In a gaming era where ideas are recycled to death, games are easily pigeonholed into broad genres and the motto of the moment is "it looks great so to hell with the gameplay," Myst III is refreshingly different and original.

Don't get me wrong, few games have ever looked as good as Myst III, but it's the gameplay that makes it so absorbing. You play yourself, which is quite original and you are an old acquaintance of Atrus, a man who writes living books. Unfortunately when you arrive at Atrus's home, a strange, bedraggled looking man (played by Brad Dourif, no less) appears in Atrus's lab and steals his latest book, which contains the world where all of his friends and family live. You are caught in the middle of the action and sucked into the world to which this stranger flees, taken in Atrus's place. Trapped there, you have no choice but to follow a trail of clues and solve the various puzzles left by this stranger in order to catch up with him and find out what he wants.

It's an intriguing story and the concept that whenever Atrus writes a book he creates an entire planet is quite mind-blowing. Is this man God? Who knows, but the worlds that he has created are truly glorious. The game is played from a first person perspective, so you are seeing out of your own eyes, but the world you interact with isn't full 3D in the usual sense. You can look and turn in any direction where you stand, but you can't walk forward and see the world in motion. When you move forward, there is a smooth transition from one point to the next, normally a location a few steps in front of you. This way you are exploring a very realistic 3D world, but you can't walk around it with complete freedom. It's an idea that works very well, because sacrificing full 3D movement means that each location you stand in is rendered with breathtaking realism.

The sun and clouds in the sky, the textures of rock, metal, plants and wood all look very lifelike. If you stand still you can see the waves rolling in the ocean or watch the shimmering reflections in ponds and lakes. Steam, fire, lava and light all look real as well, but it is the ingenuity and design of the architecture and puzzles that truly make this game unique. The structures and buildings vary greatly and all are a fascinating blend of styles of architecture varying from industrial to futuristic to organic. The technology has an industrial feel to it with metal cogs, gates and mechanisms, but it is clearly a lot more advanced than it appears. Every location looks absolutely stunning and very different; it is an incredibly imaginative and well-realised series of places that you visit on your journey.

The other thing that makes Myst so difficult to pigeonhole is the way in which you interact with the world. You don't carry any items (other than journals and writings that you discover along the way). This means no endless searching for hidden items or any inventory problems that plague standard adventure games. You don't fight any enemies, meaning that there is no complicated system of combat to learn. The couple of people you meet (who are in full motion video played by live actors), you listen to but don't talk to. All you have to do is explore each location and interact with the scenery to solve the puzzles you face.

That might sound a bit boring and simple, but nothing could be further from the truth. It's a real challenge and the puzzles are quite different to anything you've come across before. There's no 'put this key in here' or 'move those blocks over there' in Myst III. For example, on the first island you visit there are a number of lamps dotted around. Each has three lenses and you have to find the power source for the lamps and then rotate each one so that a beam of light passes through them all to strike a door, which can then be opened after you enter the correct sequence of colours. The sequence isn't given to you as such either; you have to put in a bit of thought to find it. And that's why this game is so fascinating to play. It actually requires you to use some thought. You can feel your brain cells rejoicing the lack of heavy weapons, zombie gore and combination moves as you progress!

It is genuinely satisfying to solve an intelligent puzzle and there's always a little animated reward for you. That's the other great thing about the graphics, when you are interacting with machinery things come to life with amazing animation, it is all so fluid that it appears real. Gates clank open, handles turn, cogs wind and panels slide fluidly. All of this is accompanied by solid sound effects and enchanting music, adding to the sense that you're really there. Some of the puzzles are quite spectacular, especially the ones involving the rolling spheres on one island. When you solve the final puzzle you're treated to a lengthy and stunning roller coaster ride around the entire island!

The only downside to Myst III, then, is getting stuck. And you will get stuck reasonably often too. Most of the time it's because you missed a certain area you could stand in because it blends in with the background or you didn't spot the ladder there or the passage in the rocks looked hidden from that angle and so on. But other times you'll be faced with a particularly tough puzzle (and some of them are quite complex) and be sat scratching your head for a while. I'm not about to take marks off for this because I like it when games provide a decent challenge and it's never unfair, just sometimes a little tricky. My only advice to you when you get stuck is to persevere. Go off and explore a different part of the island, you'll see things you didn't spot before. Always follow paths right to the very edge, as sometimes ladders or entrances can be hidden so they are only seen from one location. Finally, always take notice of the details on patterns and symbols by the puzzle areas, as most of the clues are to be found in the puzzles themselves or the notes in the journals.

Myst III Exile cannot be categorised or compared with any other games (other than its predecessors) as it is a unique style of adventure game. It has gorgeous, interactive scenery with imaginative and colourful architecture, strange technology, a wide range of ingenious puzzles, rewarding animated sequences and a good story. Just beware, because like your in game persona, you might find yourself sucked into these worlds and trapped there until you can find your way out.

Reviewed by Geoff Holland for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).