A fantastic puzzle game, and an experience akin to joining a cult and slowly going mad. The more you play this, the more you will begin to see indecipherable mishmashes of letters and numbers in your sleep, and the more Tarot symbolism will crowd the corners of your mind.

Because, as much as the game is about solving word searches, anagrams, mazes, and more, it's also--maybe more significantly-- about sheer, unadulterated vibes. The graphics in the Mac version are outstanding, depicting everything from evil high priestesses to men singing haunting songs to the visage of death itself in beautiful, stylized, black-and-white perfection. There is no sound or music, but there doesn't need to be.

The best part about The Fool's Errand is that it's completely surmountable, and most of its secrets are brilliantly hidden in plain sight. I played it with my dad (who played it first when he was in college, and then introduced it to me when I was young), and together we breezed through it in a few sittings. Not that it wasn't difficult--it just never completely stumped us, or felt cheap. Had I gone it alone, I think I would've been much worse off, so I definitely recommend playing it with someone, and bouncing ideas off one another.

Anyway. I might have nostalgia blinders on just ever-so-slightly, but I really do believe that this is a beautiful video game in almost every respect, and that Cliff Johnson is the genius that Johnathan Blow wishes he was.