Review of Chronicles of Mystery: The Scorpio Ritual

This is a point-and-click adventure. It is set in the Mediterranean island of Malta. During the game you visit the sister island of Gozo as well as Istanbul and Rome. As a visitor to Malta, I can confirm the setting was spot on.

The game installed fine, it needs the DVD in the drive during play. Control is entirely mouse-driven and worked well.

Graphics are well done, with many animations throughout. A more recent graphics card is required to get the best advantage (shadows etc.) My old FX5200 could not manage the latter, but the game played otherwise without a hitch. Cut scenes were well done.

Puzzles were reasonably well integrated and logical. Most are inventory orientated with the odd manipulation. There were no sliders or mazes. Difficulty level is easy to medium. A walkthrough was not required. [ I did need to do a screen grab to enhance the graphics on one of the puzzles (lower fireplace), I believe the cause was my monitor which is too dark. Subsequent examination of a walkthrough shows a much clearer view on a different monitor.]

The story is perhaps the weakest link. A touch old hat, never-the-less it carried one through the game. Niece arrives in Malta, uncle missing, start exploring. Ancient artifacts, temples and documents lie before you.

The sound side is well done, both ambient sounds and background music.

The game is not conversation heavy.

The company that released "Art of Murder" is responsible for this game too. Whereas in that game the lead character is slightly annoying, saying "that was stupid" when clicking an incorrect object, in this game a more friendly "trial and error method they say" is the response.

The game is linear and controlled so that you do not leave an area before all the puzzles have been resolved.

Playing time is roughly 15 hours, which is a tad short. A couple more locations, or expanded existing locations would have been welcome.

Overall a nicely made game, enjoyable to play.




Click Here to see more reviews about: Chronicles of Mystery: The Scorpio Ritual