Uncharted Tides: Port Royal

Though short, this is a superb instant classic of the casual point-and-click adventure genre. The story and pacing are exciting, the adventure and puzzles are real and thoughtful, and the presentation—if not exceptional—serves the game well. There are good drawings, nice music, and good voice acting.

As for the gameplay, there are some hidden-object scenes, though not very many. Also there aren't many puzzle mini-games and most are quite trivial. Instead, the focus is on the story puzzles, which are all fairly reasonable, often clever, and never feel too forced. Well, except for a few duds near the end. You'll figure them out but won't be impressed.

The result is, all in all, an immersive and coherent experience—an adventure! This minimal standard for storytelling is rare in this genre, which is unfortunately rife with lazy writing and game design that has nothing to do with the story.

Recommended for fans of this genre as well as newcomers who want to see the best it currently has to offer.