Cubed3 writes: "Cate West is in that dream position. A none-too-successful writer - if the lack of attendance at her book signing is anything to go by - she may be, but her advantage in life comes in her sleep; she has visions. It's not long before the police (including Detective Ben Shepard, taking some much needed time off GMTV) eschew any attempt at a formal interview and embrace Cate and her magical powers into the force. Her first task is to apply her powers to help investigate some cases that are baffling them - the Vanishing Files of the name.
This translates into a new search and find game, close to the likes of Mystery Stories. Spot the difference, find items hidden in scenery, replace items?all in a day's work for Cate and her special brain. In find or replace modes, half of the touch screen is taken up by a view of how the environment actually appears, while the final 50% is made up of Cate's view; a memory of one of her visions with objects in place or details that differ from the actual view for you to spot. Find mode dedicates the entire screen to the search area..."
N-Europe writes: "Cate West: The Vanishing Files is based upon the PC game of the same title, which actually has a free demo to download. The game revolves around finding items hidden in images, but not hidden as you might expect, some are stashed "in" the furniture, a shotgun might be superimposed on a chair leg or a broom, and the quest to find them begins. Unsurprisingly, you assume the role of Cate West, a mystery novel writer who has visions."
Cate West lacks the style and humour found in Phoenix Wright but surprisingly, once you strip away those desired factors, you are still left with something reasonably solid and presentable.
While adventure games are becoming more and more popular over recent years, there has been a new entrance to the arena: the Hidden Object Game. This new breed has inundated the PC with numerous variations on the theme, taking place in fairgrounds, lost temples, mysterious locations and even haunted houses, and naturally they all vary in quality. It was only a matter of time before these games would filter across to consoles, and while several average efforts have featured on the Nintendo DS (why hello, Mystery Stories and Millionheir), this outing from Cate West is actually worth consideration.
