With a budget price and a long, involved puzzle-solving storyline, The Messenger is perfect for mystery gamers who enjoy a bit of history, too.

The gameplay is just about perfect in a time when everybody is reading The Da Vinci Code. It's about the same subjects - the Louvre Museum, ancient artifacts, secrets that are thousands of years old. It's sort of like actively entering that same world.

The game is about using your mind and stealthy abilities to track down these artifacts through time. It's really the storyline that gets you involved - you learn a lot about history and the Louvre as you go, and there are cut-scenes to help build the storyline.

If you're looking for a fast-action button masher, this probably isn't the game for you. It's not about giant combat sequences with dark demons. It's about finding a solution that gets you out alive with a minimum of risk. Yes, the heroine sometimes has to kill her enemies. But that isn't the goal.

Plus, at a price of under $10, the game gives a ton of gameplay for a very low price. Recommended for puzzle fans!

Note: This review was written in June 2003.

This game was purchased with our own funds for the purpose of doing this review.

Buy The Messenger from Amazon.com