GameCyte

Though hidden-object games are plentiful on the PC, they've recently branched out to other platforms, including XBLA and the DS. Now, with "The Stone of Destiny," you can test your visual acuity on the iPhone, and find that the mobile device makes a surprisingly good medium for the genre -- even if "Stone" itself has room for improvement.

Like any hidden-object game, "Stone" involves inspecting a detailed and cluttered backdrop for a series of specific items. Some of these will dodge the eye by being ordinary elements of the environment, while others will utilize clever camouflage, positioned on top of visually similar scenery.

Using the iPhone's touch-screen, one must simply tap the objects in question, which will remove them from play. Players are racing the clock in "Stone," though the time given is so generous as to remove any threat of failure. "Stone's" minimal difficulty may be a downside for challenge-hungry gamers, but for those looking for a simple visual challenge or distraction, "Stone" provides a decent experience by dodging a number of its genre's usual pitfalls.

"Stone" comes with over 25 different stages, which goes a long way towards keeping the game engaging after long periods of play. There is some repetition to the stages eventually, leading to a sense of redundancy and decreased challenge (since objects' locations do not change), but, thankfully, this doesn't occur until the game is nearly complete. "Stone" does not overstay its welcome, lasting 4-5 hours.

Monotony is dodged, as well, thanks to "Stone's" mild variations in gameplay. The game's story, though incidental, is presented via a series of hand-drawn comic book pages, allowing one a quick break every so often. In addition, completion of the game's "chapters" triggers an extra touch-based mini-game, including block-sliding puzzles and a "Towers of Hanoi" clone. While these games are forgettably simple, their presence helps keep "Stone" from getting stale.

Graphical detail in "Stone" is excellent, thanks to the iPhone's high resolution (for a mobile device). The game's stages are displayed at near-photographic quality, ensuring that objects are hidden by design, rather than the technology. One may be tempted to zoom in using the iPhone's usual two-finger mechanic, but "Stone" only has two levels of zoom, swapped via an on-screen "magnifying glass" icon.

"Stone's" refusal to use certain system features, in fact, leads to its greatest flaw -- the audio. Simply put, there's barely any audio to speak of. There is no music or ambient noise during gameplay, and SFX are minimal. This leads the game to feel more like a detached, stale piece of software than an immersive experience, and it's a problem that would be easily solved: Given how many iPhone games will allow the player to use his personal music library as BGM, it's extremely disappointing that "Stone" refuses to do so.

Still, "Stone" reveals how ideal the iPhone is for hidden-object games, providing ease of use through the high-res graphics and the touch-screen. Fans of the genre will want to give "Stone" a (close) look.