Alot of games came out that were termed point and click during that time. They mainly used the scumm engine and were cartoony. Myst was unique since it tried to create a realistic environment and the story was geared towards adults.
It's kind of amazing that we have all the technology to that easily in a web browser.
I believe it's stuck in some of our memories since it was not fast pace so you really took in all the sights and sounds. Each frame of movement was like an artwork.