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I wasn't expecting this game to arrive in my mailbox, but here it is. I had no clue what the game was supposed to be about, but who can resist the lures of ancient Egypt?

Cleopatra: Riddle of the Tomb is an adventure game set in ancient Egypt. It advances in a 360-degree view, scene by scene through a first-person perspective. Things start quickly as Thomas (your character) detects the signs of a struggle, and after a brief investigation, he discovers that his girl, Iris, and her father, Akkad, have been kidnapped. It soon becomes clear after he meets the queen, Cleopatra, that their disappearances have to do with the queen's upcoming astrology reading, for which Akkad is famous. Thomas sets off to the rescue in a bit of an odd and haphazard manner.

Unfortunately, there isn't much else to tell of the story. It is very much on the thin side. Cleopatra: Riddle of the Tomb is a very short game with a dense concentration of puzzles. While it might be considered an adventure game, after playing it, I tend not to think of it as such, because the story is just so thin that it really lacks the adventure part. You might want to imagine the game as a more elaborate version of a 2D puzzle game with short blurbs of story and reasoning thrown in every once and awhile. This is even more evident after you experience the extraordinarily simple point-and-click interface, barely utilizing a right-click function.

Cleopatra: Riddle of the Tomb must have the most awesome interface I have seen to date. The opening menu is made exactly in the same manner as the gameplay. The difference from other games is that instead of picking from text menus, you are picking from a 3D graphic environment, all themed perfectly. From spinning a stone dresser full of save-game scrolls to playing with a torch to control your lighting or using a lute to change the volume, it really is a step above many other games.

Before you start your first game, you'll have to pick an astrology sign to advance. This sign will dictate your luck during the game. Different signs will have different good luck and bad luck events, meaning sometimes you'll just have to work harder to get through; it does provide some replay value as well.

The puzzles in the game are numerous and vary greatly in style — from simple logic problems to inventory puzzles and far more unique puzzle designs. One thing that is consistent in Cleopatra: Riddle of the Tomb is that puzzles are logical and sensible, which seems opposite the industry standard of creating confusion to artificially lengthen playtime. However, the puzzles aren't always easy. Often you might really only understand half of what is going on and need to figure out the other half from notes or images. That said, they are all quite workable. It is pretty clear that Cleopatra: Riddle of the Tomb is attempting to focus on the puzzle gameplay, and though it has some hiccups and issues, it does a far better job than most games. The hardcore puzzle addict may not be satisfied by the level of difficulty provided, but the integration and complexity should suit most.

I already mentioned the story was extremely thin as was the talent pool from which the developers used to pick their voice actors. The voice acting is simply terrible — most notably the main character, a character I quickly linked in my mind to William Shatner does Eygpt. Trust me, it isn't as kinky as it sounds. On the other hand, the graphics are done quite well. The scenes and movies are detailed and look gorgeous. The music and sound effects also are very pleasant and done well throughout the length of the game.

The developers have done a very good job and put a lot of detail into recreating ancient Egypt. As long as you aren't here to look for a full adventure game, Cleopatra: Riddle of the Tomb is actually quite a fun playthrough. In the 5 to 6 hour playtime, you'll find it packed with quality puzzles but lacking in the story and adventure department, which is where the downfall occurs. Gameplay will feel more like a series of puzzles than a progressing story and just might not be for everyone. Cleopatra: Riddle of the Tomb is a decent game, is by no means groundbreaking but also doesn’t fail to entertain.