Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic is a hidden-object search game from Rogueside, taking the player through four eras from the Magical 80s to the Middle Ages. The full campaign was completed, with all thirty-two maps, every secret item and the secret level cleared.
The weather system transforms each map, with objects appearing only under certain conditions and effectively giving each level two variants. The music loop is improved over the first game, no longer repeating its very short theme so noticeably.
The era framing stories carry the campaign, from Willow the little witch in the 80s to the Arabian Nights tales of Shahiraad, Sinbad, Aladdin and Alibaba. The Greek myths and the Middle Ages adventurers versus the necromancer round out a substantial journey.
The secret items, from the gas can to the trident and the egg, sparkle when unfound and unlock a secret level when collected on every map. The interactive scenes, with buildings that open and close and containers that hide objects, keep the search lively.
The biggest complaint is the secret-item progress display, which colours the item in across all maps once it is found anywhere, leading to an easy misunderstanding. A single find appeared to colour the item everywhere, so the secret level was missed and required backtracking, a minor gripe.
Objects sometimes despawn when buildings open, hiding items such as the Baghdad policeman, and same-colour camouflage is frequent with objects like the stumpy mushroom. Some maps are incredibly easy, and the uncentred dialogue text is a small but persistent nitpick.
Overall, the weather system, the era framing and the improved music make this a very good hidden-object game. It definitely improves on the first game, and the substantial length needs no DLC.