Randomly dropping in on locations in the hope that something relevant is going to happen is in the same boat. Carol's apartment is a case in point.

My final impressions of Undercover: Operation Wintersun were of a strong start and finish, and a somewhat pedestrian in between. As I said before, solid gaming, but nothing special.

Considering that the gameplay in Adventure Games revolves around exploration and puzzle solving, doesn't highlighting every single interactive object dull the exploratory experience a little?

It's a solid adventure and it's well put together, but like many of Nancy's recent adventures The White Wolf of Icicle Creek errs on the side of games/activities with correspondingly less exploration and sleuthing. This balance was much better in the earlier games and it would be good to see Nancy doing some more serious sleuthing in the future.

The Secrets of Atlantis is by all accounts a big improvement on the previous game, and I enjoyed its mix of styles.

Hans, it seems, is poised to continue his adventures so hopefully the interface will get some attention to make it more responsive. That taken care of and Hans Christian Andersen's adventures would be something to look forward to.

The difficulty level is such that you're sure to get caught out on at least one or two of the puzzles, but the pay-off when you solve them heals the pain. It's not a 'classic' but there's a lot to do and there's plenty of fascinating places to explore.

The plot did lose me, and all the pieces didn't really ever come together until Holmes explained it to me at the end, but those little pieces were enjoyable in their exposition.

Fun to play, despite its brevity, enlivened as always by the snappy repartee between the loquacious canine Sam and his manic white rabbit sidekick Max, who seems to get the best lines. The humour and silly situations guarantee that you will play with a constant smile on your face.

Nancy Drew: The Creature of Kapu Cave provided me with about 5 hours of gentle entertainment, and no doubt it will take longer than that for novice players.

Though it's not the best of the Nancy Drew titles, there's a lot to like here for Nancy Drew fans. Nancy will surely entertain on this adventure and keep her fans coming back for more.

Whatever your feelings about the subject matter of the story it does provide an intriguing mystery to solve but the developers really needed to concentrate on those elements that made the book a bestseller.

The voice acting is ok, although a bit more passion from Ann might have helped.

The story develops nicely as your investigation proceeds and the puzzles provide the right amount of challenge to keep you actively engaged without blocking your progress for too long.

It has a good sense of fun and is a little different from your average adventure game. A little more attention to the production values and it could have been a real winner.

Lets hope that the next episode has a bit more bulk, because there's heaps of potential. I look forward to meeting up with Fone, Phoney and Smiley again and seeing them safely home.

Exploring the gameword and solving the mystery are what Nancy Drew is about, and Secret of the Old Clock does that very well as usual. Because it does start Nancy off on her sleuthing adventures, it's a good game to start with for players who haven't accompanied Nancy on an adventure before.

Echo: Secrets of the Lost Cavern doesn't stretch the boundaries of game making, and there is nothing really new to be encountered, but it is a polished and well made product that provides good solid gaming and a pleasant weekend adventuring.

A good, solid, first up Sci-Fi adventure game that shows that Razbor Studios have a lot of potential and I hope that they create more games. I also hope that we may see Ren again in a sequel sometime soon.

I found the suspect/witness interviewing a bit tiresome at times and on occasion found myself wondering who I should talk to next, but then reminded myself that this is a crime investigation adventure where suspect/witness interviewing is a vital element.

A visually stunning game, the graphics are gorgeous with lavish and vibrant Victorian locations. The character modelling is equally impressive with the exception of lip synching and the glaring omission of face masks in the scene where Holmes and Watson are meant to be wearing them.

I enjoyed the 8 hours or so it took me to play, and it is another feather in the cap of independent games and what can be achieved predominantly from home. Set your sights at the right level and you should be pleased with the result.

The very large turn-off is the number of little arcade like puzzles you are required to do, which to me simply did not fit the tone of the whole thing.

It's a modest but likeable 6 or so hours.

I thought sometimes, though, that being the same made it a bit tedious. Getting to play three people (and a bunny) helped make it interesting, and made it more like the books, where Harry often needs his friends' help.

You will inevitably find yourself getting tired of all the levers and keys, and frustrated by the scripting bugs and inventory glitches.

There is nothing particularly difficult about completing Maya's quest, but it is one which offers a good variety of conundrums, including some quite original variants on some old standards.

If you're not looking for an intricate story and lots of character interaction then there's quite a fun and hectic journey to be had through the troubled land of Ancaria.