If you're looking for a really great graphic adventure game, give "Circle of Blood" a try, but resist the temptation to pick up its sequel. Like the game's title implies, it’s all smoke and mirrors, and very little substance.

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.

Although it sports some incredible artwork and a few interesting plot twists, Repentant doesn’t come close to achieving the heights of its predecessor, Little Kite.

With its five episodes now complete, Song of Horror’s obtuse puzzles, meandering story and frustratingly unintuitive gameplay result in an experience that’s rarely scary but often exasperating.

The Great Perhaps has a lot of good ideas yet fails to devote enough attention to them, raising lots of questions but not answering many. While the artwork and music are highlights, they’re not enough to balance out what is otherwise a disappointing experience.

Cheeky thrills and the occasional picturesque vista can’t mask the fact that Museum: Volumes I and II feel more like incomplete sketches of a game, and not a complete picture. Each can be diverting for the very short time they last, but neither ever really fulfills the promise of what could have been.

Midvinter is actually a decent little game, though for something that touts itself as a cross between Monkey Island and Over the Garden Wall, it is neither funny, deep, nor imaginative enough to really warrant such a comparison. While it is impressive that the game was created by just one person (and a composer), its flat characters, sub-par voice acting, and lack of story and gameplay depth left me feeling like it might have been improved by collaboration to expand its scope. Still, if you have an interest in the unique setting and culture of Scandinavian mythology and want a relatively challenge-free game to finish in a single sitting, Midvinter would certainly fit the bill.

A co-op crime solver may sound like a dream come true for mystery fans, but although Mark & Lara: Partners in Justice ticks the right boxes, it’s far too simplistic to fulfill its potential as an enjoyable two-player investigative game.

Similarly to its predecessor, a striking presentation is not enough for Layers of Fear 2 to overcome a jumbled menagerie of cliches, jump scares, and overwrought writing.

The production values place Erica in good company as an FMV psychological thriller, but with a near total absence of gameplay and a plot that struggles to consistently thrill, what’s left is an underwhelming choose-your-own-adventure tale that leaves a poor lingering impression.

A potentially interesting exploration of depression let down by poor storytelling and dearth of gameplay, Into A Dream is more likely to put you to sleep than rivet you.

A Hand With Many Fingers sets a creepy tone with its dimly lit CIA archive environment and ominous sound design, but its drab visuals, dry story, and simplistic gameplay loop fail to spark much interest.

Vane manages to successfully present an intriguingly surreal world, but its aimless story and execution keep players from deriving much satisfaction from visiting it.

Unlike its renowned predecessor by Sierra, Gold Rush! 2 fails to strike it rich. A historically interesting, slightly educational narrative can’t save the experience from its mind-numbingly easy puzzles and poor presentation in every respect.

With three chapters down and one to go, the Doorways series still lacks the kind of compelling story or gameplay needed for a successful horror game.

Unless you're already a die-hard fan of Myst clones, RHEM 2 is probably not the game for you.

The Inquisitor loses its way through The Village with a poorly designed, technically weak sequel that fails to capitalise on the strengths of its brazen story and brutal, brilliant title character.

Releasing for a budget price doesn't excuse mediocre puzzle design, heavy repetition and a story with so little coherence.

Very self-aware of being a prequel to a bestseller, Before the Storm puts fan service and farfetched melodrama above cohesive storytelling, resulting in a superficial and disappointing experience.

While it remains an innovative and highly laudable idea which I hope will one day be put to better use, in Jazz and Faust it fails to be more than a misguided gimmick. The ‘two adventures in one’ angle fails because even with this feature, the game is extremely short.

Other than the mildly non-linear, Her Story-style keyword investigation, How to shoot a criminal’s dull story and boring videos don’t leave much else to see in this FMV mystery game.

Dream Chamber feels like a game born out of good ideas that lost their way and were abandoned halfway through, leaving a curious collection of ill-fitting pieces in the opening installment.

Angelo and Deemon attempts to pay homage to the classic age of adventure gaming, but outside of a promising early premise it fails to deliver on its potential. Between frustrating puzzles and an exasperating translation, there are few reasons to travel down this highway to hell.

While Among the Innocent has a solid foundation for a tense psychological thriller, this exceptionally short game as a whole never really comes together and is neither intriguing or scary.

Perhaps devoted casual game fans will have some tolerance for this type of hollow experience, but ultimately The Tiny Bang Story's pieces just don't add up to a fulfilling adventure in the end.

Arkhangel offers some fascinating lore for those with the patience to see it through, but obstructing enjoyment are a number of unfortunate shortcomings.

If you love solving puzzles you may enjoy One Against All, particularly if this is your first Red Johnson adventure, but this sequel is overrun with flaws, and if you're in it for the story and characters, look elsewhere.

As much as I like NCIS, if this game were a cup of coffee Gibbs would spit it out and throw it in the bin.