Flotsam steps into the dancing, spying and traveling shoes of Mata Hari, while surrounded by scenes of turn-of-the-century European opulence.

Mata Hari

Wow!
Seems more like a C than a B- minus! I guess it's relative though.....
caz

Thanks for the review Flotsam and thanks Becky for the link

Spyros

Thanks Flotsam and Becky. Good to know in advance about all the mini games. Well, I just got my computer fixed as well as a new copy of Mata Hari, so I am about to find out just how much they will annoy me. I am hoping I will enjoy the game overall, irregardless.

I enjoyed your informative and interesting review - Thank you flotsam

Thank you for the review Flotsam

Good review! Now I have to buy this game

Clarification to the mini games is needed here. Flotsam did not include in his description of mini games that several times what we consider standard Adventure game puzzles are defined by the game as mini games. For instance the lock puzzle in Still Life one and the Curcuit breaker puzzle in Culpa Innata appear here in simpler forms. This game refers to them as mini games when in fact they are puzzles. There are several of these puzzles which are a stretch to call them mini games. You can use the panic button to avoid them but without solving them you miss part of the challenge. I agree the dancing mini games were rather simplistic and did little to advance the game. But to relegate the standard puzzles to mini game status does this game a disservice.

Thanks for the review! I enjoyed reading it.

I've just completed Mata Hari myself and I must say, I was rather enjoying it at first, maybe up until the third chapter, but then it all became a little boring. For a game about seduction and espionage, it was horribly unexciting. I was hoping the end would really justify the 9 hours I spent playing, but unfortunately it didn't.

I'd give it a D.

Great review, amazing website. I'm really happy to see such friendly people talking about the best genre of all time =).



<-----I'm extremely happy to come across this website ;-P

I agree with you. This relatively new definition of "mini games" for a certain puzzle type seems to have appeared because that's what casual games call them. Before casual games came along, the term "mini games" referred to dexterity-related things like "Whack-A-Mole." And many adventure gamers are still only familiar with the old definition.

The trouble with changing meanings of words is that you can't be sure what people are talking about.

Maybe the game uses the term "mini games" because the developers think it "sounds" more fun than "puzzles." But it actually has the reverse effect for adventure gamers who play adventure games so they can avoid the dexterity-related stuff. They read a review that says "Mata Hari" has "mini games" and they avoid it.

Thanks oldmariner and Jenny100 for the clarification about the mini games. It's good to know that they are more puzzle related than action related. Now I am looking forward to the game even more.

I'm in the middle of Mata Hari now and I must say I am really enjoying it