by Rolland Judd

Created on: January 24, 2009   Last Updated: July 24, 2010

Epic game play and an impressively creative setting make Wonderland Adventures: Mysteries of Fire Island a fantastic game that gamers everywhere will enjoy. This is the kind of game that doesn't look like much at first glance, but after playing it for a few minutes players will be hooked on solving the intricate puzzles within. The music and the storyline keep players motivated to continue and the brain teasers will stump even the most intelligent gamers around.

In Wonderland Adventures: Mysteries of Fire Island players will play the role of a "Stinker" in his home town as it starts to get hit with fireballs from the sky. After meeting up with a fellow Stinker who is educated in the history of the land and has an idea why the fireballs are raining down on the town, players will begin to solve fairly simple puzzles to get acquainted with the icons and objects they will be working with as they advance through the game.

The puzzles themselves are what really make this game a winner. There are many different objects and characters in the game that assist players with the puzzles and also many things, such as fire spitting plants, that will hinder their progress as well. Not only do players have to maneuver items and characters around to achieve their goals, but later on there are more options to aid players in their quest, such as magic items players use to their advantage as they pilot their way through the dilemmas at hand.

Wonderland Adventures: Mysteries of Fire Island is above average as far as graphics are concerned. The 3D characters are cartoon-like but move around with very detailed motions and are incredibly animated. The various landscapes are fairly simple, but at the same time they are very well done for what they are. One drawback to the visual aspect of this game is that the way the view is angled it is sometimes difficult to see objects in corners hidden by outcroppings of structures in the foreground, but this is a rare occurrence.

The music and sound effects in Wonderland Adventures: Mysteries of Fire Island are phenomenal. When players get near a waterfall, they hear running water. When players see fireballs raining down on the town, they hear them descending and the impact they make. The background music is appropriate to whatever setting the player is currently in, whether it be the caves behind the hometown of the Stinkers or the jungles of Fire Island.

Puzzle games like this have come out before, but this game is definitely competitive with it's predecessors. It will remind old-school gamers of the NES classic LOLO, but the challenging nature of the involved tests within blow LOLO away. Wonderland Adventures: Mysteries of Fire Island is incredibly innovative not only in the way of producing challenging puzzles but also in the way of generating a real drive through the story to finish the puzzles and uncover the mysteries of the game.

Wonderland Adventures: Mysteries of Fire Island is definitely deserving of a 5/5 rating. Between exceptional game play, great music and sound effects, and all the other accommodations this game has to offer, it is well worth the time to try out the demo version and gamers will be hard-pressed to find an excuse not to purchase the reasonably priced full version. Despite the few graphic drawbacks of the game, Wonderland Adventures: Mysteries of Fire Island will surely entertain any gamer for hours on end and leave them feeling like they got their money's worth.

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