Myst

That first moment when you picked up an iPhone or an iPod touch, when you slid a finger over its glossy screen, when you marvelled as it reacted to the slightest movement, and when you realised the kind of games you could suddenly play on an MP3 player - that’s how gamers felt when they first saw Myst.

The game was born at a time when technology was changing, just as it did last year with the iPhone and App Store. The CD-ROM drive expanded games from less than a megabyte to 700, and Myst took advantage of every single one.

Myst is a point-and-click adventure game that uses pre-rendered images to build up the island on which you find yourself stranded. It’s cut by the odd video, too, which helps to build the storyline very gradually. That said, you essentially have no idea what's going on and solving the island's many puzzles is the only thing to do.

Tapping an item activates it, while tapping a location moves you there. A swipe of the screen turns you to face that direction, homing in on the most prevalent feature of the landscape in the vicinity.

This is where we actually see a marked improvement over the original game. Controlling Myst is immensely simple thanks to the touchscreen, which also lends the graphics a new and sharper sheen.

The gameplay leans toward the hardcore adventurer. Only the patient gamer with enough experience to know when to calculate solutions to the game's tough puzzles will be able to make it through. There's much trial and error, a result of puzzles designed in too convoluted a manner. Random taps of the screen in the hopes of interacting with something is a frequent solution.

These demand serious dedication on your part, though Myst rewards such dedication. Trawling through shelves full of books is damnably tedious when you’d rather be out exploring the island, until something suddenly clicks into place and you solve a puzzle that takes you to fascinating new worlds and kicks the plot in the ribs with a steel toed boot.

A simple save system means you can easily dip in and out of this mammoth game, and it was reassuring to see that its immense download size isn’t reflected in the loading times. And for those moments when the plot falters a little there’s even an in-game link to an online hints database, though you’re taken out of play to browse it.

The iPhone adaptation of Myst is an experience that’s remarkably close to the one gamers experienced when it was first released on CD-ROM, and it’s hard not to recommend it for that reason alone.

If you’ve got the time and fortitude for a lengthy, immersive adventure game, then set that huge download off running. Be aware, though, that Myst demands nothing less than your full attention, so if you’re easily distracted or disorientated, the experience might well pass you by.