The puzzles themselves are of light to medium difficulty, and there wasn't a time when I felt mystified to the point of frustration. Demystification can often result from making yet another round of your environment. Be sure to scrutinize all items, as being hasty can result in a missed hotspot or clue. Throughout Martin's esteemed career, he has prided himself on collecting artifacts and rare antiquities from each of the cases he's investigated, so naturally his estate is full of them, and many of them can be examined. The only items Martin will verbally describe, however, are those added to inventory; the rest are text description only.

Also be sure to exhaust all dialogue trees with any NPC you come in contact with. As a matter of course, some of these are game whey — specifically with Java, as he simply doesn't care to comment one way or another. Yet it's still fun to watch Martin put British etiquette to the test and make an attempt at conversation.

There is also a titillating club scene, where a scantily-clad pole dancer provides some clues and the basis of a puzzle solution. Yeah! I'm of the opinion that games and movies need more club scenes. Pole dancing, as a given, is under-appreciated. It provides just enough segue — a sort of bathroom break for the mind — to keep things refreshing and on pace. It is certainly suitable for impressionable seven-year old minds, the starting age at which publisher GMX has rated this game. (I am, of course, being facetious, in case it doesn't translate well to written word.)

Much more cannot be revealed about the story, as any hints may reduce the surprises that culminate in the end game sequence. The story is satisfyingly complex to pique interest and follow through from beginning to end, and that in itself, combined with what has already been mentioned, merits a four star rating. Too bad there are some serious detractors that prevent this in my final score.

Technically, the game has some flaws that can be attributed to a lack of appropriate beta testing and editing, including translation errors and misappropriated effects. At one point, Martin is talking on his cell phone to someone whose voice drops the canned effect and sounds as though he's standing right beside Martin. At other times, characters speaking to one another won't even be looking in the right direction. Meanwhile, apparently Martin has acquired some Jedi training in all his eclectic experience, since when he half-bends to acquire something on the ground or a table, it will instantly appear in his hand.

The voice acting ranges from excellent (Martin, primarily) to excessively bad (most NPCs). Martin has a nice timbre and crisp English accent, and his vocal nuance seems to be spot-on most of the time. I could swear this voice actor also does some rather bleak cameos of other voices, as a means of economy.

What's worse is how these lines are often carried out: as literal lines of dialogue. For example, if I came up to you and said: "Hello, how are you this most…beautiful day in which we…both are to be wed by…an officious justice of the…peace?" Aside from the fact that I just proposed to you, would not those pregnant pauses be annoying? This page break pacing literally kills any tension in the story, and the attention of the player.

With subtitles on, you will also notice something especially grating. Unfortunately, particular care was taken to transcribe every vocal noise a character makes. You know, those things that we all have a habit of saying through the course of conversation, such as "uh, um, ah, pfu…" Pfu? Yes, I don't recall using that one either, but this game does. It's like they were thrown in as an afterthought to increase word count in the manuscript: "Give me placement of ten more "Pfu's" and that's a wrap!"

Also frustrating is that the cursor will often disappear after interacting with or selecting an item, and will require you to click on the screen somewhere to bring it back. It's not really a disappearing act as much as it is a delayed reaction within the programming, yet it's enough to feel like a bug.

Martin Mystère: Operation Dorian Gray certainly has a charm about it, infused by its characters and locales, along with the gripping story that binds them. It's enjoyable to play, but feels, at least at times, like playing basketball with a bum knee might. You have fun, yet the pain prevents you from playing at your full potential. Similarly, this game has lost some of its potential within the framework of its annoyances.

The game may be enough to be a worthy investment of time (it took me about twelve hours of concentrated play), depending on your level of tolerance to things that make or break your game face. It has been my experience that most adventure gamers are quite forgiving, but often detail-oriented. Martin Mystère: Operation Dorian Gray would ask all of us to ride the line somewhere in the middle. While most of us will be glad to do so, we will also exit the game with the sentiment that just that much more would have made for a far better experience.

And for those who don't agree, well Pfu.