Midnight Mysteries: Devil on the Mississippi is the first game in the series that I've had a chance to play, but from what I've been able to gather, it is well worth this third installment.

The game's major settings of an old Mississippi Riverboat and London in the 1600's are excellently portrayed, and both the visual style and the audio cues really seem to sell the settings. While both locations take place in the darkest of night, the riverboat's constant sloshing of water, and the eerie quietness of late-night London with only the occasional animal sounds occurring, feel just right.

The artwork for the different locations also seem to fit their respective times and locations. You start your journey on the banks of the Mississippi, and the muddy ground leading up to the pier, as well as the nearby cemetery, look great. The elaborate decorations inside the boat itself also hit their mark. The same goes for old London and, especially, Shakespeare's Globe Theater.

Midnight Mysteries: Devil on the Mississippi is a little different from most hidden object/adventure blends that have been coming out. Mainly, that's because it actually leans more towards the adventure side of things, where most games in this style throw hidden object screen after hidden object screen at you and only give you the occasional inventory-based puzzle.

Midnight Mysteries is actually light on the hidden object puzzles, and, unlike others of its type, doesn't give you inventory items from these screens alone. Instead, you will be able to pick up necessary items lying around the story's locations. This, plus the fact that the game offers more than just the standard fare of inventory-based puzzles, really helps to give that adventure-first feel. Devil on the Mississippi has a slew of dialogue-puzzles, though they aren't very complicated, and other, more critical-thinking-based puzzles, some of which are a bear to get through.

The game's story is pretty interesting. The main character is approached by yet another ghost, and this time, he is whisked away to the mid-1800's to help Samuel Clemens, AKA Mark Twain, resolve some last remaining detail of his past. All we really know is that the author's ghost is being pursued by some devil and helping Twain will not only let that soul rest, but also maybe let your character get another quiet evening alone.

Your time on the ghostly riverboat is strange as you will find yourself seeing clues and meeting people from Twain's books. As a result, you aren't sure if this vision you are having has you in a real time and place, or actually sucked into Twain's ghostly imagination.

When you do finally get to the bottom of Twain's turmoil though, you find you need to dig deeper since it appears his troubles are rooted in Twain's beliefs towards who did or did not write the Shakespearean works. The basis of the second half of the game comes from Twain's book, "Is Shakespeare Dead?".

I have to say, I was pretty well challenged by Midnight Mysteries: Devil on the Mississippi. There were a couple of the puzzles presented to me that I simply could not figure out. I don't know if it was due to the lateness of the hour when I reached these puzzles, or I just couldn't think my way around them, but some, like the puzzle to get into London Tower, were simply beyond me. I freely admit to having to use the "Skip" button for that particular puzzle. I just wish it had shown me the solution, and why it was the solution, instead of simply letting me move on, as it still bothers me.

That being said, I really like how Midnight Mysteries handles hints. In most of the game's locations, there is a raven. Sometimes it is a normal bird sitting somewhere, other times it is an outline or some other hard to recognize shape of the bird. Clicking the raven causes the number of hints you have available to increase. When you need a hint, the raven will help you find an item in the hidden object screens, but you can also use it for smaller hints without actually using the bird up. Outside of the hidden object screens, it will give you an idea of your next goal when you click on it, or if you click on an item in the list of objects to find, its silhouette will appear in the lantern your hint-raven is sitting on, a very handy tool.

Midnight Mysteries: Devil on the Mississippi seems to recognize that it leans more towards the adventure genre than a hidden object puzzle game. I think that's why the hint-ravens are designed primarily to get you past the hidden object screens. While there are plenty of people who will enjoy both gameplay styles, those that prefer adventure games over the hidden object ones might find these occasional tasks to be annoying. For those, the raven is the perfect tool. While you can't use it to find every item on your list, the silhouetted shape in the lantern will go a long way to appeasing those gamers.

As for those who prefer a game that leans more towards the hidden object side of things, I would recommend staying away from Devil on the Mississippi. While there is a hidden object element to this game, the adventure aspects far outweigh this other gameplay style.

Either way though, Midnight Mysteries: Devil on the Mississippi is a fun game that actually has the potential to teach the player a little bit about Mark Twain and some of the theories behind who the real Shakespeare might have been. I personally entertain the Baconian theory. It's worth the time and challenge, if you like the gameplay style Devil on the Mississippi puts forth.