Customer Reviews

Riddle of the Sphinx

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

This game has been around for a number of years. The first version I had was a demo version that I picked up as a freebie in an Egghead Store-- remember those emporiums of computer related merchandise? Having worked my way through Myst and its siblings I was hungry for more great graphics and challenging puzzles.

Now, seven or so years later, I bought the new edition which came in a sensible scaled down package containing one CD. Actually I was scheduled to visit the King Tut exhibit in Philadelphia and I bought it in a fit of nostalgia and enthusiasm. I cannot say the treasures to be found in this game were any more sparkling than the items on exhibit at the Franklin Institute.

First thing, a patch is needed to make the game work. The person who was frustrated because he or she could not play the game on any system tney tried should have gone to the web site referenced in the packaging and updated the game. I played it on a machine running Windows Xp and didn't notice any particular problem after it was patched.

I don't know if the creators have retooled things but the graphics were bright and clean and even better on a 17 inch LCD screen. Computer speaks are much better than they were seven years ago-- or maybe I can just afford better ones now. I fortunately remembered bits of most of the puzzles, at least enough so I didn't spend days bumbling around in the maze like I did the first time (madly pointing and clicking at anything that might help me out), but not so much that I wasn't challenged. The music was not intrusive. But keep a pad and pen handy-- and don't over think the game. Trying to be too clever will tie you in knots.

Having finished this one, I am starting to wonder where my old copy of Myst is--

I never played adventure games before and I'm more likely to after playing this. The game is not violent and you solve a series of puzzles given different clues. I thought the puzzles were most difficult in the beginning before you even get to anything intersting in the tombs. FYI--If you get really, really stuck, plenty of people have written instructions on the internet on how to solve stuff. (You may have to utilize this once like I did just to get a feel for how to solve these things).

I will forewarn you that the game can get sometimes stuck/slowed down. There is a patch available to stop it from doing that in certain sections, but it can still get frustrating in certain spots why you can move a lightning speed in some areas and at a snail's pace in others.

This game does not work. All $9 copies in the market have the same problem. On the website they say download the patch. I did and the patch did nothing. It is a big shame on the company to release a game with all these problems. They suppose at least to withdraw all bad copies from the market everywhere but instead they deceive people by a patch that does not work. What if somebody does not have internet? What a waste!

I bought this game but it didn't even work so dont but it. It's a waste of money.

I have two laptops,and the game didnt work on either one, and they both meet the requirements..

I bought this game and it will not work on my PC. I contacted Viva Media and they sent me the patch and it still does not work. I tried contacting them again and the e-mails keep bouncing back. I wouldn't by this or any other game from Viva.

I love puzzle/brain teaser games and looked forward to playing this but unfortunately couldn't get it to work. AT ALL! I tried on three computers before giving up. I wish I could give it a zero star rating just for the sheer frustration I experienced and the time I wasted.

I bought this game because when I had played the demo years ago I loved it. This 1-disc version is completely useless. I have Vista and have tried every little trick on the Riddle of the Sphinx website and other user tips....nothing worked...what a waste should have put the $10 in my gas tank at least then I would be assured to get my money's worth.

I BOUGHT THIS AND INSTALLED IT AND TRIED TO PLAY THE GAME. IT SHOWED ME AN ERROR MESSAGE THAN I NEEDED A DIFFERENT PROGRAM AND TRIED TO FIND THE PROGRAM I NEEDED TO DOWNLOAD BUT CAN'T FIND IT SO I HAVE THE GAME BUT CAN'T PLAY IT. IF ANYONE CAN HELP ME FIND THIS PROGRAMOR SO I COULD PLAY THIS GAME PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE.
AQUACOW57

I was really looking forward to this game as the description made it sound like it was going to be really fun, but although it started out well, it was way too long and hard, and there were too many glitches.

Story-One of your friends who is an archaeologist named Gil has called you to Egypt, for he has made an important discovery. When you get there, however, all you find is a cassette tape (that's how old this game is) with a message on it from Gil telling you, basically, that he is dead if you are listening to the tape and that it's up to you to find the treasure of the Sphinx.

Gameplay-Strangely enough, None of this game takes place at the Sphinx until the very end. Most of the game is in the Great Pyramid which is huge. It is very easy to get lost in. The controls to move around aren't that great, either. It's pointing hands that really don't work that well with this game. After about the first hour of gameplay, the puzzles become extremely difficult, and I used a walkthrough for most of this game because it was one hard puzzle after another. Also, several times in the game the game froze, and I was forced to turn it off and start over from my last save point. I learned to save often at the beginning of this game.

Graphics-They were OK, but you can tell that they are old. They are very grainy, but you can tell what everything is, and you can also tell that the designers did the best they could with what they had at that time.

Sound-Music didn't play constantly, but it would play at certain locations, and when it did, it was very nice. There weren't many background sounds, but what there was sounded nice. There was hardly any voice acting, and it was understandable except for the last few minutes which were a little hard to understand, which was disappointing to me.

Fun-The game was fun, but I soon became sick of the hard puzzles, for this game was VERY long.

Length-This game took me about a week to beat which was about 15-20 hours, but like I said, I used a walkthrough for most of it. Without a walkthrough, I could easily see it taking a month to complete.

This was a good game, and I am glad I played it, but I would really only recommend it to people who don't mind using a walkthrough for the entire game or for hardcore adventure gamers who are up for a challenge. One last thing is that basically the game isn't quite complete when you finish it. It tells you that there is a sequel, and that does leave a slight feeling that you haven't finished it. All in all, this was an OK game that some people will hate and some people will love.