You don't so much play Myst, as experience it. Of course you must solve a multitude of puzzles, mazes, and problems, but Myst's principal attractions are its environment and the underlying intrafamily drama that unfolds as you explore.

Unlike most adventure games, Myst offers no inventory, no death, and no dialogue. Although puzzles don't seem to have much direct connection to the game, they share a commonality. They take on many forms but follow a consistent thread. Some puzzles are very challenging, even obtuse, creating an odd paradox: many buy Myst, but few complete it. It is immensely popular, but most nonadventurers quit in frustration. Fortunately, Myst's popularity has spawned several online sites for hints, walk-throughs, and even saved games .

The nonlinear gameplay of Myst lets players go anywhere at any time. Unlike other adventure games, Myst has no inventory, and players never die. Incredibly detailed, Myst offers more depth than any other CD-ROM game to date.

``This highly anticipated first quarter release will enable us to develop new distribution channels for our products in North America,'' said Karim Farghaly, vice president of sales for Empire Interactive. ``It will ultimately allow us to bring more high quality content to our consumers and partners alike.''

Clive Kabatznik, CEO of Silverstar Holdings added, ``The granting of North American publishing rights for Myst DS to Empire further demonstrates our ability to meet the needs of developers and rights holders for world class marketing and distribution across all channels. This is also the first step in our efforts to sell our games directly in North America, thereby improving overall revenues and gross margins.''

Manny Granillo, president of Hoplite Research, LLC said, ``Empire Interactive's impressive understating of our franchise, their proven track record and innovative marketing strategies, all convinced us they would be the ideal partner to bring this important platform release to the North American market.''

There are no instructions and the player begins a voyage of exploration without encountering a single living soul. Alone on a mysterious island, you set out to explore its grandeur and mystery. Here a chilling tale of intrigue and injustice, defying all boundaries of space and time, is being told. Quickly, though, it becomes clear every action can somehow help unfortunate individuals trapped somewhere in a parallel dimension. The Myst adventure is like no other, tantalizing with its unique combination of lavish environments, puzzles, mazes, and a sizzling underlying drama which steadily unfolds to reward the player further still. More details about the game and release information will be made available shortly.

Features:

• All source code has been re-written specifically for NDS performance and gameplay.
• A complete new age -- the RIME Age -- for which new sounds, effects, video clips and graphic sets have been created for NDS
• NEW sounds, effects, and video clips added throughout. All newly created graphic sets for the added RIME AGE specifically done for the DS
• Newly re-mastered Video and audio
• Save Multiple games for various players.
• New set of mini-tools designed to assist the player in solving the many puzzles and brain buster games needed to complete the adventure
• New interface that takes advantage of the console's "dual screen" technology