Next generation graphics and gameplay seem to be nearing the limits of their ability to wow and distract us. Gamers are once again hard to impress with flashy visuals and infinitely expansive gaming universes – demanding a return to solid genres and absorbing gameplay.

This is nothing new, of course. Most every new generation of game system enjoys a hefty number of inaugural game sales based solely on the superficial, and it always dwindles to the point at which developers must return to the basics and start once again delivering that elusive fun factor. Agon: The Lost Sword of Toledo feels to be precisely this kind of fundamental return to origin; forgoing flashy visuals and other contemporary, distracting elements and concentrating instead on focusing on the essentials of the classic adventure game.

The forth in the series (of which there’s to be a rumoured 14 titles) of games following the adventures of researcher and historian Samuel Hunt, we’re taken to the Spanish city of Toledo in the 1900s to help the inquisitive scholar decode his findings in an ancient manuscript. Even for an old school adventure game like this one, the plot is the single most important aspect of the game, so I’m not going to spoil the intriguing details here – suffice to say the manuscript forms only the inciting incident to a city full of puzzles, mystery and conspiracy for this cross between Robert Langdon and Indiana Jones to uncover.

My initial reaction to the almost low-budget, independent feel to the game is to mark it down for the apparent average quality and overly sedate pace. But after several hours in Samuel’s shoes, the real meat and purpose to the game reveals itself to be a title aimed at a specific audience; offering a more cerebral, leisurely but involved experience. Without wanting to sound at all condescending or to appear to stereotype any gamers out there, this really is an adventure for those who enjoy a good, long, relaxing murder mystery novel – something classical, without too much violence, packed with Victorian charm and devilishly upper class inscrutability. The Jules Verne and Agatha Christie of the adventure game genre, if you like.

If the game could be delivered to this niche demographic, it’d undoubtedly be received with great enthusiasm and verve – though whether such people are out there looking for PC adventure games is a mystery I’ll leave the good Doctor Hunt to discover.

While the visuals certainly haven’t received the lavish attention from the developers as the storyline has, there’s still some wonderful Spanish scenery to enjoy, and the tightness of the programming is quite apparent as even the most modest of PCs appears capable of displaying Toledo’s fine wares quite superbly. The animation is equally refined, as is the beautifully atmospheric Spanish guitar accompaniment and conversations – of which there are a great many.

A seasoned adventurer could probably shave a good few hours off the lengthy game time of Agon by estimating which conversation is going somewhere and which objects and surrounding require closer scrutiny. But for an intermediate like myself, Toledo brandished a huge amount of easily accessible, if often drawn out, interactions with both the populace and the environment. Controls are thankfully intuitive – automatically adjusting as the mouse pointer scrolls past items and people of interest and calmly delivering suitable controls for each.

The difficulty level of some of the puzzles can become as frustrating as the extensive conversations with the Spanish locals, but this is suitably offset by their practicality and sincere purpose within the plot line. They also offer considerable sensations of personal accomplishment, however, so perseverance builds as the game progresses.

While perseverance with Lost Sword of Toledo unquestionably pays off, the amount of patience required by the gamer to uncover the jewels buried within the game is perhaps a little too much to ask of all but the most dedicated adventure gamers, perhaps. A question of balance certainly needs answering, but there’s still a lot to enjoy – even if takes a little too long to find it.

Ultimately, Agon excels at being a story driven adventure game in the purest sense, and in many respects we’re not inclined to mark down a driving game for being a pure and unadulterated car racing simulator, nor an FPS for harbouring hardcore gun-based gameplay, so there’s no cause to suggest Lost Sword of Toledo needs anything more. It’s a fundamental graphical adventure game, and makes no apology for being so. If that’s your bag, Toledo is the game for you.