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

Offering lots of replay value and an experience the family can share, Jump Start Pet Rescue will be a welcome addition to your children’s game library.

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.

What makes this game such a pleasure to play is that it is simply a lot of fun. The puzzles are challenging, but not to a frustrating level; the suspects are funny and well-scripted; the plot moves quickly and holds interest; and the length is adequate. In some ways, I almost enjoy this series better than the original PC adventures because it is a more solid product, with no tedious chores or timed sequences to hinder enjoyment.

As hard as this game tries to break out of the mold of similar titles, it still falls into a repetitive cycle that eventually makes it boring. It’s simply not challenging enough to keep you captivated, and after hunting for the same items in the same environment for the third time, you’ll start longing for something more.

Still Life 2, despite its many faults, draws you in, puts you through the ringer and then spits you out like a wad of used gum at the end. I can't say it's a great game -- too flawed and at times annoying for that -- but it does deliver the goods.

“The Bogey Man” is fun, funny and again beautifully made. I can indeed easily see how a W&G fan who has no discernible interest in adventure games might love it. Episode four was of a piece with its three previous installments, although a bit less surprising, a bit less engrossing. One could almost hear the game designers yawning.

But this game does nothing more than remind the adventure game lover of the malaise our beloved genre currently finds itself in.

As the franchise continues to grow and improve, with a casual game series, Nancy Drew Dossiers, also gaining popularity, now is the time to get on board with the ubiquitous teen detective and her international crime solving.

I found the game as refreshing as a bucket of ice water on a sweltering evening. The animation and still art is better. The story is top notch. The music and voice work is as good as it always was (excellent).

TGP! is an improved LSD trip through the same cracked territory, but with a longer, better story and overall craftier puzzle design.

Like its two predecessors, Muzzled! is an exemplary offering.

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.

Great care has been taken to provide both a back-story and depth to the character. The music is appropriately eerie and the voice-actors excellent. The animated flashbacks and present-day scenes in the game are the final link that elevate TCM above casual status.

Telltale Games more than most developers does a remarkable job of recreating the worlds of its franchises.

MumboJumbo Games has delivered another winning Samantha Swift adventure. If you are a fan of casual games and have not tried this series, I highly recommend starting now.

Goodnight Larry. Sleep tight and may we never see your scrawny ass again.

Pick it up and I think you will soon be drawn into its rich plot, fun characters and puzzles, and great art and soun

The puzzling, while appropriately zany, is not terribly difficult, and the game at times nears "interactive story" levels. There are, however, just enough true brain ticklers to keep you, Wallace and Gromit on your toes.

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.

Emerald City Confidential is in so many particulars a standout game. The concept, the story, the art, the acting, even the rather jazzy interface all get A's. But the puzzles. What a disappointment.

By game’s end, it almost seems as though the developers have gotten sick of the entire game and just want to get it over with.

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.

The deranged fiends at Bethesda have built a landmark game, and I think you’d be crazy not to play the damned thing.

Although I relished my time in Fable 2 -- really, I did -- the half-baked marriage crap nearly killed the game for me.

This game was beautifully done, fun to play, and gorgeous to look at. With only a few minor quibbles such as the darkness and the movements into 3rd person, I really loved this game

Overall, this is a pleasant and mostly simple game that is nevertheless entertaining and clever. The hunt-and-find part does get repetitive, as it is wont to do, but the mini-games and the storyline keep things interesting.