A Literary Classic
Book fans, take note! Alexander Dumas's classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo has been adapted into an addictive, fun computer game that gives you another way to re-experience the classic tale. Join Edmond Dantes as he takes on many aliases during his adventures to become the Count of Monte Cristo! Being an avid reader myself, I've somewhat ashamed that I've never read the classic Dumas book. However, this game presents the story in a wonderful, if slightly slimmed down (the book is over 1300 pages!) fashion. With the help of beautifully drawn illustrations, you can story told like never before.
Edmond Dantes is newly appointed captain of a ship named the Pharaon. Before his previous commanding officer passed away, he gave Edmond the task of delivering a package to Grand Marshal Maréchal Bertrand on the island of Elba.
While on the island, Edmond runs across Napoleon Bonaparte, the former French military leader who has since been exiled to Elba. Napoleon asks Edmond to deliver a letter and Edmond agrees.
Back in his home town of Marseille, the letter is found to have incriminating content, and while Edmond was simply delivering it, he is punished and thrown in prison with a life sentence.
And so begins the tale of the Count of Monte Cristo.
Exciting Hidden Objects Gameplay
Your adventure starts off in a dark prison cell full of various creatures and objects. At the bottom of the screen is a list of items that you must find to pass this stage. You also have five hints to help you along. When you click the hint button, an item that you're looking for will be circled, showing you its location. Using only your eyes and the mouse, you must find everything on the list to move forward.
While the bulk of the gameplay centers around finding objects, certain bonus stages do mix it up a bit. In one level you'll be given the remnants of a torn map which you must piece back together. It's actually rather difficult, as some pieces may not even be rightside up and you'll have to hit the spacebar to flip them around.
Each level consists of several stages, of which you move back and forth freely. If you can't find a certain object in one stage, simply take a break and play another stage in the mean time.
You start off with five hints that last you through out the whole level. To get more, you may go to a cave full of treasure and look for gems. For every 10 gems you find, you get one hint.
A True Piece of Art
The Count of Monte Cristo is a fantastic story and this product definitely does it justice. Never before have I been more engrossed in a game's storyline than in its actual gameplay, but that's exactly what happened here. Mixing some solid hidden objects gameplay with an intelligent, riveting story, this product is something that should absolutely be in your collection.
