City Mysteries

City Mysteries is a casual game that invites you to explore some of the most beautiful cities of the world.

New York, Moscow, Paris, and London are part of the itinerary in this hidden-object game from Selectsoft. Unlike most titles in the genre, this game focuses exclusively on the search of hidden items; there isn't a storyline, characters, nor different game modes to choose; but only a good dose of sheer hidden-object fun.

What makes the game attractive is its difficulty level given mostly by the fact that there is a time limit to complete each stage. As soon as a new game starts, the timer activates giving you a few minutes to find all the items that appear on a list or on a panel with silhouettes. For every item found you are awarded 250 points, while each wrong or random click results in a 30-point discount. The whole objective of the game is to obtain a good score that allows you to rank high on the boards; so they key is to be fast at spotting items as well as precise with your clicks.

Instead of real photographs, the game uses illustrations depicting typical landscapes of the mentioned cities; the Big Apple, the Thames in London, or a scene by the Eiffel Tower. Objects are randomly scattered around a cluttered scene; the fact that some items are very tiny or out of proportion adds a little more challenge, aside from requiring a sharp eye. In any case, if you need help you can use up to 3 hints per level.

City Mysteries is a game that aims at being simple, accessible, and at the same time entertaining, and it succeeds. It is a nice little game that you can play whenever you have a spare minute or two.