Adding to the feeling of displacement, the graphics use a dated engine that gives a grainy, distorted look to the scenes. Worse still, you feel as though you are looking at everything through a reverse telescopic lens. This gives a fishbowl look to some of the interior shots. Fortunately, the overall visual impression is a mixed bag due to the positive strengths of the exterior locales, character animation and cinematics. The outdoor areas look quite good in comparison with the interior shots. The romantic, somewhat dreamy quality of the style of this game just suits outside locales better, with their wavering trees, grey storm-tossed skies and misty grounds. The characters are also usually well designed, possessing a measure of fine detail not always present elsewhere.

The cinematics are clearly one of the best aspects of the game. It's not just their look, but their effective placement within the story. They are usually in logical places and have a natural feel to their occurrence. This is an element that enhances the plot more than many newer games. Typically you have the animated scenes served up in a predictable manner, as an official gaming gold star for solving a big challenge or reaching the end of a level. In Loch Ness, the cinematics do occur at times after some significant event has taken place, but they also crop up frequently in places where it just feels right to see something happen. A good example is looking out a window and seeing whatever is happening outside occur in a short animation. These carefully placed sequences remove the feeling of passivity and helped draw me deeper into the game.

Tying things together nicely are the sounds and music of Loch Ness. Starting with the opening cinematic and laced throughout, the musical selections are well chosen, adding to the feel of the game without ever being overbearing. Sometimes the music is a full song, while other times just a sudden, short burst that accents an event or hints at what's to come. The sound effects are subtle, yet effective, providing a nice texture to the game experience.

Unfortunately, the actual gameplay has some inconsistent design issues, as well. The puzzling part of the game is fairly straightforward and well-clued. The challenges are primarily inventory-based, though there are a small number of standalone puzzles. However, for those who dread particular puzzle types, there is one that is either outright hated or simply tolerated by most gamers: a maze. Loch Ness not only has one, it adds a whole new layer of unique torment to it. This maze is underwater, and even better, it has a game-over timed sequence at the end. (To any developers out there reading this review, if you must have a maze in your game — and really you shouldn't — at least ditch the timer.) As for placing one underwater, it is particularly disorienting to work your way through this, even though there are a number of visual markers along the way. No doubt, this will be a "forget it and grab a hint" moment for many people, and definitely brings the game down a notch.

The maze is just one example of timed challenges in the game, but there are others. In most, the timer is fairly forgiving, but it is hard to credit this for several reasons. For one thing, there is not really any warning that a game-over moment is at hand, so you can probably count on being caught off guard at least once or twice. The old adventure game adage "save early, save any time you feel the least bit edgy about what may lie ahead" (I'm paraphrasing) is definitely the rule for Loch Ness. To add to the frustration with these moments, there is one instance where two challenges co-exist, though it isn't necessary to complete both to have the timer fade away, as only one of the challenges is being timed. However, it is almost impossible to know this, and the design is structured so you may very well choose the untimed challenge first. By doing so, you'll unwittingly use up the generous time allotment intended for the critical challenge, creating a short, panic-laden frenzy when you realize your time is almost up. You are also unable to save during the timed phase, which certainly doesn't ease one's irritation.

Despite these rather glaring caveats to the puzzling, the developers did make another aspect of the game more user friendly by including a clue system. The game also uses a host of devices that help clue the gamer. There is a notebook that you access through your inventory, where Cameron writes down things of importance and what to do next. There is also the friendly banshee who appears from time to time to offer him hints in tight spots. Though there are a few moments when you have to dig a bit through documents to figure things out, most obstacles are fairly logical to the story and none hold up progress for an unacceptable time. You will need to search areas carefully, as there are some pixel hunting moments, and trying to move briskly through the game can leave you feeling stuck, as you need to find some key document or item to trigger game progress. For those who shy away from games with excessive note taking, there is relatively little to write down, though you might want to take note of some lists in your inventory, along with a few verbal clues that oddly do not appear in Cameron's notebook.

So where does this leave the game in terms of playability and overall enjoyment? Ultimately it may hinge on your tolerance or even affection for timed challenges. With the highly personable Alan Cameron, impressive use of cinematics, general ambiance, and engaging characters and story, Secret at Loch Ness has a lot to offer. However, the inconsistencies in many areas unfortunately tarnish what could have been a very good game. If the caveats don't send you running, this game definitely has enough positives to make it well worth a look, and enough charm to give you some hours of fun.