A deserted island, the tropics, Jules Verne, what more can you ask for in an adventure game? Well, a bit more of a story, actually, but even without much of a plot, this adventure game manages to capture attention with interesting localities and involving inventory management.

Mina, our heroine, has been shipwrecked and washed ashore this mysterious island somewhere in the tropics. We don't know why she was sailing, where she was going, or really anything about her, except that she looks pretty good for someone who's dragged herself out of the sea after her boat went down. Upon awakening, she immediately starts to forage for sustenance (and, boy, can this gal eat!) She needs a lot of food, so get ready and begin that inventory collectin'.

Evidently, this island is the same island that several people became stranded on in the last century, where they encountered the fabled Captain Nemo, in the novel "The Mysterious Island". As Mina explores the island, she becomes aware that someone is watching her, and finds much evidence that people have been here before her. As in the book, a monkey becomes her companion, after she rescues it from a bunch of rowdy monkeys. Again, she must collect lots of items to help heal the animal, who will then help her in her explorations, especially for the really high places.

This game is a typical adventure game as pertains to inventory collection and story plot, but there are some new features that are a little unusual, namely a really good inventory management tool that lets players combine and take apart items effortlessly. Items can be combined at the bottom of the inventory slots and are displayed as an addition equation, with question marks for missing items. Players can also sort their items and place them anywhere in the inventory slots they desire.

There are tons of items that can be picked up, and the descriptions of each item are fairly informative, unlike many adventure games, which leave the player guessing what an item is solely by the picture of the item. Not all of the items will be used, as there are multiple methods of reaching some of the game's goals. For instance, in the beginning, Mina must search the island for food to boost her strength; she can make a fishing pole, but she doesn't need the fish she catches or the pole, if she eats enough other food.

The localities are interesting to look at and explore. The game's movement is in a free, 360 degree panning mode, which is a little disconcerting at first. There is no other option of movement, but players will soon become used to it. I had a little motion sickness at first, but only for a few minutes, really. The locations are all excellently drawn, and invoke the outside climate of an island superbly. There are a few odd notes, such as a maple tree in the tropics, but other than these type of oddities, most of the places look much like one would expect. Everything is drawn well, and the graphics will please most. Later, the Nautilus is available for exploration.

Items galore are lying around to be picked up and examined. Although not hidden, they are sometimes difficult to find because of the panning method of exploring. Players will need to stop at each location and literally pan the camera around everywhere, so as not to miss anything. As Mina is all alone (except for the monkey), there isn't any conversation as such, so no dialogue to click through. Just lots of inventory collecting.

It's just Mina, the monkey, and her wits. While she does have an electronic link to the outside world, it's not much use to her for most of the game. This is a first-person adventure, and there are no characters to look at. Mina is shown in pencil drawings, instead of the typical animations, when something interesting happens.

At first glance, this game doesn't appear all that involving or interesting. First person adventure games, here lately, are a dime-a-dozen and are all similar to each other, mostly featuring lots of mechanical and manipulative puzzles tied loosely together with a barely plausible story. While the story in this game isn't very detailed or believable, the gameplay itself soon becomes surprisingly engaging, due to the amount of interaction players have with their environment.

I found it fun to pick up the natural things I discovered lying around, like pinecones, fruits and nuts, plus man-made items that were left behind. Using these things together to build useful objects gave me a real sense of accomplishment. Some possible uses of objects are easy to figure out, but other inventory puzzles are much trickier. There are a few manipulative puzzles, but most are of the inventory kind. A notebook helps keep Mina on track, with short notes on what she needs to accomplish next.