Chronicles of Mystery: Curse of the Ancient Temple

This puzzler is a modified version of PC point ’n’ clicker The Scorpio Ritual. The plot (religious artifacts, untold powers, sinister cover-up) remains, as do most characters (feisty lady archaeologist, crusty professor), but a lot of the pointing ’n’ clicking has been excised in favor of seeking ’n’ solving, followed by yawning ’n’ wishing you’d bought something else.

The Story mode can be polished off in two hours, with a generous hint system speeding things up. The game’s played for points, however, and you’re meant to play several times to beat your previous effort. That’s unlikely, as the plot’s generic and badly written. Activities are a disjointed mix of point ’n’ clicking, item-finding and touchscreen minigames - the latter two being available in separate modes. Had the game focused on just one (at a push, two) of these disparate bits it might have been okay, but as it is it’s a flimsy mess.

Jan 25, 2010