Louvre: The Messenger Critic Reviews

The interface is intuitive and smooth. The graphics, sound effects and music generally meet expectations. However, the game suffers greatly from the pixel hunting and the cumbersome inventory system.

Everything about this game is solid. Unfortunately there is nothing about it that will knock you into next week.

It has its share of problems, but its puzzles are reasonable, it will give you somewhere around 15-20 hours of gameplay, and you can get it for $20 or less.

A very entertaining game that successfully transcends its edu-tainment leanings.

While a viable contender for anyone's gaming dollars, The Messenger is best suited for intermediate level detectives. Dedicated play requires a patient mind and hefty time investment, though not nearly so large an expenditure as most adventures demand.

The point of the cut-scenes is simply to connect the different, playable parts of the game and, since those parts of The Messenger are so good, small cracks in the method of connection can be forgiven.

There's a nice opportunity for you to learn a lot on the subject, as the developers and their associates really took history for serious.

The Messenger doesn't really deliver any message at all, just a sort of monochromatic gaming experience that will have you wondering when the story will kick in. Sure it's nonstop puzzles and as fast action as an adventure game can actually get, but there's little to drive you to completion.

If you have an historical bent, you can be impressed by the recreated and changing Louvre - if not, you can simply enjoy poking around a big, graphically sumptuous castle.

One design feature that reduces this game's charm is the limit of eight items in active inventory.

"Traitors Gate" had the sort of continuity that is crucial to story-driven adventure games. Unfortunately, The Messenger lacks this continuity, and as a result the puzzles are confusing, and the protagonist comes off as a sort of confused sociopath.

The Messenger is not a bad game, it's just that there are design elements that make sections of gameplay laborious rather than fun.

Between interface flaws, its stern focus upon drab and dull key-hunting, and a wholly frustrating inventory system, much of the game's potential magic is lost. In the end, The Messanger's pseudo-historical atmosphere is all that it's got going for it.

Step through and discover ... The Worst Adventure Game You Will Ever Play.