Riddle of the Sphinx: An Egyptian Adventure

If you like ancient Egypt, challenging puzzles with actual clues, and first-person exploration of fascinating environments, Riddle of the Sphinx is for you. Although I experienced some major stucknesses during the game, once I'd broken free of those I was rewarded with ever more immersive gameplay. It's a thinking person's game, and everything you do leads you toward your goal.

For me, Riddle was a very satisfying and exciting opportunity to reexamine a fascinating period of history, presented and captured with beautifully and appropriately detailed 3D graphics, and to interactively participate in the discovery and exploration of enigmatic environments within the magnificent structural wonders of the Giza Plateau. What a wonderful trip ...

What is the eternal allure of those mysterious, beautiful, decaying objects, hidden chambers in crumbling tombs, hieroglyphics, statues, and mummies of ancient Egypt? Whatever it is, you'll feel it as you make your way through the Great Pyramid of Cheops in this highly intriguing game. Riddle of the Sphinx plunges you into all of it and pushes it to the max. Yes, yes, I know. Adventure games use ancient Egypt as a setting far too often.

My experience with exploring the hidden chambers of the Great Pyramid, as well as the other locations, and unraveling the secrets and mysteries of the Riddle of the Sphinx was well worth the two years or so that I had to wait for its publication. My love of and interest in edutainment adventures, particularly those based on ancient Egyptian history, has been enhanced and rewarded by the obvious passion, dedication, and quality of effort put forth by Jeff and Karen Tobler in bringing their dream to fruition and sharing it with us.

From the very outset, it is clear that Riddle of the Sphinx is not just "another adventure game" but is truly in a class with some of the most respected adventure games. Deploying stunning graphics, a solid story line, incredibly non-linear gameplay, and fascinating puzzles, ROTS (as even its developers refer to it) is a "Rivenesque" game that takes place in the present but deals heavily with the past.

Something about Riddle of the Sphinx draws you in from the moment you begin. This first-person adventure shows just what two people can do with a clear and novel vision. The combination of an unsolved mystery, great music, a desolate ancient landscape and captivating underground chambers creates a truly immersive experience. Since this title has no violence, strong language or suggestive material, it can appeal to anyone with a special zest for brain teasers. I can see why stories of the great pharaohs, the pyramids and the Sphinx have been a source of ardent fascination over the centuries. I was not an ancient Egypt buff before playing this game, and yet my curiosity has been stimulated in an amazing way. Anyone eager to unravel enigmas of the distant past should join in this incredibly rewarding quest.

For the adventure purist, Riddle of the Sphinx is an intriguing journey that should not be missed. For those who do not typically enjoy lonely exploration, this game may still be a trip worth taking for the sake of learning and experiencing a bit of the Toblers' Egypt.

Okay. I know what you are thinking: “But I’ve seen the Great Pyramid before. Nothin’ special.” True, but you’ve never before seen an image-by-image recreation of its innards, nor have you seen a mythological valley of the kings reconstructed with rich color and proportioned detail before its erosion. Then again, the question is: do you want to see anything Egyptian at all? Because all this game can truly provide is one earth-toned picture after another, however intricate they may be.

This program is probably a little too advanced for children below the age of mid-teens, unless playing with an older adventurer. However, for the older set, this program sparkles with solid graphics, 360-degree panoramic viewing, a nice audio track and great puzzles. Like other DreamCatcher titles, it is an interactive game that disdains reflexive play, intrigues the mind and is decidedly nonviolent.

The obvious amount of research that informs Riddle of the Sphinx makes it a perfect choice for those with an interest in Egyptology or just good old-fashioned puzzle solving. The subject matter is old hat - there have been many games with the same setting. But the Toblers have added an amount of depth and detail that makes the setting seem fresh, so that adventure gamers who haven't tired of wandering empty landscapes in search of cryptic clues will doubtless be challenged and entertained by Riddle of the Sphinx.

Knowing that this game was created by only two people, Jeffrey S. Tobler and his wife Karen, I must say I am impressed because this is a well thought out game with incredible intricate puzzles. However when you compare this game to some of the newer adventure games coming out of companies like the Adventure Company or Telltales Games, it’s hard to recommend a 9-year-old game when I know there are better ones for the same price. All I can say for sure is that you if love a good challenge when it comes to your puzzles, then you will love what Riddle of Sphinx has to offer. If you’re still on the fence about the game though, you can download the 60 minute trial version of Riddle of Sphinx.

Exploring the pyramid is truly fascinating - both the 'real' structure consisting of unadorned claustrophobic passageways and chambers where the oppressive weight of millions of tons of stone above you is palpable, and the 'imagined' secret chambers with their carvings and paintings fit for a Pharaoh. The painstaking research and attention to detail is readily apparent and contributes to that feeling of 'being there'.

I enjoyed the logic of the puzzles very much and the reality referringness within the riddles and graphics. Despite the outdated graphics the game is really something natural for the eye, above all for those gamers, who can become enthusiastic for old Egypt which they can really investigate here in a very detailed and realistic way as archaeologists.

But aside from that, Riddle of the Sphinx is very well done, and I tip my adventure hat to Jeff and Karen Tobler (as well as the rest of their crew). The pacing is slow and the lack of stimuli is sometimes maddening, but it seems to me that this is how real excavations are as well. The adventuring gaming crowd is proud but small, and ROTS probably won't win over any new converts. But those who are already here with us should agree that the five year wait was worth it.

In their newest product, self-styled adventure connoisseur collective Dreamcatcher Interactive favors a style of conundrum we haven't as yet catalogued: the obscure breed. Specifically, while solving puzzles in the rather mundane Riddle of the Sphinx isn't necessarily a tedious chore, finding them in the first place is more than half the battle.