Echo: Secrets of the Lost Cavern

The game presents an epic storyline of knowledge and history, breathtaking music and ambiance, and a beautiful, photo-realistic world to explore steeped in a rich back-story of factual information from one of the earliest time periods in human civilization.

It is a charming title that is far from flawless but will provide 10-15 hours of gaming that will be unique and enjoyable from the beautiful graphics to the novel puzzles to the striking soundscapes.

Sadly this particular adventure seemed to be on the short side. Keen adventurers will probably polish this one off on only a few sittings.

For 99% of the game, each and every puzzle feels absolutely wonderfully worked, giving you the right amount of pleasure, for just the right amount of thought and work required. But this concentration on the puzzle aspect has only served to the detriment of the storyline, which is alarmingly simplistic and lacking on that depth that the likes of Still Life and Fahrenheit have in abundance.

ECHO is polished and technically well done. The prehistoric setting is new in adventure games, and although the game's educational slant may not appeal to everyone, most of the background reading is optional. If you like your games puzzle-heavy and story-light, ECHO is for you.

In Echo, people are open and straightforward, concealing nothing. As a fan of human complexity, I would find such a world dull. I take a perverse pleasure in those moments when the mask slips off. If I have to live in a world devoid of newspaper articles about cross-dressing senators, let the aliens have it all.

Utterly standard adventure devoid of novelty. [Christmas 2005, p.102]