Night Mysteries: The Amphora Prisoner

This is an original, excellent, but flawed take on the hidden-object scene genre.

It's quite hard: some of the hidden-objects scenes and puzzles would be difficult to solve if you're not very experienced with the way in which such games try to trick you. I found one puzzle impossible to solve without skipping, and I'm usually quite good at these! Likewise, the point-and-click adventuring is not easy. Luckily, you can use the hint key without penalty.

Despite the difficult, it is fair. The ship is not very big, and you can wander back and forth without frustration until you think of a way to solve a problem.

Also nice is that the collectibles are actually part of the game. It's fun finding them on your own, and then looking for them more carefully in the end in order to finish.

The graphics, a mix of 3D models, gently swaying in the ocean ways, and drawn cut scenes, are terrific and capture the eerie mood very well. The story is cliché but told simply and without nonsense.

Unfortunately, the game engine is a bit buggy. There were a few places where clicking the first time didn't register for me. Also, there are a few scenes where you have to use mouse gesturing to move through them. I found these buggy and frustrating experiences, and unlike the puzzles they are not skippable. I think they don't really have a place in this genre, and the game would be better without them.