths of "historically fantastic."

Series fans may get a mild kick out of the latest case for Lindsay and the gang, but few others will find the point of exploring these Crimes of Passion, as there’s just not enough of significance to seek out here.

Heaven may be a beautiful place to visit, but there's not nearly enough to do here to fill its few hours, let alone an eternity.

The Hardy Boys are reliable protagonists, the slightly but steadily increasing challenge of the puzzles will be an excellent primer for more difficult adventures, and who knows, they might even learn something in the process.

Traditional adventure fans should go in expecting a highly streamlined game style, and hidden object fans should brace themselves for a whole new kind of casual adventure.

Either way, for puzzle fans it’s a brilliant way to spend your time, and so long as you’re playing, that’s really all that matters.

The Siege of Spinner Cay is very good, but doesn't quite make the series great. I continue to enjoy every minute with the TMI episodes, but know that there is stronger comic momentum that can be attained.

If nothing else, this game is destined to be divisive, and whilst it’s certainly not “Still Life: Part 2”, it does – just barely – do enough good things to deserve to be called Still Life 2.

In the end, there isn’t a whole lot wrong with The Bogey Man, but there isn’t anything particularly memorable either. That would be fine if this were the middle of the series, but as a conclusion, it’s a little disappointing.

If you are looking for a brain-teasing experience full of complex puzzles to blow your mind, Memento Mori has little to offer along those lines. But if you are fan of story-driven adventures, you'll find a promising new adventure to fill your needs in this gripping psychological drama (albeit disguised as a conspiracy thriller) with one of the most shocking and memorable endings the genre has seen in a long time.

This isn’t a situation where one forces oneself to slog through Moby Dick because it’s a “classic”; The Secret of Monkey Island is still as fun as any other game you’ll play this year, and probably significantly more so, and everyone who loves adventure games should experience it at least once.

Overall, I think this game will be good for newcomers due to the large number of standalone obstacles.

For Sherlock fans, I’d rank this as more of a Basil Rathbone than a Jeremy Brett on the Holmes-o-meter; somewhat enjoyable but wildly inaccurate. And for DS fans simply looking for a good adventure, I’d largely recommend holding out for better mysteries than this.

In anticipation of that potential, every adventure fan should consider this an essential play, and go into it with the understanding that this is a very good and very fun game-just not the best Telltale has to offer.

Its limitations still show, but with a longer, funnier, and even wackier story, Time Gentlemen, Please! is an admirable follow-up to its freeware predecessor and well worth the small fee for people who've played the first game.

Despite its few moments of levity, however, the surreal nature of the storyline remains a little too odd throughout, and the repetitive nature of the gameplay makes Flower, Sun and Rain more of a slog to play through than it is enjoyable.

While the game is nearly the same length as the first two episodes—between 2 ½ and 3 hours for me—it feels like a more fulfilling experience thanks to the stronger storyline and better integrated puzzles.

In spite of all the similarities, Miami Law turned out to be a better game than Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles—but not by much. Miami Law has higher production values and a more ambitious scope, but overall these games share a surprising number of pitfalls, which leaves me wondering who they were designed for.

Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper is an unexpectedly sedentary and thoughtful game, and it’s far from bloody awful, if not quite the ripping good yarn it could have been.

The revamped and expanded JakeHunter may still have a few rough edges around its decidedly streamlined gameplay, but it is a satisfying experience for any fan of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.

If you are a fan of story-driven games, dark mysteries and psychological tales (and don’t mind a more casual style of gameplay), you won’t need a Tarot card to know that 3 Cards to Midnight is the right game for you.

While still an enjoyable experience, The Last Resort fails to live up to its potential, and is more of an "Average Outing" than a Grand Adventure.

Not quite perfect, this Broken Sword: Director’s Cut is still the best port of an adventure game on the DS to date.

My only real complaint with Fright of the Bumblebees is how slight it all feels. There’s maybe three hours of playtime here at best, and even for a single episode, it doesn’t feel like enough.

Despite a few awkward moments and the scarcity of thigh-slapping comedy, Ceville is nevertheless one of the better recent comic adventures, with excellent cartoony graphics and delightful music combining with the irreverent humor to add much to the whimsical nature of the game.

If ultra-challenging puzzles are your thing, you might be disappointed, but if you’re all about the story and characters, you should book a trip on the next available cyclone to beautiful (and dangerous) Emerald City.

For better and worse, Hunt for the Puppeteer is a simple adventure without any pretensions. It can be relaxing filler easily played with your brain off, but lacks both the quality and character to bother with otherwise.

Fans of the original will no doubt persevere and get to experience the worthwhile moments of the second half, but others may find its slow development too boring, its story a little too lost for its own good.

For everyone else, there’s some mild point-and-click fun to be had, but this is one adventure that’s simply too paper thin.

It’s still a little shallow in the gameplay department, but right down to the closing credits, it’s a lovingly thorough ode to retro games, and an amusing final adventure with some of the most colorful, acerbic, and silly characters you’ll ever virtually meet. If you can appreciate those things, then consider this game more than worthy of its pixels.

It’s still a little shallow in the gameplay department, but right down to the closing credits, it’s a lovingly thorough ode to retro games, and an amusing final adventure with some of the most colorful, acerbic, and silly characters you’ll ever virtually meet. If you can appreciate those things, then consider this game more than worthy of its pixels.

You may not want to live there, but the return trip to Ravenhearst offers a little something for casual gamers, puzzle lovers, and adventurers alike.

While this episode still hints at the underlying brilliance of the Chapman Brothers, it ultimately mucks about in too much pre-adolescent nonsense to carry much weight or ever feel very engaging.

While this episode still hints at the underlying brilliance of the Chapman Brothers, it ultimately mucks about in too much pre-adolescent nonsense to carry much weight or ever feel very engaging.

I should also point out that The Scorpio Ritual is a short game—six to eight hours of play spread across four main locations—and it culminates with an unusually abrupt ending.

So if you’re feeling nostalgic for the bygone days of Shadowgate, or simply like your content dark and deep and don’t mind slogging through a world of hurt to get to it, Theresia may just warrant a look.

The fact that this game excels at the end makes up for the slow beginning and mini-game robbery, but only to make it just as good as the last two episodes.

The fact that this game excels at the end makes up for the slow beginning and mini-game robbery, but only to make it just as good as the last two episodes.

While The Haunting of Castle Malloy poses a genuine challenge that will take even experienced gamers between 10-15 hours, the unbalanced difficulty of the puzzles and mini-games combined with an uninteresting bunch of characters and locations results in one of the lesser Nancy Drew games on the market.

All in all, Everlight is a generally pleasing experience, though it could have been much better with a bit more spit and polish.

There is much to be commended about this game for such a small first-time development team, but overall I couldn’t help but be disappointed with Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches.

Fans of CSI-type games may find it makes the grade, but for everyone else, there’s just not enough here to warrant much of a look.

There are clearly some areas that needed more polish in this first effort, but it’s a solid debut that the developers can surely build on.

Whatever the root cause, the story is solid on the whole, and these few foggy moments didn't detract from my overall enjoyment.

Regardless, the gorgeous look and feel of the game is poorly served by bad design decisions and ultimately fails as an enjoyable experience.

All told, the second episode of Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People includes a little more talking and lot more collecting than Homestar Ruiner, with the same marginal amount of small-scale puzzling in between.

All in all, with such an intriguing premise and strong production values, the developers had the foundation to make a great game, but the corny plot, pretentious writing, uninteresting characters, and some questionable design issues prevent it from achieving its full potential.

As a game it’s not unpleasant but as an add-on it’s anything but essential.

Murder in the Abbey is ultimately one of those games that is fairly enjoyable to play through yet leaves you with the feeling that something is missing.

A solid diversion for mystery fans, though it’s got too many holes in it to stay afloat in your consciousness for long.

The game rarely wows you in any one way, and the pace can drag at times in dry subject matter, but overall it’s both logical and accessible, and with its interesting approach to vampire lore and deftly crafted storyline, Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon is worth picking up.

As an introduction to Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, then, the game's adventure elements are mostly a conduit for the humor, the bread to the cheese. And yeah, the bread may be a little mediocre in this case, but the cheese can be divine.

Although the game rarely excels at any particular aspect, and the loose characterisation lets it down, the presentation and story are solid enough to atone for any rough edges, and will keep you guessing until the end.

All in all, while still providing a dependable Nancy Drew adventure that fans have come to expect, I just couldn’t help but feel that The Phantom of Venice seems tired, or more specifically, that it’s the latest entry in a series that itself is getting tired.

It's an auspicious debut that should appeal to sci-fi adventure fans, even if you’re not familiar with the American astronaut and his “Perryverse”.

There are certainly some positive elements in Insecticide that make it worth a look, mainly in the classic "adventure" half of its action-adventure gameplay. The trouble is, that’s only half of what is only half a game to begin with.

With a retail price of $19.99, this game is being billed as a budget title, but it's still the shortest DS adventure game out there, and it's not worth the price.

Despite the criticism that prevent it from realizing its potential, this is by no means a bad game and could serve you well if you're looking for something new to try.

More often than not, though, it ends up being the most painful, soul-destroying, stressful, rather-stick-a-rusty-nail-in-my-eye excuse for an adventure game I have ever played.

These flaws aside, Jack Keane is a lengthy game, light on difficulty, but never anything less than fun.

It's a traditional, puzzle-packed adventure with a modern graphical twist that manages to do justice to one of the most revered literary protagonists of all time.

Ultimately, What's New Beelzebub? is an overwhelmingly ambitious game that never stops for a breath, and by the end of the strange journey it nearly collapses under its own comedic weight and the strain of throwing every bizarre scenario and creative re-use of supporting characters at the wall.

can easily recommend Overclocked, but in doing so I will reiterate that the game will not be for everyone. It is, first and foremost, a game that has a story to tell, and it's this tale that takes precedence over the whole adventure.

The game has its moments and a few interesting ideas, but the experience as a whole is so irritating, with its constantly grating voices, bad writing and dull gameplay, that you barely register the positive.

Diamonds in the Rough is based on an interesting premise, but its generally dull implementation prevents it from realizing its potential. Indie fans may find it worth a look, but others may want to think twice.

Chariots of the Dogs sucked me in and completely immersed me with the joy that comes from playing a special adventure game.

Ultimately, it’s the setting of The Lost Crown, between the brilliant sound design and the superb art direction, that will give you the most pleasure, and a great deal of praise for these elements is due the game’s creator, Jonathan Boakes.

All in all, this is a game for hardcore puzzle enthusiasts. If you like games like Myst for the intellectual challenge, you should be pleased with RHEM 3.

Despite the mounting criticism, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is a decent enough game in its own right, and fans of the series can expect much of what they enjoyed in previous offerings.

So while Overture was a promising first endeavour, Black Plague is a Penumbra brought sharply into focus.

At least I can say something that I haven't yet said to date—the ending makes me extremely interested to know where the story is going now, and with only thirty days between episodes, it won't be a long wait to find out.

While I'm prepared to recommend Professor Layton and the Curious Village wholeheartedly, it does come with a serious caution about expectations. If you're looking for a well-rounded adventure with plenty of exploration and a fully-integrated storyline, you simply won't find it here.

Although it remains a formula with tremendous potential, this is one experiment that needs to go back to the drawing board.

Moai Better Blues is a gorgeous game to look at and listen to and a unique, enjoyable experience as a whole.

The gameplay concept is a good one and the license a natural fit, but rather than successfully complementing each other, the end result is a shallow, watered down version of each, neither fully game nor fully show.

Next Life is fairly lengthy, probably 15+ hours of playtime, but it's not quality time because of the abundance of backtracking and slow animations.

Overall, there is much to recommend in this handheld conversion, but if you’ve played the PC version already, bear in mind that it’s only a port.

If you haven’t jumped onto the bandwagon yet, you are doing yourself a disservice by missing the best comic adventure games in the modern era.

Unfortunately, the game's confusing plot, lack of human contact, static scenes and frustrating gameplay had simply worn thin.

There are plenty of rough edges, but those who have the patience for the mountains of dialogue and can see past the ropey visuals and gut-wrenching voice acting will find a reasonably engrossing world to explore.

While not spectacular as a game in and of itself, the gameplay innovations it presents to the adventure genre might make it worth a try.

This is by far the deepest, darkest game in the series, yet the superb writing means that it will also be the funniest you'll encounter.

Even a lowered difficulty wouldn't be that big of a deal — sometimes I want a game so hard that my head hurts, and sometimes it's nice to relax with something simpler. But when challenge is replaced by backtracking busywork, it becomes very tedious very quickly, especially considering the game's 8 to 10 hour length.

For anyone with even a modicum of action gaming ability, then, deciding to pick the game up should be a no-brainer.

Okay, so: few improvements over the first game, a convoluted overarching storyline, painfully simplistic gameplay.

And by reducing the size and repetitiveness of the make-work puzzles, Her Interactive has done away with one of the biggest complaints about the games. When combined with an atmospheric and slowly unwinding storyline, these elements create an almost watertight game that even those who have grown tired of the series will enjoy.

Throughout that time I was both pleased and impressed, as Nostradamus: The Last Prophecy is a solid game with an intriguing story and fun, well-integrated puzzles.

The CSI games have become better in recent outings, but ultimately this title feels a lot like treading water, and in some respects, a small regression from the last game.

The many Nancy Drew fans and DS adventure gamers may be interested in this title, but I can’t really recommend it to any audience. Even for a younger gamer, the repetitive gameplay will likely get boring before the end, and the tedium will quickly be felt by a more seasoned adventure gamer.

The puzzles were generally easy enough to keep me moving, but the linearity did generate some frustration along the way, and the excessive backtracking, difficult navigation in some areas, lackluster story presentation and Carol’s subdued presence all resulted in an underwhelming experience.