Playing now - just started really and so far I'm loving it! I just got passed the graveyard and now I'm in the manor. The game has excellent graphics (some of the best I've seen, really), nice music and so far there have been plenty of nice puzzles (and I just started!) I'm going to try to beat this game without using a walkthrough. I don't know though, a lot of the reviews said that isn't likely to happen because some of the puzzles get pretty difficult , but the reviewer on here said the graveyard demon puzzles were frustrating - uhhh... no they weren't. You just gotta read the inscriptions and maybe fiddle around a tiny bit (like with the wolves) and you'll have them solved in no time. Besides, I'm kinda sick in the head when it comes to puzzles. I like to be frustrated because when the solution of a very hard puzzle finally dawns on you - man, it's almost as good as sex!

So far GOOD game. Now I'm going to go back and play some more. :)

Actually I only said that the wolf puzzle was frustrating. It is obvious from the inscription what you need to do but the animal carvings are too ambiguous, Having to fiddle to find the right combination shouldn't have been necessary.

The puzzle right at the end of the game annoyed me...can't say too much, but it's the one to open the gate. Took me days to figure out what to do and then realized it was so damn simple!!! I could have kicked myself when I worked it out!

I can agree that it was maybe too ambiguous, but without it there would have been no challenge to the puzzle. Perhaps they should have come up with a different way to bring a challenge to that puzzle.

That wolve puzzle, however, is nothing compared to this Heiroglyphics puzzle! Wow! I'm about to lose my mind already. But I'm determined to solve it without the walkthrough - so God help me.

EDIT UPDATE: Finally, after spending the entire day with it I figured it out! :)

Yeah... that's were I broke down too and I used a walkthough. I thought it was a bad designed puzzle, no real logic to it, just a lot of trial and error. Sure there were some clues but even them were unclear...
The rest of the game is quite good though, still haven't finished it, I'm in vienna right now.

I DID IT! I beat the game without using a walkthrough! I really got a sense of accomplishment after beating so many challenging puzzles without help. Yay me! :)

However, some things in the game still remain unclear to me.

Spoiler:

For one, what was the point of the scale? Okay, I used it in the room where I was suppose to, but I ended up doing absolutely nothing with it, or nothing I could see any point in doing. I weighed the items and some gold and nothing happened, so I left and used the broken sphinx I had on the myst and it let me through to the next location. The items I used with the scale I kept with me for the entire rest of the game, never needing to use them again in the game. I'm thinking either there was a mess up in the game where it let me pass without figuring out the scale, or the scale was put there purposely without any need in order to confuse the player into thinking they had to do something with it.

The last puzzle I also have not completely figured out. I solved the puzzle, but somewhat on accident. I looked at the picture on the wall where it showed the guy holding the sheild, so I went to the puzzle and made the sheild look exactly like it did in the picture. Nothing happened. Out of frustration and not knowing what else to do, I started moving the moon pieces around and the puzzle solved - but the way I moved the moon pieces were not how they looked in the picture. So I'm still unclear about the solution on that one, even though I know what it is.

Anyway, I'm done. Good game, one of my favorites in recent times. Now on to the next game! :)

Edit: never mind, after reading through what others have said about the scale, I'm pretty sure there was a game error, because I did not do what they said you had to do, yet I was still able to get through. I'm shocked that I was able to guess the solution on accident to that last puzzle, however if I hadn't of gotten lucky, I probably would have figured it out - since the solution was so simple but I had solved it before I even thought to look there!

I finished this up today, and I have to admit that I didn't really like it. Everything felt a bit stilted and emotionless, I thought. I guess I'm coming to realize that Frogwares just doesn't make my kind of AGs.

One question though: did Van Helsing just stuff a staircase in pocket? :P

Yes he did. I was particularly impressed by that little feat myself. :D

I didn't even finish it & I hate it. Frogware should grow out & up from making similar games only with different stories & characters.

Try Dracula 3. I wont say its great but its better then this.