A fantastic point-and-click adventure game that both long time fans of the genre and newcomers will enjoy.

For years I have been avoiding point-and-click adventure games such as the critically acclaimed Myst series. Little did I know that these types of games are actually extremely fun to play! Sure the genre isn't for everyone but if you're the gamer that would like to take a break from the regular batch of shootem' up, jump and climb, and collect everything games this is exactly what you're looking for.

In Return to Mysterious Island you will assume the role of a smart young woman named Mina. After being tossed from her sail boat during an around-the-world expedition Mina awakens on the shores of a strange uninhabited island. At first glance the island seems perfectly normal but you quickly realize that this is far from the truth.

The Ghost of a long dead adventurer is appearing at the mouth of a cave, for some reason the horizon has vertical streaks running down it, and to top it all off some sort of machine is below the surface which makes the island shake from time to time. But there is little time to spare and your body is bruised and weakened to the point of exhaustion.

Your first task on the island is to regain your strength by finding something to eat and creating fire. Finding the food is the easy part but before you can devour anything you must prepare it. This is where the unique item combination system comes into play.

As you wander the island you will find various weeds, twigs, metal plaques, and some flint but how do you create a fire with just these pieces? First you must combine them, simply drag and drop the flint into the metal to create a fire making device then take your wood and dried out seaweed over to the flint to create a fire. This is then put into your inventory as one item.

This is just one simple mini-puzzle as the combinations get much more complex as you venture through the game. If you like figuring out these combination puzzles then you won't be disappointed as this makes up a huge part of the game. This also brings us to one of the very minor flaws in the game. When combining items you're not restricted to one way to create the new item you need.

This means that you will end up with a large library of useless items that stick with you and are impossible to drop but like I said this is an extremely minor flaw and doesn't hurt gameplay one bit. The other downside to this system is the built in clue system. While this does help out for the harder combinations the clues can sometimes be a bit vague.

This now brings us to the controls of the game. The intuitive controls couldn't be easier to pick up. As everything is mouse-based you won't find yourself searching the keyboard just to pick something up or move to the next area. This is of course limiting as you won't be able to jump up and grab onto a ledge or do much of anything else besides picking up items, walking and looking around.

The graphics in Return to Mysterious Island are beautiful! Of course the backgrounds are all pre-rendered but they look fantastic none the less and they don't really seem like they are pre-rendered. While the tree leaves and grass won't sway in the wind the developers did add certain things that bring the land to life.

Birds circle in the sky, a dead rat has flies buzzing around it, monkeys block your path at every turn, and a brewing storm complete with lightning rumbles in the sky. The only real drawback to these backgrounds is that you find yourself wishing that you could cross the small river and see what's on the other side but instead you're confined to a certain path that you can travel on.

Sound is absolutely perfect. A nice mix of calm music and ambient noise fills your ears as soon as you enter the world. This use of ambient sound and music also helps to draw you into this fantastic world and makes you feel as though you are in the game walking around and fighting for survival.

Return to Mysterious Island's biggest flaw is the length. Most players will be able to work through the game in about 15-20 hours the first time around, each time after that gets significantly shorter. My first game ended in about 18 hours while my second time only took about 5 hours using different ways to complete the same puzzles the third time around I flew through in under 2 hours.

The way the game makes up for this is through unlockable art. The game employs a point system that awards you more points if the puzzle is more difficult. For every 100 points you unlock a new art gallery.

If you're the type of gamer that won't quit until they unlock everything then you'll have to go through the game multiple times trying every combination to complete the same puzzles to get more points. If you just want to complete the game and see the ending then you'll still be satisfied as it has a bargain price tag of $20 so you won't feel cheated.

If you're like me and have been avoiding these games at any cost then Return to Mysterious Island just might be game that will convert you and have you looking for past games that you have missed.

Despite having a couple of minor flaws this game still shines and even implements some rather unique features that both newcomers and veterans can appreciate. So if you have $20 that's burning a hole in your pocket and you want to experience something new run out to your nearest game store and pick up a copy of Return to Mysterious Island.


Review by Christopher Burkett.