A MEMORABLE SEQUEL

The Omega Stone, sequel to Riddle of the Sphinx is a memorable and exhilarating adventure that will amaze you from its enchanting beginning to its climatic end! Taking place right after the events in the first game, The Omega Stone now places the fate of the world in your hands. You must solve the mysteries surrounding many of the world’s ancient sites, such as Stonehenge, Easter Island, and many others. Each holds a key to the puzzle of solving the adventure and stopping the comet that threatens to destroy the earth.

EXPERIENCING THE OMEGA STONE

Before one can truly understand the beauty of this game we must look at those that helped to make it possible. The Adventure Company for one is to be complemented for continuing to support these adventure games and allowing companies like Omni Adventures to continue developing them. Having played and completed both Riddle of the Sphinx and now The Omega Stone I am left with wonder and excitement at the passion, fire and dedication that drives the developers to make these games. Jeffrey S. Tobler and Karen E. Tobler, developers of Riddle of the Sphinx and The Omega Stone are the unique husband and wife team that show the world what can be done if you believe in something so strongly.

When you play The Omega Stone you will be left mesmerized by the realism and attention to detail that goes into the creation of every item in the game as well as to each of the stunning environments that you will explore in. Jeff and Karen based much of what you see on trips they have made themselves to many of these locations, and on exhaustive research that they have done for everything you see in the game, so that you can be given the ultimate playing experience. Just like in Riddle of the Sphinx, The Omega Stone offers the player the rare and special experience to explore many of the world’s ancient sites just like archaeologists that many of us have dreamed of becoming or are inspired to become. Many of us may never have the chance to visit many of these sites which are closed to the public but through Riddle of the Sphinx and The Omega Stone, we have been given a rare and unique opportunity.

The developers first took us to the enigmatic Sphinx and its surrounding pyramids located in Egypt for the first game. Now, be prepared as the adventure undertaken in The Omega Stone is bigger, more colorful and more challenging than ever before. Utilizing a brand new game engine adventure fans will be excited to explore many of the world’s famous sites. Revisit the Giza Plateau from the first game, site of the famous Sphinx, or travel to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza in the Yucatan jungle. Next, plan to visit the mystical relics of Easter Island, the watery depths of the Devil’s Triangle or even the mysterious megaliths of Stonehenge. In the end you may discover their vital connection as well as their importance to the legendary fabled city of Atlantis spoken of by Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher.

The Omega Stone is truly a visual splendor as you marvel at the beauty that has gone into the faithful recreation of each of these ancient and wondrous sites. Each object you see or area you visit will amaze you with the vibrancy of colors and detail that has gone into their creation. Wait until you see an area in the underground caverns of Chichen Itza that has shafts of light coming through an opening and illuminating the area below. Then there are the diving scenes in the game which are a welcome addition, as you explore the watery depths of the Devil’s Triangle in the search of a valuable item. Expect a nice surprise in a cemetery area you explore as you read the names written on certain headstones found there. Special mention must be made here of the exquisitely detailed FMV cutscenes that are included in the game, from the beginning and ending scenes to those in which you talk to the various characters that you meet along the way. You will appreciate these little details as well as others that the developers have included in the game. The Omega Stone is not a game to be rushed but one to be experienced by taking your time to discover all that it has to offer. It was so exciting to be able to visit all of these different sites with their own unique puzzles, challenges and surprises.

Movement and navigation are handled with ease in the game. The game is presented in a 360 degree format, which allows you to look all around you. A cursor in the shape of a triangle will guide you along the way. All you need to do is click on the area that you desire and you will travel to the selected destination if there is a path in that direction. If there is something for you to interact with, the cursor will highlight to indicate this. There is also a magnifying glass icon that indicates that you can get a close-up view of an item. When you collect items in the game a handy knapsack cursor will also show up that will allow you to store these items in your inventory. You can easily access your inventory at any time and select the desired items for use in many of the puzzles you come across. A new feature to this game is that you can use a camera that allows you to take snapshots of anything in the game, from snapshots of a specific location, to snapshots of notes, books and other items that you may find important to your mission.

EXCITING GAMEPLAY

Now let’s get to the gameplay which is just as exciting as anything else in The Omega Stone. One of the things that I enjoyed about Riddle of the Sphinx was that clues were everywhere in the game to aid you in solving the puzzles and challenges that you faced. Of course you needed to know where to look and how to interpret these clues once they were found. The same holds true for The Omega Stone. Sir Gil Blythe Geoffreys (played by Jeffrey Tobler), the famed archaeologist from the first game will once again need your help to solve the mystery and leave you clues scattered about in each area that you will need in order to do so. He could easily tell you what you should know but there is always fear that his information will fall into the wrong hands, into the hands of his enemies. You will literally spend many exciting hours in each environment just reading the many notes, books, letters and other items that were left behind by Sir Gil or his assistants. You do feel as an archaeologist would in exploring these ancient sites and unraveling the mysteries all around you.

In Stonehenge you will be able to read an intriguing journal left by Troy Christian, an assistant that worked for Sir Gil. But what has happened to him and how will his journal play into all of this? In the Devil’s Triangle, you need to find a specific location in the ocean that holds a special item vital to your mission, but how will you find the correct spot in the vast ocean below you? In Easter Island, what is the meaning and significance of a mask that you find there? These and many other mysteries await you as you experience a story that is more involving and even more suspenseful than the last game. So many clues will be found in books, some will be found in scrolls, to voiced recordings left by Sir Gil or other items scattered throughout the areas.

Sir Gil trusts and believes in your abilities and will keep you updated throughout the game through letters that he will send to you at certain points. Those abilities will be put to the test as you explore each of these sites. In Stonehenge you will have to work at finding the right code that unlocks a security gate that blocks passage into a special archaeological dig. In the ruins of Chichen Itza you will need to discover the importance of the many skulls that you will find and collect in the vast network of caverns below. In another area you will have to learn alchemy and use that knowledge to solve the complex puzzle that is tied to it. Puzzles will range in complexity and difficulty and you should expect to take more than 30 hours to complete this huge adventure. There are also several ways to die in this game so you must be careful with the decisions and actions that you make in some of these areas. I would strongly advise that you save before attempting any of the complex puzzles in this game.

There are more characters for you to interact with in this game than in the last one. We already mentioned Sir Gil. There is also the sometimes funny but always irritable Hump, the driver that will take you to the different sites and areas that you need to visit. In this game you are not required to complete a certain location to proceed to the next, as the games many areas will be opened up for you to complete in any order you wish. There will also be a situation in the game where an item from one area may help you in figuring out the puzzles of another area. You will also appreciate the impressive detail given to the many vehicles that Hump will take you in to the different sites such as the one in Stonehenge referred to as MARV (Mobile Archaeological Research Vehicle).

No review would be complete without mentioning the finely composed music and sound effects that complement each area and add to the atmosphere and ambiance to be found in each of the games many settings. You will appreciate how the roar of thunder and gloomy conditions in Stonehenge puts you in the right mood for such a mystical area. A few areas could have used improvement in this game. I would have liked an inventory screen that organized items more neatly instead of the way they appear now. I also could have done without some of the puzzles that required the finding and collecting of many items, such as the many skulls you will need to collect in Chichen Itza. There is also a moderately difficult hedge maze in one section of the game that may frustrate players but with enough patience you should be able to complete it. I also encountered a rare situation with running the game under Windows 2000 where the game would exit to the desktop as I was playing. The developers are aware of this and are currently working on a patch to fix this. Yet, these are only minor flaws in an otherwise exemplary adventure game and I wish the team at Omni Adventures continued success with their future products.

A SHINING EXAMPLE

The Omega Stone is a shining example of an adventure game that distinguishes itself proudly among all the others! Not many developers would take the time and energy needed to recreate these famous sites with the care and attention that they require or conduct the many hours of research that this game calls for. Not many games can claim to give you the feeling of actually being there, of experiencing the history of each of these famous sites. Jeff and Karen Tobler have succeeded with The Omega Stone and in the process created an unforgettable adventure game that clearly demonstrates their passion for archaeology and its many wonders!

Final Grade: A

System Requirements:

• Windows 98/2000/ME/XP
• Pentium II 300 MHz or equivalent processor
• 64 MB RAM
• 824 MB free hard drive space for partial install
• *2.68 GB free hard drive space for full install
• 12x Speed CD-ROM drive
• Direct X Compatible Video Card
• Direct X Compatible Sound Card
• Mouse

*(A Full install is recommended to avoid disc swapping in this 4 CD game.)