The sequel to the 2003's unique alternate reality title Missing: Since January, Evidence: The Last Ritual is a wholly remarkable mystery that's guaranteed to bewilder, thrill and horrify any serious puzzle fan.

The premise is simple, a serial killer named The Phoenix has sent a CD to police investigators and they've been unable to decode it. Using the principal of "two heads are better then one", the police have distributed the disc to the general public hoping that someone will be smart enough to figure out the mystery.

The first time you start Evidence the game will ask you for some basic personal information such as name and e-mail address. Don't worry about spam, there's a legitimate reason why they need this information and it makes the game seem all the more realistic. After you've finished signing up you'll be given an ID and password that you can then use to login to the game and start your sleuthing.

Puzzles usually come in the form of a short video clip, and then a puzzle screen that will contain a series of hints and a box where you can enter in a password. How you actually solve the puzzle is what makes the game interesting.

Some puzzles will provide you with a series of words and a hint that you'll need to Google to find the password. Other puzzles will have you scanning through audio or video for hidden messages or using Bablefish to translate foreign tongues into your own.

Occasionally you'll hit a brick wall and be unable to solve a puzzle. This is where the alternate reality aspect of the game comes in.

There are a number of "real" people attempting to aid you in solving this mystery. Occasionally you'll receive an e-mail from them containing hints, or in some rare cases, new tools that you can in turn use to solve a puzzle you were previously stuck on.