I think the fact that the game still remained an enjoyable experience despite some frustrating shortcomings is a testament to how much talent the developers have and just how great they could be if they can tighten things up.

Overall, I found Curse of the Ancient Temple to be somewhat easy, but novice or younger gamers should find it challenging.

I should also mention that Adam's Venture is intended to be the first in a series of games. Hopefully, the other characters will get more to do in future games.

Women’s Murder Club: Games of Passion is better than other games of this ilk, but considering the talent involved it should be much better.

I can find nothing of outstanding value from it standing on its own. It needs outside help. Which is a pity.

You do eventually play as both the brothers and also their mysterious helper, but it is not a matter of choice as the game forces you into situations. There are also some timed puzzles and circumstances that can cause your capture and in one case even death, but fear not for the game is forgiving and you will automatically return to the point before the deadly mistake.

Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper is a well constructed adventure, but the necessary linearity and dependence on following a pre-established timeline do hinder the overall effect of the game and rob it of much of its suspense.

With all the technical stuff aside, how you feel about this game will be heavily dependent on your own tastes because it is such a niche game – heavy dialog, comedy, and a cartoon. Within that category of adventure games, I think Ceville will rank pretty high on gamers lists.

There’s nothing really intellectually stimulating, the 2D graphic novel-style graphics leave things to be desired, and the concept tires quickly.

City Interaction’s talent – as well as an appreciation for the genre – is evident in the graphics, in the structure of the game and in the attention paid to puzzle construction, but it is lacking in the attention to small details that most often separate the ‘must play’ adventure titles from those soon to be languishing in the bargain bin.

Compared to the lush screens, smooth animations and high-quality musical scores of the PC versions, MillionHeir feels more repetitive, and the gameplay simply wears out its welcome more quickly.

Murder in the Abbey is a classically-structured third-person adventure game with an intriguing setting, a strong story, quality music, and generally excellent graphical presentation. Unfortunately, it’s also got problems that undermine whatever potential fun there is to be had.

While Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon is a step above some of Kheops latest efforts (Cleopatra, Destination Treasure Island) it has a minimalist look to it and still feels too much like a cookie-cutter project.

Art of Murder gives it a decent try but doesn’t quite rise to the challenge. Poor Agent Bonnet has beauty but not brains.

All in all Dracula Origin is not a bad game, it just seems to fall flat in some areas that are important to AG players.

If you're of a mind to revisit this singular game, having it in handheld form can be a fun way of re-experiencing it on the go. If you're all Myst-ed out, this port probably won't change your attitude.

Jack Keane is an admirable effort which is compromised by a half-assed and inconsistent focus on the quality of the various game elements.

Without giving anything away, I’ll just say that it was quite underwhelming. In all fairness, Overclocked is a decent adventure game with a unique premise that’s worth a look if you’re a fan of adventure games. Just don’t expect too much.

While it is great to see games like this made available to such a mass audience on the Wii, the game’s brevity combined with its limited participation make it a must play only for hardcore fans of the television series.

It took much more effort to accomplish even simple tasks than was necessary. Effort that we would rather have used for strategizing.

The journey, however, can be fun if the meticulous style of information parsing doesn’t turn you off.

The bottom line is that this game started out incredibly strong with a lot of potential, then (technical issues aside) started to fizzle out about midway through.

In the end this is a solid, light-hearted game that’s fun to play and has very little violence. It’s not challenging, mind you, and not overly long.

This game has replay value because of the alternate endings. Let’s hope I have an alternate ending of being able to play this game all the way through without frustration.

Even if the game is a bit frustrating due to the controls, it is still a great homage to Hans Christian Andersen.

An RTS with a couple of interesting variations. It is written in a religious setting, but is not preachy nor does it condone violence against the heathens. If anything, it discourages violence and intolerance. The game was just too complicated for me to enjoy. But, to be fair, I am an Old Fart and the game was written for the young, gamers crowd.

It just doesn’t do anything to make it stand out from the crowd.

The game has bugs, so drag out the bug spray.

An occasionally amusing game that can at times be involving.

Given how much I loathed playing it, I’d like to give it a really low grade. (Is there a Z?) But I can’t in all fairness do that, because this game is exactly what it’s supposed to be. What it does, it does well, and many of you will enjoy it. I didn’t.

But if what you’re after is a good twisted mystery and a game that will creep you out, in deeper ways and beyond “boo, I jumped out of the closet”, then you should consider checking-out RoR.

AOPCT is missing something. Even on easy mode it is far too lethal preventing you from getting into the game without many failures and game restarts and reboots.

For those looking for perky puzzles and an array of dazzling environments, look elsewhere. But for the player with the patience to explore a rich story and meet lots of shady characters, Daemonica can be a dark, creepy pleasure.

I did enjoy playing MM. Beautiful graphics and music, pretty good puzzles, along with one of the best puzzles ever created, interaction with almost everything and a good story with unexpected twists make up for the poor dialogs and the bad voiceovers.

Its downsides lie on elements key to an adventure game and cannot be overlooked. Overall though, even though the style will not be everyone’s cup of tea, Frogwares has managed to prove that they can take the genre to new levels and build it around new technology without a need to hybridize it with other genres, and in my book that is highly commendable.

I don’t think you can fully appreciate the game without experiencing it in its other incarnations. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some reading to finish.

There are simply too many characters to remember, too many quests to keep track of and too many different devices and combat moves to simply remember them all.

ER does manage to capture the spirit of the TV show. If you are looking for a casual sim game or if you are a fan of the show, consider giving ER a chance. There is plenty of material here to interest you.

Like a breath of fresh air in the survival horror world. Although its gameplay is a direct copy of CT3, it is still something that hasn’t been seen much.

Gameplay is linear, but refreshing in its use of locales and inventory. It is on the easy side so there is little frustration in playing.

If you're a real RPG junkie (which I freely admit I am), the fresh, irreverent, humorous tone of Bard's Tale may be entertaining enough for you to ignore the fact that it's sitting on top of a pretty mundane, flat game experience.

A game that has major highs – the plot, the graphics, the soundtrack - and major lows – the arcade sequences, twisty jungle mazes, lame dialogue and timed events.

It's just seems to be a misguided attempt, punctuated by moments of hilarity. Cut the arcade games in half, add a few more musical numbers and a few real puzzles and LCL:MCL would shine.

Could have been a really good game—one of the best of the year—despite some of its flaws. But the twitch requirements and the insult sword — errrr… sarsaparilla duels, combined to cast a deathly pallor over the entire experience.

It is a mediocre game that would have probably gone unnoticed under a different title.

Possibly the least original shooter released this year. The enemy AI is standard but effective, the guns are big and beefy and it's basically a case of running around and pulling the trigger.

An okay game, marred mainly by its repetitiveness.

This time around, however, the puzzles are a little too organic. Or, rather, a little too literal. Mostly based on farm chores, they quickly become ... well, chores for the player as well.

Still uses the same sucky navigation system/interface. No real surprise. Ubisoft was obviously trying to recoup their expenses from Uru Online and didn't want to spend any more time on development then they had to.

Ultimately frustrating.

I walked away with a lacking plot, some silly graphics, and a less than satisfying gaming experience. While this game is not a turkey and definitely worth a look, The Far Realm proves that it is not all that far away from its original.

As an X-Files game - directed to fans of the show - it should receive an ‘A’ as it features everything an X-Files episode would and the player gets to participate.

The worst news is that, by the end of the game, the creators of Jack the Ripper betray their game’s best feature: its story. The game’s conclusion is a utter boondoggle, meaning all of the information you’ve so painstakingly gathered means absolutely nothing.

One big graphical and phonetic experience. If you like to solve logic-based puzzles and didn’t play hooky during your math lessons then this game really is a must. But be aware; besides your own calculation skills, this game requires quite some capacity from your computer and video card as well.

Those looking for a true and original real-time strategy challenge will be very disappointed with War of the Ring. Those looking for a game that truly captures the atmosphere of the Lord of the Rings trilogy will also be equally disappointed.

Although the engine and interface are quite antiquated and there’s no innovation here; for you Myst and Riven fans, I’d like to stress the positives. There are unbelievable opportunities for exploration. The game is truly gigantic. The many puzzles are varied and very challenging.

Those who love Evil Dead will enjoy the game and the one-liners. The ending alone is worth playing through the game for.

Those who love Evil Dead will enjoy the game and the one-liners. The ending alone is worth playing through the game for.

The bonus crap isn’t worth it, unless you want to see a character through stages of weight loss or areas with Martha Stewart remodeling before they were added into the game.

Other than the “save” issue, I found this to be a very professionally produced and enjoyable game. If you enjoy puzzles, this game is for you, and given the relatively low MSRP, there’s a lot of bang for the buck.

If the few minor annoyances were to be corrected - the 3D clipping, the languid music, the pixel hunting - then Watchmaker could possibly develop a devoted following especially in the wake of foreign upstarts like "The Longest Journey."

No singing, no punch lines, no double entendres. Just rats, dark alleys, murderous thugs, and mysterious religious cults. Thank goodness Road to India is a short game or I may have sacrificed myself to an eight-armed deity just for the comedic relief.

EFMI brings nothing new to the table. It will not attract a new generation of gamers and was made for the hardcore adventure gamer who enjoyed the previous episodes.

Imagine, a game that played like Gabriel Knight, but set in the world of "The X-Files."

The gameplay is very repetitive and tedious as players will have to work with the manual and take notes about the sins apparitions are guilty of, the color they can be redeemed by and what their artifacts are. Designers should have thought of ways to make the game more intuitive and playable without consulting the manual every ten seconds.

One way this game falls a bit short is that the story seems a bit rushed and confused. The main villain is so far in the background that he's almost invisible.