Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy

"A Zelda clone that's better than Zelda"

Let's make no mistake about it, the makers of this game freely admit their inspiration from all things Zelda; however, where most games have tried and failed, this one succeeds beautifully.

GRAPHICS: 9/10 The game looks beautiful, with the full Egyptian theme fully realized. Attention to detail is astounding. The animations are fluid and excellent. The colors are bright and vibrant. Maybe the graphics here are not quite in the same league as ''Legacy of Kain'', but they are pretty darn close, and at least this game is a good one.

MUSIC/SOUND: 8/10 The music is excellent, but, there isn't enough of it. Sound effects are grand. The only problem is that there is no voice acting, but one can't have everything.

CONTROL/CAMERA: 9/10 The camera is darn near perfect, and the controls are spot on. This game does something I wish more games would do, it puts the control grid in the corner so you know what every button does at any given time.

GAME PLAY: 9/10 You start out with nothing, and gradually get items like a sword and shield. You increase your health as you progress through dungeon like levels. You also play as the mummy, and here the play is more puzzle oriented. Puzzles range from ridiculously easy, to head scratchingly difficult, but solvable. One problem is that save spots are pretty few and far between, and sometimes trying to go back to one can get you killed, and when you die, you have to start again at the last save spot and listen to and see all the FMV again, as there is no way to skip through them. Combat in the game is very simple, just hit the attack button and you will hit the closest enemy. The game does have some problems though. You need to find the shield and use it early in the game; however, you cannot move with the shield equipped, so a very simple problem becomes much more difficult to do, but on the whole, the game is very satisfying, and never to terribly difficult.

VALUE: 7/10 Certainly not the longest game out there, what it lacks in longevity it more than makes up for in presentation. A roughly 20-30 hour game, it should be at the top of your list for the holidays.

FINAL COMMENTS: Sphinx may not have the hype of ''Prince of Persia'', ''JAK 2'', ''Ratchet and Clank Going Commando'', or even ''Mario and Luigi Superstars'', but it should, as it ranks right up there with the very best games out there right now. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/19/03