Video game:Myst - Demo Disc Sneak Preview

Created in 1993 by brothers Robyn and Rand Miller through their company Cyan, Myst is one of the best-selling video games of all time. In this point-and-click adventure game, players assume the role of a nameless and faceless character referred to as "The Stranger." Cyan deliberately gave little information about This character because they wanted players to insert themselves into the role of The Stranger.

After discovering a magical book, known in the game as "linking books," The Stranger is transported to a mysterious island called Myst. Upon arriving on the island, little information is given on how to proceed and, instead, the player is given the freedom to explore the island however he wishes. Scattered around the island are puzzles that the player must solve in order to return home.

Myst stood apart from other adventure games by containing very little dialog. Aside from the player, the game contains only three characters: brothers Sirrus and Achenar, and their father Atrus. Each of these characters appears trapped inside magical books and they provided insight into the game's lore. Rather than animating characters, the developers filmed mini-movies with real actors which would be activated when triggered by the player. The use of QuickTime video helped create a visually realistic world.

For the time period, Myst was visually remarkable. Developers at Cyan created a highly detailed world that could be explored from every angle. Due to the technical requirements of the game, it could not be released on floppy disk. This made Myst one of the first computer video games to be released only on CD-ROM. At a time when floppy disks were the standard, this was considered a risky move. However, Myst proved to be appealing enough that users were willing to upgrade their hardware to play the game.

Originally released for Macintosh and PC, Myst was eventually remade for Saturn, Jaguar CD, 3DO, CD-i, PlayStation, AmigaOS, PSP, Nintendo DS and iPhone. Myst has also spawned several sequels, a series of novels, and was rumored to be adapted into a film.