You are Ashley Robbins. She is just a few days away from her fourteenth birthday and she receives a present in the mail. It’s a small Nintendo DS-like device called a DTS that is biometrically engineered to only respond to her touch. This device will assist Ashley by taking photos and holding vital information. A note from her father is attached to the package urging her to come to a remote island to meet him. The thing is, her father died when she was very young. At least that’s what she was led to believe. The game begins with Ashley and her Aunt aboard a boat to Blood Edward Island to unravel the mysteries surrounding her father.

Utilizing both screens on the Nintendo DS, Trace Memory gives two perspectives of the environment. The bottom screen shows an overhead view and allows you to walk about freely. The top screen displays a static image of what would be seen if you were looking around at the nearby scenes, similar to Myst on the PC. Most places can be investigated by touching the magnifying glass icon and tapping the objects with the stylus. The game is mainly text driven, so be prepared to read many conversations and observations. As you explore the island and other areas you’ll come across puzzles to solve and items to use. As in any good graphic adventure there most likely will be a few times where you’ll be stumped, but overall the game isn’t very difficult. The intriguing story will keep most players happy, but Trace Memory isn’t a very long quest and the replay value isn’t very high. Your mileage will vary as far as the story goes, but it kept me entertained.

With its linear story-driven gameplay and the occasional cool puzzle, Trace Memory comes across as a game that will find a small audience. More of an interactive novel than anything else, the $30 price tag seems a bit steep. The game doesn’t even come close to the better adventure games on PC, but it is still an enjoyable title to play through if you’ve exhausted all your other DS games.