Machinarium is a game that fits in a genre which has nearly disappeared - the "graphical adventure." In a graphical adventure, you move a character around in a (usually) 2D world, interacting with various objects to further the story line. These aren't "hidden object" games (although they can sometimes feel like it) - the objects are part of the world and make some sort of sense to use.

Machinarium is visually a beautiful game, with a unique style for both the characters and the locations. Character movement is easy and fun to watch.

Generally speaking, the "puzzles" - the objectives you must meet in each location to advance the story - are reasonably balanced. Here and there I found a few to be pretty obscure, and at least once I was unable to see an onscreen object until I accessed the built-in hints - it just blended too well with the background. But overall, they're fun, not too challenging to enjoy, but hard enough to make you think.

If I have a complaint, it's that this game is extremely short. I read somewhere that a player could expect 30 hours of gameplay. I completed the game in about a 3rd of that time. This game costs half of what most games cost these days, so perhaps I am being unfair. However, one of the built-in issues with graphical adventures is that once you're finished, you're *finished* - there is literally no point in replaying the game. Given that fact, this game should have been around $10, or twice as long.

Still, if you want something more interesting than the hidden object games, restaraunt simulators and other assorted junk that seems to fill the Mac gaming shelves, Machinarium may be just your cup of tea. I enjoyed it - as long as it lasted.