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Is it a myth or reality?  Take your pick when the main focus is that of the Loch Ness monster.  This could be the challenge that faces you if you take on the challenge offered in the Domini Games title of Myth or Reality - Mystery of the Lake.  Available in Collector's Edition format, this offering comes with a wide selection of bonus items including a bonus chapter for those who finish the main game, to add to the overall playing experience.  While some of the bonus items will be available immediately, others will require a certain amount of progress to be made in the main game before they can be replayed from the product's title screen.

Following its normal pattern, Domini Games allows the player to make a number of adjustments to the playing environment.  These adjustments include volume levels and full screen access viewing.  When playing the game there is a choice of four levels of difficulty.  You can select from Casual, Advanced, Hardcore or Custom to suit the expertise of the player with various helpful features.

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The game places you in the role of the author of the Myth or Reality website.  In this guise you are called into action after receiving a telephone call regarding the appearance of a monster appearing near the Loch Ness Hotel.  The monster is locally known as Nessie.  Arriving at the hotel your investigation into the appearance of the monster begins.

Assisting you in the quest to discover what is happening, various tools are provided via the screen layout.  Running across the bottom of the screen are access point to check out a journal, map , inventory showing no more than five items at a time plus icons for a Strategy Guide and a recharging Hint feature.  At certain points during the game additional icons will be available on the left or right edge of the screen which give access to a museum exhibition, any collectibles and evidence found plus a decision mode as you examine your findings.

As well as these tools, additional assistance is provided by the use of a split screen when receiving information from other characters is delivered in spoken and printed format.  When a choice of responses is given, you can make a selection with your choice affecting the subsequence flow of the story with links to the decision mode mentioned earlier.  Your mouse cursor will also change shape to indicate when certain actions are possible while an outbreak of sparkles will indicate a Hidden Object scene.

Interspersed through your investigation, as to whether Nessie is real or a myth, are a number of Hidden Object scenes and mini game puzzles that will need to be completed.  Each of these tasks offer a choice of action as to how best to proceed.  In the case of a Hidden Object game play, you can accept the initial challenge, often featuring little or no instructions, or opt to tackle a Match 3 grid challenge as you clear all its covered cells.  With mini game play, you can opt for either an easy or hard version of the puzzle.  Both versions come with a Hint feature show the puzzle cause problems.

This game features a number of twists and turns to keep you busy as you follow the trail of Nessie and the history of the Loch and the affect it had on the local community.  I downloaded my copy of this game from Gamehouse.com where it is priced at $19.99.  The game is also available from Big Fish Games priced at £15.86.  The game requires a 1.6 GHz processor with 1024MB of RAM running Windows 7 and later. 

Myth or Reality - Mystery of the Lake Collector's Edition | Big Fish Games

Myth or Reality - Mystery of the Lake Collector's Edition | GameHouse