"; if(is_file("header.php")) include "header.php"; else include "../header.php"; ?>

As good as the first Myst! I was nervous after reading all the complaints about installing and running the game, but I'm a Mac user, and I installed it on an IBook G4 1.2ghz (not even close to their top machines for graphics and speed), and it runs flawlessly, so I think the problems people are having are more due to PCs with lots of 3rd party hardware conflicts than UbiSoft design problems. First person shooters seem to have made people very impatient, and so Myst IV is a breath of fresh air. This game is all about patience, persistence and immersion, so just relax, accept the game for what it is, and it will suck you into its world and you'll be blown away. The full 360 environment, lush graphics, and sound more than make up for the fact that each time you move it takes a few seconds to load. So many of the places you visit are so beautifully rendered you practically want to hang pictures of them on your wall so you can pretend you were really there. Several of the locations, particularly the Spire, reminded me of some of the amazing design seen in the Lord of the Rings films. I can't think of another game that has a more breathtaking environment. While the puzzles are difficult, who wants easy puzzles? Part of the fun of this game is using your brains, and I figured out every puzzle without the aid of a walkthrough. What's also cool about the puzzles is each one seems to fit the personality of the character that created it, and one skill used to solve a puzzle may come in handy later. I used the hint page three times (mainly for hints as to where to go next), but the low level hints (you can choose how specific you want the hints to be) were vague enough to not spoil anything. You may find yourself having to retread the same area multiple times to pick up clues you missed, but that's part of the fun, and it trains you to pay attention to detail. You even get to learn a new written language! The originality and concepts behind this game remind me a lot of the first Myst, and it's nice to see they're adressing all those story points in the first Myst you wanted to know more about. The story is excellent, and even a little spooky at times. The only criticism I had of this game is that the Zip mode is rather limited and only allows you to zip to certain places if they don't involve taking an elevator or climbing ladders, and so it can end up being useless for much of the game. Overall though, this game is excellent and practically a work of art in itself.