COVER STORY: Top 10 Myst Things

1.) If the rich backstory of Atrus only hinted at in Myst intrigues you, then you would likely enjoy Myst: The Book of Atrus. Beginning in Atrus' early years and chronicling important events such as his learning of the Art, The Book of Atrus not only provides insight into the backstory of Myst and Riven but blends perfectly with the beginning of Myst. The final words of the book are the same as those spoken in Atrus' voiceover at the beginning of Myst.

2.) If the bits and pieces of D'ni culture seen in Riven interest you, then you would probably enjoy Myst: The Book of Ti'ana. Telling a compelling tale of how a human woman entered D'ni, the book chronicles the final years of D'ni, from the aborted surface expedition up to the Fall of D'ni.

3.) If you wondered what Atrus and Catherine did between the end of Riven and the beginning of Myst III: Exile, then you need look no farther than Myst: The Book of D'ni. It fills in the gaps that Atrus' journal in Exile didn't, explaining how the D'ni survivors were found, the discovery and resealing of an Age that the D'ni had severed ties with, and mentions Releeshahn at the end.

4.) While Myst and Riven have the same slideshow method of presentation, the complexity of images and the attention to detail in Riven is much greater. Whether you wonder how Cyan did this, would like to see concept art and images not in the game, or would like glimpses into what-could-have-been, this book is sure to have something for you!

5.) If you have ever played Myst and then wandered around humming the tunes for forever and a day, don't worry. Rather than having to play it again to hear the music, you could buy the Myst soundtrack. The songs are familiar, and many of them are extended versions of game pieces. There are even three bonus tracks.

6.) With the inclusion of the Myst soundtrack, one expects the Riven sountrack to be next. The music here has a similar feel, likely because Riven is one Age. Still, the tracks are distinct. Like the Myst soundtrack, this one has extras and extended versions. This is the only place you can hear the full version of Gehn's theme unless you play one of Riven's 'bad' endings. There is also a bonus track, called Bonus Track.

7.) Of course, the Exile soundtrack will be commented on next. Like the previous two, good for listening to when you have the music stuck in your head. This time, the music was fdone by Jack Wall, not Robyn Miller. The style of the music is a bit different, but not noticibly. Like the prior sountracks, there is a bonus track. This time, it's a pop-style song called Exile.

8.) Now for something controversial... Strategy guides. While some fans claim that they are bad and don't use them to solve the games, they can be rather useful. For example, take the official Prima Myst III: Exile guide. It has a bonus section of information on Saavedro's exile from Narayan. The background information provided in the guides makes them worthwile, as well as having something to refer to when stuck.

9.) Having all of the games is good. Having Riven and Exile without disc-swapping is better. With that in mind, the Myst 10th Anniversary DVD is a good thing. All of the games on one DVD. The only downside is that the Myst Masterpiece on the disc is Windows-only, but Mac users can still use Riven and Exile.

10.) Uru. There are a few reasons why it is last on this list. One is that it has high system requirements. Another is that it is Windows only. The last is that it is not released at the time of this writing. It is on here because there are plenty of people who have pre-ordered and are eagerly awaiting release.

- Capella