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As an expert at locating missing people, you have to be always ready to spring into action when the need arises.  You will not be surprised to hear that this time has arrived when you will be employed to find a missing person.  In this case you are to find a professor who has disappeared while working with a team of archaeologists exploring the Egyptian temple of Abu Gorab.  This is the scenario of Maze of Reality - Ride in the Sky from the Domini Games' catalogue of offerings as you set about finding the missing professor.

Spread over four chapters of gaming action, this tale of recovery missing souls can be played in a choice of four difficulty levels.  You can opt to play in Casual, Advanced, Hardcore or Custom settings.  Your choice will affect features that include Hint and Skip charging speeds, indicate active zones, the use of a tutorial and which details are shown on a Map facility regarding where tasks need to be completed.

As usual with titles such as this one, your mouse cursor will provide feedback when it is over active areas by indicating when different actions can be carried out while an outbreak of sparkles means a Hidden Object scene is available for access.  Your initial exploration of the Egyptian temple in search of the professor will reveal the presence of a portal leading to another environment.  This is the real start of your quest. 

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You will also have access to various tools running across the bottom of the screen.  These tools are made up of a Journal with Notes and Task sections, Map, Inventory, Strategy Guide and Hint features.  Items in the Inventory accompanied with a plus sign will need some work before use.

The game makes good use of split screen views and overlays which can emphasis certain situations as you progress through various scenes.  It quickly becomes clear that this new environment, entered via the portal, is not quite what you expect from the game's initial theme.  Rather than the Egyptian style environment, you find yourself in what easily could be a fairy story with forests and medieval style villages.  This is the kind of world where Kings search for thieves, large cats have wings, flowers burn and transport systems are carried out by large birds with over-sized turtles carry people between locations.

While adjusting to this change of environment you will need to complete a series of tasks.  In several instances, these tasks will require the creation of a potion by following instructions regarding how to mix the substances so that it is ready for use later in the game.  Along with making potions, you will also be required to make decisions as to how best to proceed by selecting from a choice of actions that are star graded.  The results of these decisions will affect the flow of the story line as you make progress.

As you explore this magical world and help resolve its conflicts, you will need to find Collectibles in the form of Herbalist's Plants, Building Models and Jars of Travel Potions.  You will also be faced by Hidden Object challenges and mini game puzzles.  As usual with Domini Games, Hidden Object scenes come with an option to switch to Match 3 game play if you do not fancy looking for items presented in text, image, silhouette, riddles or sample format.  Mini game puzzles also gives you a choice as you select from an Easy or Hard version in order to repair a mechanical clock, use a telescope, make a hot air balloon journey, complete a maze and unlock the Alchemist's House.

While all the various elements of the game were up to the standard I have come to expect from Domini Games, this Ride in the Sky title failed to really appeal to me.  It was the type of story I could easily put down and not wonder about what was to happen next.  I downloaded my copy of the game from Gamehouse.com where it is priced at $19.99.  It is also available from Big Fish Games priced at £15.73.  The game requires a 2.0 GHz processor with 1024MB of RAM and 1.11GB of hard disk space running Windows 7 and later.

Maze of Realities - Ride in the Sky Collector's Edition | Big Fish Games

Maze of Realities - Ride in the Sky Collector's Edition | GameHouse