Game Review: Mystery Case Files Millionheir

Gerard Campbell - The Press

Mystery Case Files: Millionheir

Nintendo DS  

Score: * * *

Nintendo's dual-screen DS is the perfect foil for puzzle games, and Millionheir is another solid game in the handheld stable of games that tests observation skills.

In your search for the rightful heir to missing millionaire Phil T Rich, you must talk to a variety of characters, including Emmy Davnov, an aspiring actress; Marina Fobic, a tour guide; Jim Gerno, a firefighter; and Lee O Ryan, an astronomy professor.

In each investigation scene, you use the DS's stylus to tap on items hidden in intricately detailed still-life paintings -- and do it within a time limit. You have a crime computer that provides you with key information to help you solve the clues.

The top screen shows a zoomed-out view of the scene and a list of the objects you have to find. You can pan across, and up and down, the bottom touch- sensitive screen. Once you've found an object, you tap on it.

On-screen indicators let you know how much time you have left to solve the puzzle, how many things left to find, and how many objects you've found.

If you find things a little hard, you can use some hints, but doing so will reduce the amount of time you have left to find remaining items.

Often the items you're looking for will be hidden among other items, like, say, a pencil in the leg of a stool, so you'll have to concentrate.

I liked Millionheir because at its heart is good, solid gameplay that gives your brain a test, and you'll kick yourself when you realise that an item you were vainly searching for all along was right in front of your nose.

While the story is a little boring and some of the mini- games are lackluster, Millionheir succeeds because it's the sort of game you can pick up and play when you have a spare moment.

It's also pretty addictive and challenging -- all the things that make for a good puzzle game.

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