Having played the whole series at one point or another, I can state this with reasonable confidence. The first game, the most famous, is NOT the best one. The sequel, Mountain Rescue, was slightly better. Certainly, the first looked better, and had more puzzles, but puzzles were repeated more. The first had more characters with the puzzles, who themselves were interesting. That is the largest advantage it had over the other games. Otherwise, Mountain Rescue had better puzzles. The scarab cave may have been obnoxious and tedious, but then the boat puzzle or the cafeteria puzzle were, to my knowledge, unique to this one, and were far and away the best. Certainly, the first one was good. It was fun. The second one was more enjoyable however. There was an atmosphere in it that none of the others really had. Everything was harsh and bright, as if snow blindness was setting in. Certainly not for everyone, but I liked it. In the end, both the original and the sequel were very close in quality, but the sequel edges it out with slightly better puzzles. The third one however is a step down from the rest, though it was the first one I played. It is decidedly inferior to the other two, having few puzzles that are particularly memorable, even fewer puzzles than the second one, and having nil in memorable music, unlike the previous two. The only really entertaining bit in that one is a pun on "The Gene Pool". most of the puzzles in it are unique to that one, yet are bland and forgettable, not being as interesting as the cafeteria from mountain rescue or as charming as the pizza trolls from the first. In conclusion, the first one is very nearly as good as the largely forgotten second one, and the third one is a significant step down from the rest.
VideoGame Honestly, the second one was better.
Having played the whole series at one point or another, I can state this with reasonable confidence. The first game, the most famous, is NOT the best one. The sequel, Mountain Rescue, was slightly better. Certainly, the first looked better, and had more puzzles, but puzzles were repeated more. The first had more characters with the puzzles, who themselves were interesting. That is the largest advantage it had over the other games. Otherwise, Mountain Rescue had better puzzles. The scarab cave may have been obnoxious and tedious, but then the boat puzzle or the cafeteria puzzle were, to my knowledge, unique to this one, and were far and away the best. Certainly, the first one was good. It was fun. The second one was more enjoyable however. There was an atmosphere in it that none of the others really had. Everything was harsh and bright, as if snow blindness was setting in. Certainly not for everyone, but I liked it. In the end, both the original and the sequel were very close in quality, but the sequel edges it out with slightly better puzzles. The third one however is a step down from the rest, though it was the first one I played. It is decidedly inferior to the other two, having few puzzles that are particularly memorable, even fewer puzzles than the second one, and having nil in memorable music, unlike the previous two. The only really entertaining bit in that one is a pun on "The Gene Pool". most of the puzzles in it are unique to that one, yet are bland and forgettable, not being as interesting as the cafeteria from mountain rescue or as charming as the pizza trolls from the first. In conclusion, the first one is very nearly as good as the largely forgotten second one, and the third one is a significant step down from the rest.