Sarah Black thought her adventuring days were behind her when she stopped the pirating Captain Remington and rescued her daughter from his clutches. Yet the curse of Davy Jones isn't finished and, when a stranger arrives at her museum with a mysterious artifact, our Ms. Black is soon again battling sea monsters and fish people, bribing a cursed dwarf for more stories, and diving through enigmas to save a mermaid in Nightmares from the Deep: The Siren's Call, a cinematic and thrilling hidden object adventure from Artifex Mundi.

Your role in the quest means traversing the town of Kingsmouth, exploring secret passages, talking to townsfolk (those who are still alive, that is) and solving the mystery in order to save them from Mayor Murray's spreading corruption and murder of innocents. A smart map takes all the burden of this exploration off your hands; it will show interactive areas and, with a simple click, allow you to travel to any scene where you've been before. When you begin, select the tutorial to discover all your options for gameplay—they're many.

Throughout the game, you'll encounter a wide variety of beautifully-rendered minigames and hidden object scenes. The presentations of these hidden object scenes are a happy find for those players looking for something new and different; styles range from silouettes, fragments, puzzles-within-puzzles and interactive list-style. Yet if all that variety is still not enough to stave off the ho-hums, you can switch over to Mahjong and skip the search altogether. Additionally, three sets of collectibles in an optional quest and a built-in achievement system ensures that gameplay isn't overlooked during all the action and storytelling sequences.

The Siren's Call lives up to expectations set by the first of the series, Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart, with very few exceptions. Everything that makes a great adventure appealing is here: crime and curses, true love and pirates. The sweeping storylines that grab tightly and hold your interest are back by the barrel full in a perfect balance of plot, puzzles and hidden object scenes. The difficultly settings allow customized challenge so that those who'd rather focus on the entertaining adventure aspects can do that while those seeking slightly brainier challenges will likewise be satisfied. Where this sequel doesn't quite live up to its predecessor is in the crispness of the graphics; even so, the environments are remarkably gorgeous and layered with atmospheric effects that make the overall experience nothing short of stunning. With superb details and high quality production values, The Siren's Call is a casual gaming blockbuster, one that should not be missed by adventure fans on sea or land.

Currently only the Collector's Edition of this game is available. It contains bonus content not found in the standard edition: a bonus game, built-in strategy guide, wallpapers and more. Remember that Big Fish Game Club Members pay only $13.99 for Collector's Editions (or 2 club credits), and collector's editions count 3 card punches of 6 total needed for a free game.

Windows:
Download the demo
Get the full version

Mac OS X:
Download the demo
Get the full version