Myst 3: Exile (PC)

By PETER ELEY

(Herald rating: * * * * * )

If any computer game could be classed as art, it would have to be Myst. With its beautiful hand-drawn images and the surreal nature of its gameplay, Myst has captured the imagination of millions worldwide.

People who wouldn't normally dream of playing computer games have spent weeks trying to unlock the secrets of the game, and its sequel Riven.

All of which baffled the die-hard fans of traditional full-on action games, for there's no combat in Myst. You don't die and not a lot happens, really.

But the secret of the game is that it creates a sense of wonder, a feeling that you really are somewhere else.

That place is in the mind of Atrus, an inventor who creates wondrous fantasy worlds by writing magical books about them. But he has his troubles, in the form of two scheming and ambitious sons, Sirrus and Achenar.

Myst 3: Exile begins 10 years after the events in Riven, when Atrus and his wife Catherine were kidnapped by them.

The game starts dramatically enough, with video scenes featuring movie stars Rand Miller as Atrus, Maria Galante as Catherine, and horror film stalwart Brad Dourif as the villain Saavedro.

He steals one of Atrus' books and in an instant you're transported off after him to that volume's fantasy world where you must tackle the first of dozens of mind-bending puzzles in locations rendered with almost photo-realism.

People who have played the earlier games won't be disappointed by the graphics. They are stunning, and their surreal nature at times is oddly disturbing, an effect which adds to to the game's ability to suspend disbelief. You really feel as though something is going on here, and that nothing is as it seems.

The gameplay is the same as in Myst and Riven — walk around, point at objects and click until something happens.

That may sound dull, and Myst 3: Exile can be boring, especially when you're stuck on a puzzle.

The best advice in that case is to relax, drink in the stunning scenery and let your mind go off at a tangent, for this is a game that rewards the ability to think laterally.

UbiSoft

e-mail: peter_eley@nzherald.co.nz