Solve The ABC Murders on the DS

Already out in the US, Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders DS game will be out in the UK on the 20th.

As easy as A...B...C?

Agatha Christie’s A.B.C Murders tells the story of Captain Hastings and Hercule Poirot as they attempt to solve a series of bizarre murders committed by an elusive madman.

Going off the simple clue of the A.B.C railway guide left at the scene of each crime, Hastings and Poirot follow the leads to Andover, Bexhill, Churston, and Doncaster trying to apprehend the killer before the next crime is committed.

He soon realizes a serial killer is on the loose, murdering his victims in alphabetical order, leaving an ABC Railway Guide beside each body and playing a dangerous game with Hercule Poirot. He alerts Poirot in advance of the locations of the murders, but Poirot always arrives too late. Intrigued by the psychopath’s mind and methodology, Poirot travels the length and breadth of England - determined to track down this ruthless killer.


FEATURES

* Live through a modern classic for the first time on the Nintendo DS.

* Solve the crime in multiple ways, and then solve it again!

* Complete mind-bending puzzles!

* Use your Investigator’s Journal to record clues and notes.

* Collect hidden notes found in-game that contains unique facts about Agatha Christie or one of her characters.

Watch the trailer:



Having been disappointed with some recent mystery DS games, I'd appreciate some feedback on this one.

Evil Under the Sun - for the Wii

Agatha Christie's Evil Under the Sun is now available to solve on the Wii. It was released in the UK in December and can be bought for around £25. The reviews are a bit mixed. I spotted it in Nintendo magazine which gave it 43% and this review at IGN rates it as 4.6/10 and concludes:

There is a good detective story buried somewhere here, but it's hindered by archaic gameplay, and terrible pacing. If you're a huge fan of Agatha Christie's work, or if you're the type of gamer that misses the old days of random item collecting and nonsensical puzzle solving, this might be a game worth checking out, but anyone else is going to want to pass this one by.






Evil Under the Sun is already available for pc as are Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None. And Then There Were None is also available for the Wii.

Monkeys, Skulls and Crosses - online game

From BookBrunch:

Penguin is teaming up with TV channel Crime & Investigation Network to launch an online crime game, Monkeys, Skulls and Crosses. The game is scripted by Michael Morley, author of the Penguin thriller Spider.

The game puts users into the role of detective, interviewing suspects, inspecting the crime scene and hunting for clues in order to solve a murder case. It will be advertised on the CI channel.

CI Marketing Director James Pestell said: "It has been great to work with a fantastic publishing brand and prolific author who are committed to using digital to get closer to their readers."

Sherlock Homes: Nemesis (PC Game)

The Sherlock Homes: Nemesis game has been out since May but it only came to my attention when I read a review at the weekend in one of the Saturday supplements (can't find an online link).

The Game: After coming face-to-face with the mythical Cthulhu in his previous adventure on PC (“The Awakened”), Sherlock Holmes confronts Arsène Lupin, the gentleman-burglar made famous by the literature series penned by French writer Maurice Leblanc. Arsène Lupin, whose exploits are enjoyed by millions of readers throughout the world, provides the perfect foil for Holmes as he attempts to pull of the ultimate heist.

This battle of wits between the most famous detective of all time and the world's greatest thief takes us to late 19th century London. Arsène Lupin is a young French burglar at the beginning of a glittering career, who comes to town with one goal - defy Scotland Yard and Sherlock Holmes. He states that he will steal five objects of immense value in five days from prestigious sites such as the National Gallery, the British Museum, the Tower of London and even Buckingham Palace! Sherlock Holmes must use all his daring and ingenuity to avoid a terrible humiliation for England.

Read more about it and other Holmes games available at the official website.

Poirot - Interactive DVD Game & PC Games

The good news about being a bit late in the 'game' as it were, (this came out last November), is that it's now only £6.99 at HMV.

Summary:
Can you solve Agatha Christie's classic murder mystery, After The Funeral? Take Poirot's challenge to find clues hidden in this unique Murder Mystery DVD game! Entertainment for all the family - play a series of exciting games and puzzles to test your detective skills in 'observation', 'analysis' and 'intuition' as you try to identify the murderer!

DVD Extras:
Exclusive New Footage Of David Suchet As The World-Famous Detective Hercule Poirot
Over 40 Minutes Of After The Funeral TV Movie Footage
9 Different Puzzle Types - Different Each Time You Play!

The customer reviews on amazon are a bit mixed, it seems that though there are different puzzles, the murderer is always the same and it helps if you can't remember the tv show/book! Still £6.99 for a few hours entertainment can't be bad.

There are also three Agatha Christie PC Games: Evil Under the Sun, And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express the latter with a surprise ending plus David Suchet voicing Poirot. All three can be bought together as a bundle for £19.99 from 20th March. And Then There Were None is also availabe for Wii.

Hardy Boys PC Games

The Hardy Boys have already appeared in a couple of the Nancy Drew PC Games but now they're going solo. From The Bookseller:

Franklin W Dixon’s Hardy Boys series will be turned into computer games in a partnership between games companies JoWooD and The Adventure Company, and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. The companies are developing a series of interactive games based on the boy detectives, which will be released worldwide over the next five years, beginning with the first title “The Tower Treasure” next autumn. “Fans have been waiting and we are set to deliver an adventure series that is certain to become a family classic,” said Albert Seidl, president and c.e.o. of JoWooD.

The series of games will remain true to the original stories and characters in The Hardy Boys and feature challenging and thought provoking puzzles. The books have sold more than 100 million copies in print, according to the publisher, and are riding a wave of classic retro popularity. The stories have been published by Simon & Schuster and Grosset & Dunlap since 1928, and a new series of Hardy Boys editions,
Undercover Brothers, was released earlier this year.

I know this isn't Euro Crime but I did enjoy reading the Hardy Boys and watching the tv series in the '70s!

Last minute Christmas present suggestion...

I spotted this on thriller.startpagina.nl a comprehensive page of links to the crime and mystery world, under their category of 'games'. Released today in the UK (but more easily available in the US I imagine) you can now help Poirot to solve 'The Murder on the Orient Express'.

From the manufacturers website: "Climb aboard the luxurious train and become part of the famous murder mystery as you play the video game adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Famed game designer Lee Sheldon and AWE Games have teamed up once again to bring mystery adventure fans the second game in the Agatha Christie series.

Staying true to the novel, players will step on to the lavish, richly appointed train that departs Istanbul hurtling toward Paris. The train is filled with passengers, one of whom is the high profile Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. A passenger recognizes him, asks for protection, but is turned down. The next day that individual is found dead.

Players take on the role of Antoinette Marceau, a new character, who works alongside Poirot to investigate the savage murder. With a train filled of suspects, Antoinette will need every tip that she can garner from Poirot in order to pinpoint the killer."

David Suchet is Poirot (thankfully) though it doesn't look much like him and there is a surprise ending....


Or there's 'And Then There Were None', released earlier in the year.

Manufacturer's description: "Based on the best selling mystery novel of the same name, And Then There Were None allows players to immerse themselves in the rich world of Agatha Christie.

10 people, strangers to each other are invited to a lavish estate on a remote island. Through a recording their mysterious host accuses each of his guests of murder and proceeds to exact justice. The tension mounts as, one by one, the number of people are reduced through the ingenious plotting of the unseen killer.

Prepare to play the 11th character where only your detective wits can save you now."

On the website you can see a list of characters, scenes and links to a trailer for both games.