A rip-roaring and esoteric puzzler where you get to play detective. So how brainy are you?

There was a time, in the land before polygons, when adventure games were mainly served a la point and click. This meant that rather than directly move your character, you would use a mouse pointer to direct him in working out fiendishly complicated puzzles such as how to fly to the moon using only a crowbar, condom and a cheese sandwich.

Though it all sounds a bit deathly, we can assure you it wasn't. The Broken Sword series, with its clever scenarios, expressive 2D cartoon visuals, knowing dialogue and refreshingly witty protagonists was one of the finest examples of this peculiar sub-genre.

But then the 3D video gaming storm arrived and everyone decided all games made before Tomb Raider must have been crap. 2D point-and-click adventures were deemed outdated and were mercilessly downtrodden in the identikit action game stampede. Fans mourned as it looked as though the genre was gone forever. However, Revolution, Broken Sword's maker, quietly bided their time and kindled their vision. Now, three years after worlk first began, the third game in the series, rises in glorious 3D Technicolor, bringing George and Nico back together again in a fast-paced and effortlessly engaging, humorous detective yarn. It's what the world's been waiting for.

The game opens in the Congo where unsuspecting hero George finds himself in a downed plane, teetering over the edge of a cliff with nothing but a beer bottle, crate and unconscious pilot to help him out of, what is to become, a typically perilous position. The dazzling plot quickly unwinds, taking you on a whirlwind tour of the various sights and sounds of Paris, Glastonbury and the Czech Republic.

George and Nico, at first apart, and latterly together, set off on the trail of evil cult leader Sassaro. The Broken Sword games have always blurred the line between history and fiction, and The Sleeping Dragon follows this trend. It's based somewhat esoterically on the Voynich manuscript, Geomantric lines and The Templars, but there's also a large dose of in-jokes thrown in for those who played the first titles.

As far as the actual gameplay goes, this is essentially a puzzle game. You collect various seemingly useless menial objects and use your own cryptic lateral thinking to work out how to utilise them for your goal. Although the game is single-player, you don't necessarily have to play it on your own. On the contrary, you can have a lot of fun sitting down for the night and playing through with a friend, coming up with all sorts of possible solutions for the increasingly difficult challenges.

Veterans of the first two games will be pleased to hear that the shift to 3D has not hurt the sublime gameplay one little bit. You now directly control George and Nico, and can move them around the large play areas to investigate clues. A context-sensitive control scheme means you can easily locate important items and areas, and it's extremely straightforward telling your character to try and fit the underpants in the keyhole should you so desire. In order to keep the difficulty of puzzles up, Republic has introduced a hefty dose of platforming, crate-pushing and stealth challenges, albeit in the somewhat basic style of the original game. These do begin to grate after a little while, but thankfully the emphasis is mainly on lateral situation puzzles so it's not too unbalancing.

But this is Xbox gaming at a very different level to your typical modern title. The Sleeping Dragon is more adult in content (in terms of cerebral challenge), dialogue (you probably won't get all the jokes) and pacing. The soundbite teen gaming generation will need to accept a cultural shift in terms of approach. If you prefer Pokémon to The Simpsons, Unreal Championship to Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic or Pop Idol to The Office, then this probably isn't for you. Gamers who love a good detective story and fancy themselves as lateral thinkers will be in their element as The Sleeping Dragon ushers in an entirely new experience to Xbox owners longing to opt out of the squad-based shooter conscript.

1. Cool dialogue
2. Great content and execution
3. Intelligent puzzles
4. Beautiful soundtrack
5. Fresh characters

1. Once you've done it, you've done it

Power
The shift to 3D won't appeal to all the fanboys but Revolution has done a good, solid job.

Style
Witty and knowing, as well as self-deprecating, this is the cleverest Xbox game to date.

Immersion
Once you get stuck on a puzzle, it lodges in your head forever. You'll be losing sleep over it.

Lifespan
It's a good-length game you'll get sucked into, but you won't go through it a second time.

Verdict A classic detective game that will stick with you after you've finished. But not enough to make you play it through again.