The burst of the adventure game genre bubble was a tragedy far greater than all other gaming-related tragedies put together. Except for my venture into equestrian simulation - that was sort of catastrophic in all kinds of ways. Many theories have sprung up as to why the demise occurred, thanks to the hard work of many people with too much time on their hands. First, it demands a masochistic player, willing to humiliate themselves with the knowledge of their incompetence, and masochism in gaming has been on a decline ever since they came up with the concept of a save game. Second, easy access to walkthroughs (made by smug little know-it-alls – curse you!) as early as a week after the game's release kill most of the experience for the weak-willed. Third, the core gameplay consists of pushing objects against each other and hoping that something happens! It's like watching an episode of Seinfeld, but after every exchange, you have punch random button combos on the remote till you get the right one, and progress to the next scene.

Ok fine, the puzzles are usually more intuitive than that, but most adventure game makers have been using this formula since forever, relying on great characters, dialog and story, and not gameplay, to keep the player hooked. The original Broken Sword game was guilty of this as well, but it was so pretty-looking and well crafted that you managed not to notice it. However, three installments, one dimension and a couple of breakups later, the cracks are definitely showing. And don't give me that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" adage. Even if it ain't broke, you mofos are certainly going to be if you keep this up.

In terms of graphics, the series has been uncannily human in its progression – by that I mean, it's now got to the stage where it's sporting wrinkles, crow's feet and whatnot. 3D graphics aren't going to look as striking as hand-drawn counterparts unless you're packing a serious budget, and I think it's safe to say that these guys were getting by on moderate funding. It's hardly glaringly bad, just a little bare and boring, and considering the limited environments that you get to play in, that's especially irritating.

Don't even get me started on the story. Something about eluding the mob, and discovering ancient treasures in Turkey, and using that to create 'monatomic gold' with a reactor being secretly developed in the Arizona desert, so they can make special communion biscuits for the Vatican. Yes, I'm serious! And they threw in the Ark of the Covenant in for good measure, too. Like that could make up for the stonewall abrupt ending they toss your way. Grrr!

I guess the thought process behind most of it must have been, “George, he's so cutesy and flippant. Let's make situations built around that! Nico – she's French, so she must be sexy...and sassy! Hey, one girl is good...but two would be better! Let's get another one in! Also with nice boobs!” Damn, if I'd known that being a history geek would get a guy this kind of action, I'd have paid more attention in class. Of course, the saving the world routine probably has something to do with it, too. Dialog and voice acting is a bit hit or miss, though more on the hit side, thankfully. Nico's accent is a lot better than that atrocious delivery from Broken Sword 3, and Anna Maria's is neutral enough not to be offensive. George's motormouth habits can get pissing off in a Spiderman way, bad jokes and all. Still, some of the supporting characters are a hoot, despite being results of a mix-n-match from a box of clichés.

Gameplay mostly boils down to inventory alchemy and environmental 'hot point' manipulation. Like Bioshock, they've included a hacking minigame (which is actually decent fun), there's a few dreaded stealth levels, and finally, you have to decipher ancient riddles on maps and parchments to get past booby traps. That's actually the most fun part, feels like you're in an Indy Jones movie. Yeah, I know they're making a new one, let's not talk about it. They've got both point-n-click as well as keyboard movement, and that's a nice touch, but this partially mobile camera system that they've got can be a major pain in the ass, inadvertently concealing crucial parts of the level here and there and mostly just making navigation more of a bitch than it needs to be.

It's a nice reunion with old friends, and having played all the older games and having a history with the characters, I got some mileage out of this one. It's not going to bring the adventure game genre screaming back to the forefront, however – so if you're new to the series, I suggest you try the first one instead. That's gold.

Developer: Revolution Software

Publisher: THQ