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| Cleopatra: Riddle Of The Tomb The Story The country is divided by civil war pitting Cleopatra's supporters against those of her brother and her husband, Ptolemy, who is ravaging the country. In this climate of terror, Thomas, a young apprentice to Akkad, Cleopatra's astrologist and astronomist, falls in love with his master's daughter. One day, in horror, he discovers that both master and daughter have been kidnapped. Thomas sets out on their trail and learns in the course of his investigations that Cleopatra herself has asked Akkad to make a specific divination, and that the partisans of Ptolemy are behind the kidnapping. Cleopatra promises Thomas that in exchange for the tablets required for the divination, her guards will find the master and his daughter. Thomas's investigations lead him to the discovery of Egypt's legendary sites such as the Library of Alexandria and the Lighthouse. Thomas also meets the queen and a whole host of other mysterious characters. Will he manage to save his master and his loved one so that together they can decipher the stars? Without the prophecy, the country will be lost: the destiny of Egypt and its queen are in his hands. Introduction First of all, I'm not a big fan of games with an Egyptian theme, although I watch and read everything that can be found about the subject. Maybe it is because I know so much about it and when history is not respected, it makes me nuts. But in this game, the story is based on historical facts and also has a fictional aspect. In Cleopatra: Riddle of the Tomb , you will play the role of Thomas who is the apprentice of Cleopatra's astrologist. The astrologist was asked by the queen to make a divination that will seal the fate of Egypt, but he disappears before being able to fulfill her wishes. This is when Thomas comes in and soon learns that his master wasn't the only to disappear. The astrologist's daughter, whom Thomas loves, has also disappeared. Thomas must find them. The last they heard, they were still in Alexandria which has been devastated by the war between Cleopatra, her brother and her husband. Thieves and vandals are benefitting from the war like vultures around a dead carcass. Thomas' task won't be easy. There are also many, many crocodiles - enough to make you want to make belts or purses with them. Any Crocodile Dundees around? Puzzles The game includes a nice variety of puzzles and most of them are integrated into the story. Some of the puzzles are inventory based, some are mechanical, and some need logic in order to solve them. There are no time-sequenced puzzles, but most of them are challenging. Have you ever gotten tired of the over-used hieroglyphs? There are some in the game, but not as many as there have been in other Egyptian games. In Cleopatra: Riddle of the Tomb , you will also learn some new symbols. The Greek alphabet is used in some of the puzzles, but since we come across many Greek letters every day, they will not be too strange. Alexandria was occupied by the Greeks for a long time, so no surprises here. Graphics and Gameplay Interesting facts about the game The sound effects are average, the actors are well chosen, and their voices fit the characters pretty well. There is not a lot of dialogue in the game, and nothing is said without a purpose. The music is pleasant with a nice variety of pieces to be heard. I didn't come across any bugs; the game ran smoothly. Computer specifications Minimal requirements Windows XP SP2 Closing statement Blood, romance and mystery. What a strange combination! Is it enough to make the game interesting and challenging? I think so. This is a well balanced game, if a bit short. Some puzzles are quite challenging, and the story is interesting enough to make it a good game. There are a lot of interesting things to read, some of which will be new to most of us. The price is also quite reasonable - around $20. |