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Worth playing if you can abide with the differences. If you're thinking of buying Uru, one thing to bear in mind is that although Uru is linked to the Myst series, it's just not Myst-- it's an almost totally different game (which is why URU wasn't released as "Myst 4", and why "Myst 4: Revelation" wasn't called "Myst 5")...what Uru is is something very different: Uru was originally released as a "massively multiplayer" online adventure game, but the online service has since ceased. So now Uru exists as a 'stand-alone' application for use with a single P.C. and this leaves us with something very unique-- an adventure-game by the makers of Myst, designed in the style of Myst, but based in a first-person/third-person-perspective, quake-style, 3D environment... ...this isn't such a bad thing if you're expecting it, however if you're expecting Uru to be just like Riven, Exile or Revelation, you're probably going to be disappointed... ...for instance, it's 3D environments render in 'real-time' with standard 3D textures, which just can't compare to the breathtaking pre-rendered graphics that make the regular Myst series so visually stunning; and instead of the usual Myst interface, you steer an on-screen character around Uru's environment using a combination of mouse and keyboard, as you would in an online multiplayer or 3D action game (although if you're anything like me you'll end up playing most of the game in the optional 1st-person perspective). It's not all bad however-- if you approach it with the right set of expectations it's actually very worth playing. What we have (since the demise of Uru's online component) is Rand & Robyn Miller's answer to Quake (but without the guns) which is, in itself, pretty exceptional... ...it features the same quality of environment as the average 'proprietary QuakeII engine'-based 3D action game, but on a smaller scale and with generally more invention and variety in the design of the levels. On the downside, the interface is clunky and the control system clumsy. For example, the left & right turn-rate could be a whole lot faster, and when in 'third-person view' the hotspots are only clickable when in direct proximity to the character. Uru does take some getting used to, and can be disappointing if you don't know what to expect --I went from lamenting the fact that they ever even tried to make a game based in a 'real-time' 3D environment, to wishing they'd just used the QuakeII engine to eliminate the existent control-scheme issues; and I'm now quite interested in seeing what might be achievable for Myst with the new generation of proprietary game engines. Ultimately, Uru is just not as good as the other regular Myst titles, and I wouldn't purchase Uru before purchasing Revelation, but having said that, Uru is worth playing, if you can abide with the differences.