Fans of Syberia will be glad to know that Benoit Sokal has created another adventure game, this time taking place somewhere in North Africa. This isn’t the Africa of today, but rather one that hearkens back to the mystique of a by-gone era of colonial rule.

The country of Maurania is an isolated territory bounded by greedy neighbors, all eager to step in and fill the void of effective leadership. The current ruler of Maurania is ill and paranoid, and has been neglecting his country. He has sent for his estranged daughter who has been residing in Europe, but she unfortunately has an accident along the way. She ends up in the palace harem of a prince of Maurania, where she is expected to convalesce. She can’t remember who she is, and why she is in this strange country. She must gain an audience with the Prince to get any answers.

At the game’s beginning, the harem inhabitants have named her Ann Smith, as that is the name on a book she is carrying. This book actually chronicles the travels of a female explorer from 100 years ago, who cataloged the animals of the region and other interesting information. These animals are quite exotic, and most appear to be wholly fictional in nature. This feature of the game was actually my least favorite bit, as the drawings of the animals and their attached descriptions are silly and unbelievable. However, this information isn’t very intrinsic to the game, even though a few of these animals do show up later in the game.

Ann has to gain an audience with the prince before anyone will let her leave, but he’s feeling ill with some sort of local fever and isn’t seeing anyone.  She must find some way to sneak in. Fortunately, the palace workers don’t seem too bright, and all she has to do is fool the guards into believing she’s the favorite wife. This is actually quite an involved process, as Ann has to do many things, like run and fetch items for the favorite, cook up some dainties, make some perfume, get a dress, and manipulate several puzzles to accomplish many of these errands.

The puzzles are well integrated into the storyline, and never feel forced or placed arbitrarily. Many of them are mechanical in nature, but aren’t that difficult to solve after the story has advanced enough to shed some light on what certain items and machines are. This is definitely one of the better puzzle-driven games in terms of logic and solvability. The story is involving and delivers on most of what it promises in the realm of suspense and mystery. Ann is more of a laid-back character than the heroine in Syberia, but she is likable, although some of her lines are delivered in a too-frantic tone for the content. However, the voice-acting is pretty good for most of the dialogue.

Speaking of dialogue, there is a large amount, and players will need to keep revisiting many of the people and the topics offered in the dialogue trees. Often new information will be available after visiting other characters. This is also true of the puzzles. At some points in the game, players will play as the leopard – in fact, a big deal is made out of this in the game’s PR. However, I didn’t find it a major part of the game.

The interface isn’t very well-designed, and can be annoying at times with long waits until the correct animation begins for the required action. Often, players will have moved the cursor away from the object just as the animation starts. The inventory menu is also clunky.

In the front of the game manual, Benoit Sokal speaks about his childhood love of Africa and the stories he listened to while in Belgium. He wanted to imbue this game with a sense of mystery and romance. This sense is here, and the story is intriguing and involving.  At times, the story gets bogged down a trifle in all the running back and forth that Ann is required to do, but it still holds together fairly well and really becomes intense at the end of the game.

This is a fun adventure game and ranks among the better ones from the last couple of years. Syberia is a better game all around, but this one is good. The slow pace may put players off at first, but things do speed up eventually. It would have been better if there hadn’t been quite as much traveling from place to place to collect items, as this does get tiring at times. Still, this is a nice adventure with plenty of atmosphere and one that most adventure fans will enjoy.

Gameplay: 7.5
The story is good, the puzzles are engaging and the characters well fleshed out. The game does require too much trotting about, though, and there is a bit too much emphasis on positional and mechanical puzzles. The interface is a pain at times. However, the story will keep the interest and encourage players to continue.

Graphics: 8.0
I liked the sepia tones of the game, it’s reminiscent of black and white movies.

Sound: 6.0
The sound affects are average and the music is sorely lacking. The voice-acting is good, though.

Difficulty: Medium
The puzzles are just right.

Concept: 7.0
It’s a typical adventure game, but the presentation is good.

Overall: 7.8
One of the better adventures in the recent resurgence of the genre. While not the best of the best, it still ranks above average in terms of interest and playability. A good choice for adventure game fans.