Myst III is weird. It's like playing through a friend's holiday photos, if they were particularly excellent at photography and had a tendency to take two weeks vacation in alternate dimensions.

It's like being stuck inside a series of snapshots, marooning you on an island and leaving you with nothing but a mad storyline and a collection of puzzles. You use the Right thumbstick to look around (it's all in first-person perspective), and you have fo press the A button in order to advance forward a few feet. You don't actually move forward as you would in any other game, you simply appear several feet ahead of your previous position, except within an equally gorgeous render. Sound weird? It is.

The puzzles aren't of the usual kind, either. While they do use a certain logic, it's a logic that's been twisted, covered in chocolate spread and hidden in the attic for a few weeks. The conundrums can make use of colour, sound, shape and any other possible factor in providing head scratching mysteries. None of your blue-key-into-blue-keyhole kindergarten pushovers here. Sound a bit esoteric? They are.

This game will provoke extreme opinions. People who've enjoyed previous Myst games will find it a beautiful, involving experience (10/10). Others will find it a cold, excitement-free vacuum of non-gaming (0/10). We're giving it a flat 7.0, because it does look lovely and contains plenty of brain-bending challenges.

But be forewarned: if the idea of taking a series of baby steps through a stark world that's as interactive as a row of light switches fills you with double-maths dread then this game probably isn't for you. This is one game where reading The Brief is probably more important than the Summary.

Myst III is a very pretty and elaborate way of presenting a series of tricky-ass logic puzzles that could happily exist on paper. As such, it's unique among games; a real Marmite proposition.

Sound good? Then kick back with a nice mug of tea of a Sunday afternoon and have an excellent time.

1. Stunning locations
2. Brief loading times
3. Atmospheric sounds and settings

1. Very little to actually do
2. Snail-paced gameplay
3. Puzzles are bizarre!

Power
Crisp, photo-realistic rendered visuals and only very slight loading times between scenes.

Style
Arcane, obscure and completely unique. Mad gadgets and locations, but the FMV clashes with the rest.

Immersion
Does lots for your head, and nothing for your fingers. Great if you enjoy clouding your brain.

Lifespan
There are a fair few chapters in the quest, and plenty of locations to think your way around.

Summary
A bonkers concept, beautiful to look at and little more than a series of increasingly difficult logic puzzles.