Solve the Puzzle, Save the World

Mask of Eternity is the latest game from Sierra cofounder Roberta Williams, who swears this latest in the King's Quest series will be out by Christmas (and if good winds are sent from the gods, possibly earlier).

You're Connor and you're essentially the only guy left. Lucreto, the guardian of the holy and sacred Mask of Eternity, is corrupted and decides to destroy it. The Mask is shattered into several pieces, one of which conveniently lands at your feet, a piece of extraordinary luck for you because the Mask's destruction means that the world returns to chaos and every human in it turns to stone. Except you, because you've got the golden fragment, and now that you're the only one left, it's up to you to gather the other four pieces, reassemble the Mask, and put the world to rights.

There are seven worlds, including Daventry, your homeworld and the one currently filled with stone people, and you must battle, puzzle-solve, and quest your way through each one. Several RPG elements are woven into said questing, like the search for armor, the gathering and using of gold, health items, and obtaining and correctly using magic items (potions for illusionary, spells of strength, etc). And there are health and experience meters - experience being gained not only when you battle but also when you encounter other characters and glean information from them and when you solve puzzles.

But in essence this remains an adventure game, where your focus is on solving puzzles, and of course, saving the world.