Insider Tales: The Stolen Venus comes perilously close to being a forgettable game. Its hidden object sequences suffer from being ordinary, repetitious and at times inaccurate, but the varied and creative minigames that lie between levels save The Stolen Venus from an ignoble doom. While it might not quite be the hidden object game you were hoping for, you 'll likely still find The Stolen Venus entertaining enough to see it through to the end.
You play as Francesca DiPorta, who's called in to solve the mystery when the Botticelli painting "Birth of Venus" is stolen right out of its frame at the Uffizi Gallery. After consulting with art expert Pietro Abinoni – who's a dead ringer for Bill Murray in "The Life Aquatic" – Francesca whisks off to the village of Castiglionbasso, where she believes the culprit has fled. While in town, you'll visit different locations, such as the hotel, the local shop, the pier, and the police station, by selecting them on a map of the area. Playing the game is as easy as clicking your mouse, but The Stolen Venus walks you through the first few levels, just in case.
