As always, it could be debated whether this game is a piece of art worthy of the name it borrows from literary works of Arthur C. Clarke, or just another Myst clone. I think the game would be pretty dry to people unfamiliar with the world of Rama created in the books. The interface itself is very much like Myst -- still screens, occasional videos, occasional puzzles. Been there, done that. However, for people who have read the books (and liked them), it provides a welcome visualization of concepts found in the books. This is obviously very subjective, but I found that the environments were quite similar to the ones I imagined while reading the books. Arthur C. Clarke has been very active in production of the game, with one of the CDs including Video interviews with him. Possible spoiler: the game even features Arthur's cameos, as he explains what the player did wrong.
While the puzzles, as in other similar games, are actually quite unrelated to the plot, they have proven to be the must challenging (and to me, the must fun) puzzles of any such game. This game is NOT for the mathematically-weak-of-heart. I have decided to play it with my sister (then 13), as we explored the concepts of communications with alien beings. Universal language? Math, of course. We have had to learn the colour language of Octospiders, as well as language of Avians and Ramans themselves. The puzzles, for those who enjoy this kind of entertainment, are quite amazing, and bound to give hours of intellectual work. An excellent exercise for the grey matter, and possibly the only reason why people other than fans of the book would buy and play the game.
While the puzzles, as in other similar games, are actually quite unrelated to the plot, they have proven to be the must challenging (and to me, the must fun) puzzles of any such game. This game is NOT for the mathematically-weak-of-heart. I have decided to play it with my sister (then 13), as we explored the concepts of communications with alien beings. Universal language? Math, of course. We have had to learn the colour language of Octospiders, as well as language of Avians and Ramans themselves. The puzzles, for those who enjoy this kind of entertainment, are quite amazing, and bound to give hours of intellectual work. An excellent exercise for the grey matter, and possibly the only reason why people other than fans of the book would buy and play the game.