Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun is based on the comic book series, by Herges, a classic adventure series which comes across really well in this strategy, adventure game. Tintin is a journalist who needs to solve the mystery at hand, with his friends, Captain Haddock and his faithful dog Snowy. In this storyline, the Professor is kidnapped, and it's up to the young journalist to use his uncanny investigative nose and cowlick to find out how the professor disappeared.
The book follows on from the Seven Crystal balls, where the mystery was first established when a tomb of the Aztecs were dug up.
The crew is always hampered by several problems and most likely internal fighting as well as inepititude. However, this game is presented in the sharp graphic style as the comic books are in. As in the books, Tintin comes across different enemies at every stage and different ways of fighting them and overcoming them is needed at each stage. This is not your average adventure game with a gun shooting everything away. Tintin promotes peace and uses his head in times of confrontation, which is what the player is required to do in this game. Non violent solutions are required and using the items around you is paramount to you finishing the game and the completing the objectives available. Tintin's health
levels, however, are easily dented, He is affected by small minute things such as the girl playing with her yo yo in the Museum level, so be careful with him.
Altogether, the story line for this was twisted and a bit weird, but it shows the true essence of the Herges mind and fans of Tintin will appreciate the adherence to the graphic novels stylistic virtues and will enjoy the interactive loyalty to the books, the characters and the plotline. For example, the style of the comic book is favoured with the use of speech bubbles above the character's heads, rather than the text box at the bottom of the page, which gives the game a great authentic feel that you've dropped into the book rather than playing a ridiculous game that the developers hadn't thought about at all. It's a faithful account straight from the books with a straight forward game play and plot that any fan can play, from the young ones to the well-read well-versed in Tintin lines fans.
