The easiest "book" in the world to read is a Where's Waldo book. Find the skinny nerd wearing glasses and a red and white hat and repeat ad nauseum. Conversely one of the easiest games in the world to play is "Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos" because the recipe is almost identical - find the random objects on the screen, lather, rinse and repeat.
"Interpol," just like its geeky predecessor, has its moments of fun. But for the most part, this hidden object game misses the mark.
In "Interpol" gamers play as an international law enforcement agent tracking down the villainous Dr. Chaos and his evil minions. Your job is to virtually travel from one exotic location to another, look at a static screen for clues, and point and click on them. Players are given a time limit, a set number or hints in case you get stuck, and a list of items to search for. The controls are simple, requiring only the use of the left stick to move around and a quick press of the A button to click on an object.
For the most part the gameplay in "Interpol" works well. Scanning your TV for hidden items can certainly bring out the competitive side of a gamer. I'd often find myself trying to find things as quickly as possible, not wanting to be embarrassed that I couldn't beat a game that even a little kid could master. It's also a fun title to play with friends, working together to find clues can be enjoyable for a few frames.
"Interpol" may be good way to kill 15 minutes but it keeps from reaching its potential with a poor visual presentation and its occassionally non-sensical clues. The game allegedly runs at 1080i, but the picture resolution is fuzzy, making hard to find objects even more difficult to locate and causing a lot of frustration. Even more annoying are the clues, which often don't look like their written description.
Combine these issues with the game's lack of replay value (the main maps and bonus levels can be beat in 2 hours, puzzles are repetitive) and you have a title that feels shallow and incomplete.
Related Links: Have you heard about the Weapon of Choice Speed Run Contest? Check out the GPArcade review for Fabulous Finds. You still have time to enter our UNO giveaway.
