Myst III: Exile

The Good
Graphically it's brilliant again. There's a lot of detail. Gameplay is enhanced as you can now look around yourself in 360 degree views. The story is still very good. A man called Saavedro (brilliantly played by oscar winner Brad Dourif from One Flew Over the Cucoo's Nest and Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers) wants revenge on Atrus because his sons, Sirrus and Achenar (from Myst 1) have ruined his life. Now he wants to lure you into his hideout by stealing the book that can take the user to Releeshahn, a world that Atrus created for his people. As you travel through the worlds, you will find clues and puzzles and the story unfolds. The worlds (or Ages as they are called) are linked together by "linking books" in which they are described. You need to find all of them to get Releeshahn back. This story is sure a good one.

The Bad
Some puzzles are still a bit too hard, though this one is still easier as the second part of the Myst series: Riven. Finding paths is difficult sometimes because of pointing and clicking, especially in areas where things look a lot like each other such as the forest age Edanna. There's not really a lot of innovation but if you loved the earlier parts, you'll love this one too. If not, however, don't buy this. This is for players who like thinking, not for the action fans.

The Bottom Line
Another breathtakingly beautiful game that sadly doesn't offer much innovation. The fans won't probably mind that last problem, though.