DreamCatcher's The Adventure Company has brought In Memoriam to the United States as Missing: Since January, and the good news is that it is a pretty decent game. The bad news is that it isn't for everyone. Missing is billed as an adventure game but the meat of it is puzzle solving and lots of online detective work that won't sit well with gamers that don't want to think too much. That's not a bad thing, and doesn't take anything away from what the game is trying to accomplish (immerse players into a web of intrigue involving a sadistic killer and the head games he likes to play to save the life of two abductees), but it does mean that only a specific niche gamer will want to pick this title up. We'll get into the particulars in a minute, but first the basic rundown of the story:

Missing: Since January follows the trail gone cold of journalist Jack Lorski and his companion (Karen Gijman), who mysteriously disappeared while investigating a string of violent and gruesome murders perpetrated by a serial killer going by the name of "The Phoenix". Not content to simply kill Jack and his companion, this madman also fancies himself an evil programming genius who has created a game complete with footage of Jack's capture and some other nasty events. The premise of his game and this game is to hunt for clues and help find Jack and Karen. These clues come from a variety of bizarre puzzles, clues buried on web sites real and fake and some mini-games. Players will get to interact with a number of logic puzzles (presented in Flash), imaginary characters that will email you during the course of the game, video clips and more as you unravel just what this evil man has done with the reporter and his girl.

If Missing sounds like EA's Majestic (the now defunct online game that emailed you and phoned you at irregular intervals offering a variety of conspiracies), that because it shares a number of similarities in that it uses untraditional non-game elements to move the game along like email, flash based elements, video clips and the web.

Missing uses Flash technology from Macromedia and Apple's QuickTime for its video sequences, along with lots of 2D graphics and an email mailer to send clues to your computer. Some of its elements are animated, though ever so slightly, but if you're expecting anything more flamboyant and flashy then your average multimedia enabled web game, then you'll need to look elsewhere. The game also makes use of your email to send you hints from fictitious sleuths like yourself.

The game tells the tale of reporter Jack investigating a decades old murder (circa 1975) with Karen, which leads them on a wild a wooly adventure across Europe -- after Jack stumbles on an old film reel that Karen's father filmed (and was subsequently killed for). Things go awry when Jack finally get close enough to the killer only to be kidnapped, subdued and videotaped. Obviously the Phoenix isn't playing with a full deck as he proclaims the capture in the form of an interactive CD-ROM to Jack's boss. In order to find Jack and Karen, Jack's boss puts the CD-ROM in the hands of a myriad of investigators, of which you are one. "Playing the game" will give up the location of the madman and his captives, saving Jack from a violent and probably untimely death, but it's going to take a lot of hard work..

Internet sleuths and puzzle fans will find Missing enjoyable, as the bulk of the game's activities are focused on doing just that. Players are provided with clues, which they then need to figure out in the game and on the web. Some of these puzzles are as simple as find a phrase on a web site, while others will have players digging layer into layer of web pages to find the elusive answers. The puzzles range from simple to obscure and are pretty well crafted, overall.

Other puzzles are logic based fare that require you to interact with objects or information. The bulk of the game is spent scouring web sites or figuring 2D puzzles to unravel clues. Finally players will also get to play a few mini-games that focus less on logic and more on precision control. The game does a good job of mixing these elements up to keep the it from driving you completely bonkers. Missing isn't an easy game to complete, but it offers a lot of challenges along the way that are at least varied and interesting, albeit not very flashy.

Missing's overall presentation is dark and creepy, as one would expect in a game about a serial killer. Go figure. The graphics are 2D, sometimes web-based and sometimes full motion video. The sounds and music (though pretty sparse) fit right into the theme of the game which is – admittedly -- supposed to be walking the line between mysterious, frantic and bizarre.

At times some of Missing's elements come off as being cheesy, but for the most part the game's overall presentation is cool. The difficulty level is a bit high, but players looking for help can probably scour the web for a FAQ or walkthrough and find the information they need – and they won't have to dig too deeply either (in the event they're tired of using their Googling hand from searching through the game's 300 real and simulated websites).

Overall Missing: Since January is a pretty solid game experience that seems to have succeeded where Majestic failed. The game uses non-game elements without becoming overbearing to the point of irritation and the game's various multimedia flavors is spread out in such a fashion as to offer a steady stream of variety. There's no denying that the difficulty of Missing is pretty steep, and that the game just isn't for everyone, but overall it's a solid game that fans of logic puzzles and Internet sleuths will find appealing.