Missing is an interesting game. It plays like nothing you've ever dabbled with before and if you're in the right frame of mind it'll intrigue you and make you want to play on until the end.
You play the game as yourself trying to solve the mystery of the disappearance of one Jack Lorski and Karen Gijman who have been missing since January (hence the game's name). It turns out that Jack and Karen got caught up trying to track down a serial killer whose murders are more than random and have deep historical and cultural roots. The killer (self-named the Phoenix) sent a CD to the police who have enlisted your help to try to crack its contents and reveal Jack and Karen's location (and hence the killer).
The CD is full of a wide variety of situations – you'll play games of timing, thought and research where you use the internet to look up the solution to various puzzles. Throughout your time with the game you'll be contacted by other virtual people who are also trying to crack the disc who will provide support and encouragement. It's a well-done concept and one that reminds me a bit of EA's "Majestic" project a few years back.
Most of the puzzles are quite clever although there were a couple that were quite baffling and not obvious at all. However, with the email help you get and a bit of research and luck it isn't hard to get to the correct solution which is very rewarding indeed.
All-in-all, Missing is an interesting experience that requires a lot of patience but whose storyline makes it all worth-while in the end. I particularly enjoyed the last levels as the game reached its climactic conclusion.
Pick this one up if a different gaming experience without the twitchy finger is your thing.
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