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Game Review: ‘The Nightshift Code,’ 3½ stars

It was quite the night for Mike. Not only does this young security guard catch someone breaking into the museum after dark, but he also discovers that the rare artifact the intruder is after is tied to his own father’s mysterious disappearance.

Such is the story behind “The Nightshift Code,” a well-crafted adventure that cleverly integrates a fun story into the popular “hidden object” puzzle genre.

Available as a download for both Windows PCs and Macs, PlayFirst’s “The Nightshift Code” follows Mike and Isabel as they venture across the globe — from the U.S. to Germany to Canada to the Greek Isles — to find key items, decipher messages and solve puzzles.

The core gameplay will be familiar to fans of hidden-object games: You’re presented with a busy scene, such as a messy room or outdoor courtyard, and you’re asked to find a dozen or more items listed at the bottom of the screen. Examples of items you’ll be asked to find include a sword, conch shell, green apple, sphinx, penny, wheelbarrow, car, fan and mermaid. No, you’re not asked to find Waldo, but that’s the idea.

At times, you’ll be tasked to find multiple items such as “four tapes,” and when you comb the screen with your mouse to find them all you realize they’re not all the same thing. In this scenario, the items are an audiotape, VHS cassette, measuring tape and roll of sticky tape.

Some items are spread out between two scenes, such as Mike’s apartment and office, so you are asked to toggle between two locations to find everything listed. One memorable location is an ancient map, and the mouse cursor turns into a magnifying glass to find all the items. Later, you’ll also use a magnifying glass to examine fake artifacts.

If stuck, you can click on the Hint button up to three times, which reveals an item you haven’t found yet. Click on an incorrect item too many times and you’ll see your bonus points dwindle.

“The Nightshift Code” features 18 search locations spread out over the six chapters, some of which you’ll revisit to find different items. Along with the main game is a straightforward Arcade mode that provides a few more hours of scavenger hunt fun without the story. Only the Arcade game has a time limit per puzzle.

The Story mode also features six tricky minigames. The first one is a “logoscope” puzzle where you must flip through numerous symbols and figure out what word each symbol stands for to decipher a message.

Free to try, then $19.95 to buy, “The Nightshift Code” is a fun and family friendly way to keep warm and entertained while cooped up inside for the winter.

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Marc Saltzman writes for Gannett News Service.

The Nightshift Code. PC and Mac. Free to try, $19.95 to buy. Not rated. http://www.playfirst.com/game/nightshiftcode