I'm about to buy some more games and have been reading lots of reviews, both here and on other sites. Sometimes it is hard to tell how good a game is just from reading reviews, because you don't know the interests or tolerances of various game players. I'd love a sentence or two of feedback on these from you dear Boomers, if anyone has the time.

BELIEF AND BETRAYAL = is it really "too easy"?

ECHO = same question as above

ART OF MURDER = is it just "mediocre," as reviews suggest?

ANGEL OF DEATH/SECRETS OF THE ARK = does it have more of those pesky timed sequences where you die, like in the previous adventure with George and Nico?

SACRED RINGS = I really enjoyed Aura, but this sequel is all over the charts as far as reviews go. Good? Bad?

SECRETS OF ATLANTIS = most people panned it because of poor production values. True or not?

In the meantime, I am continuing my reading. Thanks!

B&B = Fun, lack logic puzzles ala Dracula Origin, but full of inventoty puzzles, "medium" if you play it yourself but "easy" to "very easy" if you follow a walkthrough

Echo = Fun, has both logic puzzles as well as inventory puzzles, not "medium" if you play it yourself but "easy" to "medium" if you follow a walkthrough

Sacred Rings = not as fun as Aura because the tone changes when you get to the castle/lair

Secrets of Atlantis = not touching it with a ten foot pole because I am boycotting the game after I heard about the timed slider with pesky guard that forces you to replay the slider everytime he catches you as I think it is an insane design decision intent on punishing adventuer gamers

Thanks, Benedict. Yikes, I don't like the sound of Atlantis. Sliders I actually enjoy, but TIMED ~ and repeated replays? What were they thinking?

I'm sorry to hear about Rings. I have heard such mediocre reviews.

I didnt thinkArt of Murder was to bad .Did nt find it hard .Thought Sinking Island was better .Dracula Origin is good .All the puzzals can be worked out.Next Life wouldnt go near full of timed puzzals .The Lost Crown if you hav nt played it is worth a go .Echo was good .Belief and Betrayal I hav nt played .Volkanna mentioned about the game and we seem to like the same games .After I had played Art of Murder I thought the same as she did more or less so I am giving that one a miss .A lot to choose from so I guess I will have to miss one now and then.

Good morning; I found Echo to be rather lightweight but entertaining. I really liked Secrets of Atlantis. It was gorgeous and the one timed sequence wasn't too bad after you figured out what was happening. Aura was really fun but had some "Non-adventure" elements which drove some gamers nuts.

I missed Dracula Origin. I will take a look at that one, too. Thanks!

You can avoid re-starting the puzzle in Atlantis if you back out when you hear the music intensify.You return where you left off and avoid the guard when you go back into it.I suppose this is something you find out about by reading forums.
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My feedback:
Of the games on your list -Art of Murder
Of the games not on your list- Perry Rhodan

Reenie, did you check the Review Forum here at GB? Often we have several reviews of the same game which can be helpful when making up your mind

Yep, have read several reviews for each game, here and elsewhere on line. One or two people's reviews can skew things or confuse you utterly if the two reviews are opposing. That is what made me ask others here about the games.

So "Murder" may move up a notch on my list.

Hi Reenie,

Of the games I've played on your list -

ECHO: I wouldn't describe this as "easy", there are some challenging puzzles. They are varied, a few are painting related challenges, and all are great fun. Graphics are beautiful. The story stops dead at an interesting point and leaves you with a "huh?" feeling, but that's a minor quibble, I love this game.

Art of Murder: Interesting story, very linear, some nice puzzles. I enjoyed it very much.

Sacred Rings: Incredibly frustrating, difficult start to the game, my nose was glued to the walkthrough. As Benedict noted, the tone of the game darkens considerably once you reach the castle; I found this latter section of the game gloomy in every way. Didn't particularly enjoy playing this one.

BELIEF AND BETRAYAL = is it really "too easy"? No, but I seldom find that games are too easy.

ECHO = same question as above Same answer as above.

ART OF MURDER = is it just "mediocre," as reviews suggest? I haven't had the chance to play it yet.

ANGEL OF DEATH/SECRETS OF THE ARK = does it have more of those pesky timed sequences where you die, like in the previous adventure with George and Nico? I got stuck on a stealth sequence and couldn't finish the game.

SACRED RINGS = I really enjoyed Aura, but this sequel is all over the charts as far as reviews go. Good? Bad? I loved this game. I thought the story was great, and I loved the Tolkienesque environments. I didn't think it got too dark near the end -- I thought the medieval castle sequences fit the story. I'd love to see a sequel.

SECRETS OF ATLANTIS = most people panned it because of poor production values. True or not? Overall, I would disagree with the poor production values criticism. The timed slider drove me nuts, however, even when I did back up every 30 seconds or so and then return to it. Sliders are hard for me under the best of circumstances -- backing up away from the screen and then going back in every few seconds seemed, well, pointlessly tortuous. On the other hand, it is only one challenge in the game and once you're past it you can forget about it.

I just started playing SOA. Where will encounter this timed slider?

BELIEF AND BETRAYAL = It is too short, not enough game play. Not worth the $29.99 price tag. It should be priced $19.99.

ART OF MURDER = Review is somewhat right. For this reason, it is not a must have game. Good news is it is appropriately priced $19.99. I don't mind playing a sequel. Hopefully Art of Murder will be turned into a series. With FBI as the backdrop, I'm sure there are plentiful of mysteries or conspiracies to solve.

In the Chinese gambling house. It's not as bad as you might think though. When the guard looks at you, just back out, go back to the slider and continue it.

Haven't played it. The description of the story didn't interest me.


Puzzle difficulty and quality varies. Nice graphics. Story and characters didn't interest me.


Haven't played it.


Timed sequences were nowhere near as bad as Broken Sword: Sleeping Dragon. Navigation was tricky though.


I thought it was a big disappointment compared to the first one. The last third of the game was full of sudden death -- e.g. -- you open a door because there's no other way to find out what's inside and your character is immediately captured. Back to the load screen. The early parts of Sacred Rings were full of trial-and-error puzzles instead of the logic puzzles that Aura had.


Never heard about any poor production values. It's a nice looking game and much better than Atlantis Evolution. The timed slider is a nuisance, but other than that it was enjoyable.

Thank you all so much for the input. It really helps to have a range of opinions. Now to decide......