Pocket Gamer writes: "When a sequel begins development before the original has even hit the streets, either things look extremely promising or there's a disaster waiting to happen. Destineer must be tapping into the psychic abilities of its titular heroine to see the future of this new series because it's already hard at work on a follow-up to the tap adventuring of Cate West: The Vanishing Files.
As a psychic, Cate West aides the police in solving mysterious crimes ranging from murder to theft. Like any investigation, creating a compelling case for court involves collecting evidence, discerning motive for the crime, and apprehending the right suspect. You do this by using Cate's psychic abilities and completing a series of straightforward puzzles."
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.
