I have had no problems with the game until this point. The game freezes up when I try to go down a path on Haven (looks like a path going onto a hill). I have to completely turn off the computer to restart.

Thanks.

Since the game works everywhere else, it might be your DVD drive failing to read the disc at that point. Have you verified that there are no scratches or "junk" on the disc? You can use isopropyl alcohol on a soft cloth or tissue to clean the disc; wipe radially, not circumferentially.

What is your Mac model? How much RAM do you have?

I tried cleaning the disc, but the error and freezup persisted.

I have a Powerbook G4 with 1 GB RAM.

Do you see any discrepancy with the "Mac System Requirements" on page 4 of the Myst IV user manual? i.e. your version of QT is 5.0 or higher, etc? There is a note that "Laptop models of these cards not fully supported." Have you checked the FAQ for this game at [Edited: see below]?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: wstrohm,

Sorry, I linked above to the PC FAQ. Here is the Mac FAQ.

Yes, everything checks out, except that I have a laptop.

It is frustrating because everything else runs smoothly. The game just hangs up at the one point.

rdman,

Didn't mean to leave you hanging, but I have not read of this problem occuring on the Mac version of the game. And my G5 PPC doesn't freeze there, so I cannot reproduce your problem. Have you tried playing with the game's graphics options, such as water effects and depth-of-field (page 6 of the manual)?

Tried turning off all the graphics options with no improvement.

I am going to try cleaning the disc one more time. I may need to get another disc/game. Too bad, we were getting into it.

You may need to do more than clean the Revelation disc.

The laser lenses in a DVD drive can build up a haze coating over time which fouls up drive read operation, particularly if:
-- You live in a dusty area.
-- There's a smoker in the house.
-- You don't have a vent hood over your kitchen stove or cooktop.
-- You use burning-candle or plugin (oil-dispersing) room deodorizers.

Using a DVD laser lens cleaning disc can help. This is essentially a DVD with tiny brushes on it that take the haze off of the lenses. The best ones (especially for smokers, non-hooders, and candle burners/oilers) come with a cleaning solution used to wet the brushes, but this isn't a strict requirement. Run the cleaning cycle at least 3 times in succession, as a first pass.

I use the 3M Scotch Laser Lens Cleaner, but several brands are available. Some are for both CD and DVD drives, some for CD only or DVD only. There are various suppliers, both online and local computer stores. From Amazon, for example:
-- Scotch Laser Lens Cleaner for CD and DVD Players/CD-ROM and DVD-ROM Drives
-- Allsop Pro Laser-Lens Cleaner
-- GE Laser Lens Cleaner Wet/Dry System
-- Memorex CD/DVD-Player Laser-Lens Cleaner
-- Memorex Laser Lens Cleaner For DVD Only
-- RCA Discwasher 6-Brush Dry CD/DVD Laser Lens Cleaner

Also, as DVD drives age, their read lasers become progressively weaker. Older drives (roughly 2 years old or older) may thus have trouble reading some discs - whether the discs are clean or not. The primary solution is a new drive.