I used hints on the original Myst, but I am unreasonably smug about having completed both "Riven" and "Exile" (Myst 2 and 3) without a single hint. I am currently in the middle of "Uru," but have made little progress since I haven't spent much time on it. I'm either killing time here, or writing the book, or doing stuff for DARPA. Also, "Uru" requires a lot of jumping and running actions that I don't like. Might as well be playing "Mario."

My personal opinion is that "Riven" is still the best of the lot. The lack of full motion was more than compensated for by brilliantly detailed images and gorgeous sounds. Many of the images can be seen here, although they are accompanied by many spoilers for those who still plan on playing the game.