Missing (also known as In Memoriam across the pond) requires some pretty frequent Internet use to solve puzzles, and e-mails you both to flesh out the story and to move you along when you're stuck. The premise is, I think, the best so far for this type of game. Instead of a secret agent or whatever, you're just . . . well, you. The SKL Network is basically mass-mailing out CD-ROMs to everyone in sight (think all those darned AOL free-signup discs) in the hope that someone, anyone can decipher the disc's contents.

See, SKL's best and brightest photojournalist (Jack) and his illustrator friend (Karen) have gone missing. More specifically, they disappeared while on the trail of a serial killer. Said killer then prepared a CD-ROM chock full o' puzzles for the SKL Network, with the promise that completing the puzzles would reveal the fates of our dynamic duo. SKL turned to the public for help, and here we are. (In a nice touch, some of the AI buddies you'll interact with are also presented as people around the world who received SKL's mass mailing.)

There's a secondary plot as well. Jack and Karen began their own journey by stumbling across a film that showed two mysterious killings: a historian on the trail of a mysterious cursed book and Karen's father, who made the film. These killings lead to warring centuries-old secret societies with a killer called the Phoenix smack in the middle of things. Who is the Phoenix? Why were the men killed? Do these societies really exist outside the serial killer's twisted fantasy world?

Unfortunately, few of the questions are answered, though there's a blatant setup for a sequel. (And in truth, I hope we get to see one.)

The meat of the game is, of course, the puzzles. Missing has a good mix of logic and twitch games, though some are frustrating. Some have hints from the outset; on most of the others, taking too long will get you hints from either the Phoenix or your AI compatriots. By the way, the game asks at the beginning for a valid e-mail address. I found my official e-mail didn't work (I would guess the e-mail got caught in its spam filters), but AOL's Web-based mail service did just fine. While I expect other freebies like Hotmail work just as well, I didn't test them firsthand.

The graphics for the games are simple but colorful. In fact, considering the CD-ROM was supposedly put together by a person with plenty of other stuff on his plate (all that killing won't get done on its own, after all), the graphics make perfect sense. Some of the other characters actually remark on this from time to time, almost robbing me of my joke about the thin line between game designers and serial killers.

Quite a few of the games require searching the Web, which has been seeded with a large number of fake sites. You won't see puzzles as esoteric as those in The Beast - no searching the HTML code for clues here - but there are still a few brain-benders. Plus, the fake sites are more than just window dressing. They provide some very nice background to the world of secret societies in which the Phoenix claims to operate. Complete a puzzle, and the Phoenix will unlock video clips, either from his own bloody spree or from Jack's videolog, which tells the story of his and Karen's own search for the Phoenix.

Sound was a bit of a problem. I found the audio on the video portions to be much lower than that in the rest of the game, meaning I was constantly dialing my speakers' volume up and down.

By the way, while the faux Pac-Man game was worth a laugh, that was because it was quick. Whoever was responsible for the Space Invaders clone near the end should be served up with fava beans and a nice Chianti. Thank Heaven for the cheat code eventually released by the game, or I might never have made it to the end. I'm docking almost a full point just because it brings what is otherwise a compelling race for survival to a screeching halt.

That aside, I really had a great time with Missing. It didn't take me long to finish, but I played in a couple of marathon stints over a few days. And, really, there's no replay value. I do hope we get to see the Phoenix again soon. He's a worthy adversary for my master detective skills.