by K. W. Callahan

Created on: February 15, 2009   Last Updated: February 17, 2009

Mystery PI, New York Fortune adds yet another intriguing chapter to the book of hidden object games. No, you're not searching for a serial killer or venturing off on an archaeological quest in search of ancient treasure. This time you're working to solve the mystery of a missing billion-dollar fortune.

Without providing any new takes on what is already a popular gaming niche, New York Fortune still entertains with hours of search-seeking fun in a wandering tour of famed New York City sites and scenes. Your character has been charged with finding a billionaire's fortune in just 17 hours! Your payday if you succeed within the allotted time - 25 million!

Weaving your way through various New York locales, you sift through cluttered scenes to collect clues and cash. This money can be used to buy hints along the way. Each item you discover pays $5000, and each hint costs $7500, but you'll find there's no lack of cash since there is a re-charge period between hints, and you're bound to find at least a couple of hidden objects in the meantime. Once a scene is complete, you'll be able to choose another scene to investigate, or you'll be hit with the now omnipresent mini-game. In some scenes it isn't necessary to find all the hidden items before moving on. Once you've collected a majority of the objects, a prompt may offer you the option of solving a puzzle to go obtain the clue and move on to the next scene. If you choose the puzzle though, you'll miss the chance for bonus cash awarded for collecting every item.

The mini-games aren't mind boggling, but they do provide and nice intermission to the object searches. There are four different mini-games, several of which involve manipulating puzzle pieces to form a picture of a previous scene. Others require matching grey squares picturing various objects, which change color until the board is completely blue, and some involve working a crossword puzzle containing object names.

The graphics of New York Fortune are good, but nothing special. Scenes and sounds are pleasant, with unburdening background music. The game is missing some of the realistic additions of lifelike noise and atmosphere contained in similar games of this genre though.

Overall, the game is an entertaining way to spend an afternoon or two, but as with many games it doesn't offer much in the way of variety once you've solved the mystery. There is a way to collect bonus objects (apples and keys) throughout the game, which can lead to unlocking other game modes. This can keep you occupied for several more hours, but after completing all the scenes, the other modes really aren't that difficult.

Rating

3/5 - Fun, entertaining, but not much new in the way of hidden object games.

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