Cleopatra - Riddle of the Tomb
I am a pushover for all things Egyptian and so I would have been happy enough
to just hang around the tomb, but the game offers much more.
The time is during the civil war between Cleopatra and her husband, Ptolemy.
You play as Thomas, an apprentice to Akkad, Cleopatra's astrologist.
The queen is in dire need of divinations; unfortunately her astrologist and his daughter,
Iris are missing, so Thomas is sent on a mission to find them posthaste.
The puzzles are interesting, with an authentic feel of time and place - many
involve decoding Greek alphabetical names, astronomy, and creating potions with ancient herbs.
The characters, from villain to queen are well drawn and animated,
given motivation and decent lines, but it's the legendary sites that are the stars of the game.
You get to see a little bit of Cleopatra's palace apartment,
which is where the game is saved and game options are accessed.
Game play changes depending which zodiac sign you select, giving you more good days or bad days.
I got bad days, which means that sometimes you have to do things over because they break, get lost, etc.
Leaving the Queen, the search goes from a secret entrance in a pyramid,
to Akkad's mausoleum and finally to an observatory with unusual astrological machines.
Clues lead Thomas to the Library at Alexandria and an encounter with Sobek the old guardian of the crocodiles.
After completing various puzzles involving Egyptian deities and burial rites,
you gain access into the interior of library.
I don't know how accurate the rendering is but it is fun to walk around,
sunlight streaming from above, looking at the artwork and checking out the cubi-holes for the papyrus.
After more puzzles you are off to the lighthouse of Alexandria located on the island of
Pharos where you get to work a catapult and eventually ride Apollo's Chariot to
the top of the lighthouse to rescue Iris - Akkad has met with an ill fate.
Returning to Alexandria, discovering a secret observatory and having Iris make
the divination is a satisfactory end to the adventure.
And so as the sun sets behind the pyramids of Egypt I return to my PC in Oakland - having had an excellent adventure.
Reviewed by: Editor - 05/08
Ages: Teen
Fun Factor: Lots of work went into getting the feel of being in Egypt.
Female Factor: Although Iris spends most of her time in captivity, she is the one who can perform the divinations.
Player Friendly: Places to review dialogs, documents, Thomas' memoirs and a pop-up setting for the Greek alphabet.