Nintendo 64

Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine

The bottom line is that if you've ever found yourself even remotely interested in Tomb Raider, Indiana Jones, or puzzle-solving action-adventure games, this is the best one Nintendo 64 will ever get, and it's a fine one to have in any library. Nab it before it's too late.

In any event, Indy does provide a good Tomb Raider experience, at the cost of somewhat confusing controls, slightly over-challenging puzzles and long load times. An above average rating of 3 1/2 GiN Gems is appropriate this fun-and-challenging game.

Proceed with caution if you plan on renting this game. It’s going to take you a while to get through the entire title, and not just because the game is so large. Good luck with those pesky 18-inch ledges.

Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine is a big game, to be sure, with enough levels to keep you busy over a three-day rental period. The puzzles within them aren't very original or entertaining, but seeing that this is the only Tomb Raider-style game to come to the Nintendo 64, it deserves at least a little leeway. Video game players went so long without an Indiana Jones game that they had to start going to other sources for their tomb-raiding fix - except for N64 owners. And they'll find that there's at least enough fun to be had by renting this game that they'll be able to work it out of their system.

For everyone else, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine is a good, but certainly not great adventure that's dragged down to mediocrity by an unfortunate overabundance of glitches. Indy fans looking for a story that can rival the movies will be disappointed, although I did appreciate the spirit of adventure that's present in the gameplay. I rather enjoyed playing through it considering the number of problems. But I don't feel motivated to complete the harder mode since I know that the hardest thing of all will be enduring those glitches again.