Riven is the second game of the Myst trilogy and the non-linear story continues the original fantasy theme created for Myst I, which is built around a complex of 'virtual' worlds. These worlds are created by a man called Gehn and his son Atrus and exist only through a series of magical books they have written. In order to travel to any of the worlds it is necessary to find and operate one of the 'linking books', which provide a portal between the worlds.

At the beginning of the game you find yourself in the presence of Atrus who is still busily 'writing' his worlds. You don't know exactly who you are or where you came from but at any rate he is thankful you have returned because guess what? He needs your help! He wants you to return to Riven in order to capture his father Gehn - who has apparently gone a bit ga-ga - and to rescue someone called Catherine. To assist you in completing these tasks Atrus gives you a book containing most of the history you'll need and a 'linking book' to get you there, which, on this occasion unfortunately, is only a one-way ticket. However, he tells you that once you've completed your mission you should signal him and he will come and get you. The next thing you know you're being whisked through the ether only to arrive in a strange place behind bars! Don't despair however - a short cut-scene follows during which a couple of odd characters appear, your 'linking book' is stolen and you are released from your prison to begin your adventure.

At the time of its release the game graphics set a new standard of excellence, with innovative movement through an under-water environment and a transport system that was so convincing I travelled about on it just for the pleasure of the ride! In Riven it is possible to view the same area from several different perspectives; this not only adds to the realism but also gives further information for some of the puzzles.

Movement through the game is first person point and click but the transitions are so smooth and quick that it's almost like power-assisted steering. Also when you've travelled around a bit you can use the lightening bolt 'zip mode' to move instantaneously between locations. However, like most of the earlier multiple-disc games there is a fair amount of disc swapping, which can be frustrating.

This is not an inventory based game. There are a few objects to collect along the way but these generally take the form of written information, which give background and clues to help with your quest.

There is a wide mix of puzzle types in Riven: Logic, memory, mechanical, maze-based, visual and a particularly difficult sound-based puzzle. Being a complete newcomer to adventure gaming I found these puzzles particularly difficult. The concept of saving information from one section of the game and translating it for use in another part of the game was something that wasn't familiar to me and I freely admit to being unable to complete several of the puzzles without help. I also feel that if a comprehensive map system had been incorporated it would have been extremely helpful to the gamer and would have added to the playability of the game. However, whereas with some subsequent games I have found that seriously difficult puzzles are very off-putting - this was not the case with Riven. The game experience was so immersing that the puzzles were almost incidental.

The sound-track deserves a special mention. Combined with the rich, detailed graphics the atmospheric sound effects create an absorbingly realistic environment. Each area is recognisably different and there are places where you can almost feel the warmth of the sun or the jolt of the mag-car as it passes over the stanchions.

Although Riven is part of the Myst trilogy it is designed to be played as a stand-alone game, and it is not necessary to have played Myst I first - in fact I didn't play Myst I until a couple of years later. If you are keen to have a deeper understanding of the plot however, the other games in the series do provide additional background and insight into the storyline.

Riven became the benchmark against which all my subsequent gaming experiences have been measured and for me few have matched its impact. Despite my difficulty with the game puzzles it is still one of my 'top ten' games and I gave Riven a grade A.

System Requirements

PC
· Windows 95 required
· 100MHz Pentium or faster
· 16MB of RAM
· Minimum 75MB hard disk space
· 4X CD-ROM drive or faster
· 640x480 display, High Color
Windows compatible sound device
· Video and sound cards compatible with Direct X

Macintosh
· Mac OS required
· System 7.5 or higher (Classic environment under OS X)
· 90MHz PowerPC or faster
· 9MB RAM
· Minimum 65MB hard disk space
· 4X CD-ROM drive or faster
· 640x480 display, thousands of colors

Windows DVD-ROM
· Windows 95 Required
· 166MHz Pentium or faster
· Minimum 82MB hard disk space
· Generation 2 DVD-ROM drive or newer
· 640x480 display, High Color
· Windows compatible sound device
· Video and sounds cards compatible with DirectX

Macintosh DVD-ROM
· Mac OS required, System 8.1 or higher
· PowerPC G3
· 16MB of RAM required; 9MB free
· Minimum 84MB hard disk space
· Generation 2 DVD-ROM drive or newer
· 640x480 display, thousands of colors