I don't think that there's a lot of pixel hunting. IMO there was only few times when the objects weren't easy to find. Discussion system isn't very well implemented, I would love to know when Kate is going to say something new or when she is going to have same dialogue again. But luckily dialogue is easy to skip. Also what annoyed me a bit is that you can interact only with things you have to use in order to complete the game.

But all in all, I still think that Syberia is a nice adventure with interesting world to examine. In my book there are more pros than cons and I enjoyed it.

It's not a 'hardcore' adventure game, relying mostly on story and visuals as the key elements of the game. I'd say it's more of an interactive story than anything. Puzzles are fairly simple and few in numbers. It doesn't have clever Monkey Island type puzzles where you need to combine inventory items or use items in a non-obvious way. Everything you find in Syberia has a pretty obvious use. It's great for somebody who just want to click through a nice looking story without too much trouble, but for somebody looking for something heavier in the gameplay department, you may want to try something else.

I wouldn't call it pixel hunting. Actual pixel hunting is more like what you see (or don't see) in the first Gabriel Knight game. I didn't find it too challenging. I beat it this weeked. I'd get stuck, but not unbearably so. The challenge factor is just about right, imo. Fun game, but it does require a fair bit of patience.