Machinarium

These puzzles tend to be logical and well-paced, and despite a few frustrating points where the multiple problems at hand require a fair bit of back and forth, trial-and-error gameplay, there's always a tangible and obvious obstacle to be getting your teeth into. It's not often that the early puzzles get too tricky, but a pleasing gentleness pervades without leaving you feeling too spoon-fed. The hint system, communicated again via the pen-and-ink speech-bubbles, offers a straightforward clue to the solution for each screen individually - although they can tend to be a little too obvious without suggesting much of the actual mechanics of the solution. Still, in a tight spot it's better than nothing - and, if you're weak like me, it's all too easy to abuse an overly instructive hint system and feel shamefully guilty afterwards anyway.

Another high point - exceptional considering the tiny team which produced Machinarium from the ground up - is the truly wonderful music. Ambient and unobtrusive whilst never slipping from accompaniment to background, Machinarium's soundtrack snuggles gently in the ears and nestles there for days afterward. It's slick and professional, offering an excellent example of just how much a game's atmosphere can be enhanced by an appropriate and beautiful score.

There's still some polishing to be done before Jakub Dvorský's team unleash Machinarium on the world - there are still a few issues with saving and loading - but this build is already a great deal more stable than the last we received, and the incredibly high level of polish evident in finished sections indicates that an extremely high level of quality control is in effect here. Throwaway details and blink-and-you'll-miss-it animations render Machinarium's metallic flesh with such fullness that it seems tremendously unlikely that it'll ship with anything major malfunctioning.

A combination of this depth, combined with the intensely coherent style and endearing characters mean that Machinarium screams personal project, a labour of love unfettered by publisher pressures or investor deadlines. In truth, the only omission that strikes me in my three or four hours of play is the lack of a double-click quick-move mechanic. Although play areas aren't massive, tottering to-and-fro does start to grate a little during periods of mental block. A minor point, however, and a little churlish when such a visual treat is on offer.

Due in October, Machinarium will be retailing at $20 from Steam, Direct2Drive, Impulse and GamersGate; as well as the website. Current estimations are an 8-10 hour completion time depending on mental acuity, although you'd be pretty hard-hearted to not spend some of that time soaking up the atmosphere. At once slightly anachronistic and tremendously welcome, Machinarium could well be shaping up as a fiercely indie success story - not everyone's cup of tea, but a draught of the freshest Darjeeling to fans of the genre.