In a nutshell…

Invention amongst adventure games is infrequent. Praise be, therefore, that this one’s different to all the rest.

Judgement time…

Atlantis Redux Symbian Video does itself no favours with that ridiculous name. Installing it is a chore too, as it’s a hefty file and will need most, if not all, of your phone’s memory free to run. That means no other apps open, so you can forget nipping out to fire off a quick text.

Once it gets going however, the game is speedy, and a proper video intro sequence is a rare treat for mobile gamers.

Inside the game proper there’s some disappointment, however. What promised to be a full 3D adventure is actually just a string of 360-degree panoramas strung together. There’s no way to look up and down, and because it’s set in the desert, most of the locations look alike – hardly helpful for those easily lost or confused. But then, that’s the point.

This is an adventure game for traditionalists. Those who thrill at being confounded by winding passages will love it. Neat additions, like proper speech from characters, and pseudo lip-syncing, make it a graphical marvel too.

Less marvellous is Atlantis Redux’s soundtrack. Listening to four seconds of looped music will quickly drive you insane, and there’s no way to switch it off, at least not if you want to enjoy the other audio, such as character speech.

Overall though, this is a rare treat for mobile gamers. An adventure that’s well put together, beautifully crafted and with genuine innovation. Yes, the music will send you la-la, but it’ll keep you engaged for hours, and for that alone it’s worth every penny.