Article January 1, 2001 ISSUE

MYST SERIES

Caryn Smith with contributions from Eric Oyama

Myst is a hauntingly beautiful computer game featuring stunning 3D graphics, a compelling storyline, and mind-bending puzzles.

The game starts on a place called Myst Island — a world of history, mystery, and fantasy. The player is given virtually no information about how to proceed. However, in a vague sort of way, you are aware of the task: to find out what happened.

Unlike other adventure games, there is no inventory on Myst, and players never die, nor do they encounter other people. There is no way to get trapped, but the game has some scary moments.

After you poke around the small island for a while, you discover two books, each with a colored page next to it: one blue and one red. If you can figure out how to make the books work using the pages, you will meet two brothers: Sirrus, who is power-hungry, and Achenar, who is clearly deranged. Both will claim that the other is the evil one.

The two brothers have been trapped in "prison books." You need to find the missing pages, which are hidden in mysterious new worlds, in order to release them.

There are many buildings on the island: a planetarium, a library, a clock tower, a log cabin, and a spaceship. There are objects of uncertain importance within those buildings. There are hints and allegations. For a long time, nothing may seem to make sense. Then, all of a sudden, a mental door of perception opens a crack. Information floods in, and the pieces of the various puzzles begin to fit together.

At the end of Myst, you must make certain decisions. Make the right decisions, and you win the game.

That's a lot like real life to me. When I have a problem I can't make sense of, and the thoughts I have just confuse me, I look to God for the answers and try to listen only to Him. And whenever I follow His guidance, I am able to make decisions.

Caryn Smith is from Warren, New Jersey, USA. She is 14 years old.

Riven is the second in the Myst series, and the last game created by brothers Rand and Robyn Miller. Riven picks up where Myst ends, and you learn that there's an enemy that must be defeated. The puzzles are harder, but a lot more clever, and the answers aren't just handed to you.

Myst III: Exile is the third in the Myst series and was put together by Presto Studios. Building on Riven, Exile continues the story of Atrus and his family. Atrus has created a new world, which he wants to show you, but something goes wrong and the object of the game is to correct the problem.

Just when you thought you'd solved every type of puzzle imaginable, there are many more. Probably one of the best features is that you have 360° turning ability (which means lots more clicking), and unlike the previous two games, pieces of the scenery move.

The part of the Myst games that's really cool is you don't have to become a different "character" to play. You can be yourself. Some of the decisions you make are more than just with puzzles, but involve moral and ethical questions as well. This is a special, fun part of the game.

According to publisher, Ubi Soft Entertainment, Myst and Riven are in many languages like French, German, and Spanish. Myst III: Exile will also be available in various languages, in addition to English.

Eric Oyama is from Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. He is art director for Der Christian Science Herold.

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