I played this on my PC with the 5 CDs it came with back in 1998. I played Myst first and enjoyed it, but Riven is the game that impressed me. The graphics were top notch for the time this was made and the improvement was so impressive that I could just stare at a scene for awhile and enjoy the view as if I was really there. Playing the game turns you into a bit of a snoop, a tinker of gadgets, knobs and switches, a thorough detective for clues, secret passages and doorways, and a bit of a thrill seeker- considering how real this game feels after awhile! Even though I used the hints on the Internet frequently to help me get through the game, I was captivated by every turn. The landscape is beautiful, colorful, similar to reality with an original touch. I had dreams about this game! I'm so excited the game makers have made this available for modern devices. I have played other sequels to Myst and Riven and they are just as captivating. I hope those will be available here as well. I miss them very much.

For me, Riven and Myst are the top two adventure games ever produced. One may need that to obsorb the following review.The bad: Game was assembled low-rez, and the animations are jerky, I assume to keep the size low enough to accommodate as many older machines as possible, thereby increasing profit. The original release was visually much nicer than this iPad version. The good: After so many years there is still nothing in the game world to match the creativity and style of this experience, though I have not seen obduction yet. Think about it, this game, though more like an interactive movie, contains all the elements of a Hollywood style production; trained actors, set design, costuming, audio/video engineers, lighting, script writing, etcetera. And it all comes together into a coherent and intriguing story. I can't name another game that comes close. I've been waiting for one but alas, it has not appeared. I do wonder about Rand's childhood. In the first installment he kills his sons, and the second his father who tries to kill him is jailed for life. That's rough man.Recommendations: If the original assets are still available, bring to I-devices a re-mastered hi-rez version so we can see Riven in its original detail. Or maybe Real Riven? Now that would be something to see!To Cyan: No one makes a game like you folks. Keep raising the bar.

I, like another reviewer, first played Riven in the late 1990’s on a pc. This iPad version is amazingly good although, as others have said, the resolution is not quite as good and some of the movements are jerky. Still, it is more than adequate. I also concur with some of the remarks of others who have said that it is the best adventure game ever; at least I have never seen/played one better. Myst was great but Riven is superb. Some of the puzzles are extremely challenging, but fair. This is an extremely absorbing and immersive game experience-very, very addicting! This production for iPad is also a great bargain- I seem to recall that the original PC version cost somewhere around $50 new in the 90’s.

Riven is probably the best adventure game of all time. This game was originally on pc in 1997 and required 5 CDs to play. Now it fits on my iPad! Everything about riven is perfectly designed, the game has so many nuances and little details that make it an immersive and realistic world. The player is challenged to rescue Catherine the wife of atrus who has been trapped on a world called riven.The story is great and is pieced together with journals, sequences with live action actors, and the environments and islands help you understand, gehn the games bad guy and his world riven.