Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None

List Price: $29.99 Discount Price: $3.44

Features:

• Video game based on the best-selling murder mystery by Agatha Christie
• Challenging murder mystery with over 20 hours of engrossing gameplay
• Breathtaking third-person graphics that truly immerse the player
• New twist and turns to the original story, plus a brand new character--you
• Developed by veteran studio AWE and designed by famed author Lee Sheldon

Accessories:
PC Gamer (1-year)	Games for Windows: The Official Magazine

Customer Reviews:

Need a help web site [Posted on 2007-05-27]
This game is fun, but when you get stuck, you have to completely start over. It would be cool if there was a place to go for hints or tips like a web site or something, so that you could avoid having to re-do everything.

One little sailor boy left all alone.... [Posted on 2007-06-30]
The first in a series of Agatha Christie PC games, And Then There Were None is a solid book-to-PC screen adaptation that faithfully captures the foreboding atmosphere of Ten Little Indians, Dame Agatha's original novel. Ten strangers are invited to a remote British island by their mysterious host U.N. Owen. Once assembled, they are each accused of committing murder, and all are to be put to death as put forth in the children's rhyme (choking, knives, bee sting, drowning....).

Numerous changes have been made, the most visible being the addition of an eleventh character, Patrick Narracott. In the original novel, Fred Narracott was the boatman for the original party of ten, but was not present on the island. In the game, his brother Patrick has taken his place at the last minute, and is trapped on the island when his boat is disabled. The other characters are faithful to the original novel, although some of their backstories have been changed or enhanced.

Much care has been taken to bring the manor house to life. There are numerous period details, from the 1930s swing music on the radio to the Art Deco light fixtures. Scenes are rendered in superb detail, helping to bring the manor to ominous life. In the original novel (and subsequent film adaptations), And Then There Were None is a locked room mystery; the island was not explored in any great depth, contributing to the claustrophobic feeling. In the game, much of the action takes place on locations across Shipwreck Island. Nearly all of these locations were created for the game and supported by additional in-game subplots. The only downside is the large amount of tedious backtracking to retrieve items as they are needed.

Graphics look dated, and some of the character modeling is distorted (Doctor Armstrong looks like he's hiding a plastic rectangle in his mouth in closeups). Cutscenes serve to move the story along. Voice acting is a mixed bag--I kept feeling like Patrick was slipping into an American accent, but on the other hand Ms. Brent's wonderful accent (and appearance) reminded me of Diana Rigg in The Worst Witch. Judge Wargrave was another strong point in terms of voice acting. The music was pleasant, if repetitive.

The inventory system is clunky; there is precious little use of many clickable items, so you spend the game lugging around useless objects (although Patrick will object to picking up some items, saying "I'm no packrat."). The developers put a strange amount of research and design into a major red herring (think of a Hitchcock film involing avians). Puzzles in general range from the intuitive to the outrageous (Patrick's solution to a "thorny" problem involves a ludicrous chain of events involving goats). The second installment, Agatha Christie : Murder on the Orient Express, has improved upon some of these shortcomings.

The game's greatest accomplishment and tribute to Dame Agatha is in its foreboding atmosphere; sheets of rain and lightning flash outside, dark storm clouds roll low over the island as you walk across it, and waves crash violently on shore.

Generally, the additions to the original story work well. There is more of a WWII political atmosphere than in the original novel; there are references to Hitler, Nazis and sympathizers. The ending has been completely rewritten; in fact, there are no fewer than four possible endings (one "happily ever after" scenario and three not-so-happy alternatives) and one "treat" ending, that of Dame Agatha's original ending read as a voiceover with still renderings.

The game also comes with a copy of Dame Agatha's original novel so you can compare the two for yourself. If you haven't read the original novel, I would suggest waiting until after you've finished the game (or better yet, read along as you play). Even though the ending has been rewritten, reading the story first will take away some of the gruesome surprises in store. Overall, this was an enjoyable game with lots of atmosphere and attention to detail.

Just a lot of fun! [Posted on 2007-09-26]
I'm a mystery/thriller book reading fiend and am always on the lookout for new version of mystery entertainment. I thoroughly enjoyed spending some rainy afternoons immersed in And Then There Were None. I have read the book and seen every screen variation of this mystery ever produced, and I still found playing this game a whole lot of fun. I just wish the gaming industry would produce more similar products. If you are a mystery fan, this game is for you. The gaming techniques are very easy to pick up and if you get stumped, there are loads of "hint" sites on the internet to provide help. Highly recommend.

Loved it! [Posted on 2007-10-26]
Really enjoyed this one. I've been a gamer for some time and this was a blast to play. It's well worth the buy.

Fantastic for the Genre [Posted on 2007-12-28]
I thought this adventure game deserved a five star rating, since it did what it was suppose to do. I do not remember reading the novel, many years ago. This could cause a disappointment. If you do not like the genre, then one should avoid the game. Also it was a mystery, which I thought was a good choice.
A common complaint is that some of the actions were obscure, but not really too much in this game, just use your adventure game playing skills, and it should be ok.

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