My first memories of Myst were not the usual fond ones that you have, as there was no overflowing nostalgia regarding endless hours of fun I had put in to a game as a child. Instead, there is a game that I didn't fully understand at the time, probably because it was one of the first games of its era to be targeted towards adults. This targeting, combined with the fact that it is one of the most challenging games that you will ever play, means that I got stuck and gave up pretty quickly every time I gave it a go, but have found a new love for it now that I am older, finally getting to play it as the stimulating adventure puzzle game for adults that the developers intended. Myst was designed by two brothers, Robyn and Rand Miller, who were way ahead of their time in producing an open-world exploration role-playing style game a non-linear storyline, like so many successful modern games try to achieve over 20 years later!

So, the game itself. After spending half my adult life playing games like Oblivion and Skyrim, where you have an open world to explore, but still have 'quest trackers' to helpfully light up your way to the next quest target, I found myself pleasantly lost when starting the game. This is the most realistic you could possibly make a game. If you literally found a book and travelled through it to a MYST-erious place and didn't know where you were, then you would have as much knowledge as you do starting out in this game. You would also be limited in gaining further knowledge by exploring every single part of the island, reading books and notes and picking up clues, again as your character has to do in this game. Some may find this level of realism taxing, as if it would be difficult to do in real life then why would I want to spend my relaxing gaming time giving myself a headache trying to figure out all these clues? The answer to that is because the game allows you to not only explore an island in a realistic manner, but it also then draws upon and tests your mental skills without any aid. This makes the challenge rather personal and a lot more fun!

The ability to fully immerse the player within this fantastical world is one of the major strengths of this game, exploring it as the 'Stranger', so named I believe so that you can project your own mental image and personality onto the character, drawing you further into the game. The background story, as told by a short but informative intro, is that you have found a book which allows you to travel to the starting  island of Myst. The premise of the overall story is that you have to solve a number of complex puzzles in order to keep progressing through the game, eventually travelling to other worlds, known as 'Ages' (good luck with that, you're going to need it!). Most of the story is revealed though as you play the game. This is intentional to add to the mystery of the game and provide the reasoning for your exploration. It also means you have no directions, goals or objectives to start you off (such is life).

You can explore Myst from a first-person perspective by simply clicking any part of the world in which you wish to move or inspect more closely, or by dragging certain objects around. Although you don't have a proper inventory, you can pick some items up and carry them with you, though this is limited. For example, you can only carry one page of a book with you at any time. If you find something else you would rather carry, then dropping your existing page will return it to its original location. If you need to get somewhere quickly that you have already explored then there is a handy 'zip' feature, represented by a lightning bolt, which allows you to fast travel to that location. The pages you find are part of various books, some of which allow you to travel to the different Ages of Selenitic, Mechanical, Stoneship and Channelwood in the same manner in which you originally travelled to the Myst island. It is often the case that you may find a number of clues for solving the puzzles in one Age, within another Age. While aimed at adults, the game may also be played by younger people if they have the abilities to logically work out the clues. There is no chance of dying in the game and you do not have to fight enemies, making it purely a test of your mental skills.

Graphics: 9
One of the things that people remember most about Myst was exploring this beautiful world, where many small details had been accounted for, to make it as realistic as possible. The developers also managed to use Quicktime, a brand new feature at the time, to get video functionality into the game, so that you can have one-way video communication that developed the storyline of the game. Overall the graphics of Myst were considered years ahead of their time when the game was released.

Sound: 7
There isn't much to write home about regarding the sounds of the game, as you largely explore the world with ambient music playing in the background. You do get a cool little intro video with some good music that makes you feel like it is the start of a film, with you as the main character. The sound effects are appropriate when required, like the sounds of the sea and docks when you are in that area, or the mechanical functioning of the many pieces of technology that you have to interact with. For some people the main effect that the music and sounds now have is nostalgic, taking them back to the many hours they spent eagerly exploring the world of Myst. You can even get a soundtrack CD of the synthesized music that the developers made for the game.

Addictiveness: 8
This game is very addictive and frustrating in equal measure. It requires you to have patience to figure out the clues from your exploration, though sometimes this can make you feel lost. So really the addictiveness of the game depends upon the personality of the player, in the same way that your ability to progress through the game also relies upon your innate abilities to work out the clues. This makes it a very personal game and you can see why it was the biggest selling PC game of the 1990's.

Story: 8
The story is brilliant as it develops as you play the game, containing multiple possible endings, depending upon the choices the character makes. Some people felt that the game was creepy because of the feeling of isolation it gave, which only serves to highlight the brilliance of the developers in drawing in the player so much that they feel they are on an emotional journey throughout the game.

Depth: 8
There are many hours of gameplay within this game, again depending on your ability solve the riddles and puzzles. The story itself is of high quality, as you would expect with a non-linear storytelling game.

Difficulty: 10
This is one of the most difficult games I have ever played and is considered by many to be one of the most challenging games of all time, with many players remembering not only the fond memeroies of the game, but also quitting in frustration (as I did myself many years ago!).

Overall: 9
This game is considered one of the defining games of its time, helping to drive PC game sales and shaped the future and standard of many games, not just the 'Myst clones' that flooded the market following this game's success. Nothing can quite match the sense of accomplishment that you get from solving the difficult puzzles within the game and if you make it right through to the end on your own, with no outside help, then you can pretty much consider yourself a genius.