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Computer Times
Editors' Choice Game Murder She Wrote Reviewed by Angie Kibiloski
Murder She Wrote (Retail $9.99) is a hidden object game from Legacy Interactive that has a bit more of a plot than the average hidden object title. Download your copy from the Legacy Interactive website. You play as Jessica Fletcher who, you will remember from the Murder She Wrote TV show, is a mystery writer who investigates crimes in her spare time, like a 50 something Nancy Drew. There are 5 mysteries to solve, each with a twisting plot that develops as new evidence is uncovered and unexpected suspects emerge. The game opens with a murder of a local fisherman in Jessica’s sleepy little seaside village of Cabot Cove. Search the crime scene and other locations for clues, and speak to the locals, to gain insight into the victim and possible suspects. You’ll watch short scenes of Jessica’s conversations with her neighbors to learn about the next plot point. You find clues and progress the story by completing hidden object scenes, and even this is done a little differently from other similar games. Who knows what sort of surprises you’ll discover by searching around all the 30 different environments.
In each scene, you are given a list of items that you need to find. The words in the list are incomplete, missing all of their vowels. Before you can start your sleuthing, you first need to search the scene for the vowel buttons to Jessica’s typewriter, which will fill in the blanks and reveal the objects you need to be looking for. Once you have the completed list, you can start clicking on the matching objects around the scene. Some objects can’t be found until another object has been removed from the scene, or something has been done to an object, unveiling the other. For instance, a note may be concealed within a bottle, but before you can collect it, you need to open the bottle, and before you can do that, you need to find something with which to open it. This makes the process of finding all of the objects on the list a bit more involved than is typical in this style of game, and a lot more fun. Some objects will prompt a little mini game. These are puzzle style challenges that have something to do with the clues you have just detected. You might be asked to figure out which boating buoy belongs to a suspect, crack a code, piece together an incriminating note, and much more. The mini games have a purpose to the plot, so you really feel like you are making progress in your case as you complete them.
I am often not a fan of hidden object games, because they feel redundant and dull, but this title has made me a believer that there are quality games in the genre. Murder She Wrote not only provides you with the classic hunt of a hidden object game, but also let’s you get involved in an unfolding mystery with a beloved character. Jessica Fletcher always managed to find clues and uncover suspects that the police missed, revealing a far more complex mystery than was originally apparent. This game is much the same. By taking the time to delve deeper, I have discovered a complexity that surprised and delighted me. This title is a lot of fun, and kept me guessing along with Jessica about Who Done It? and Why? Having 5 separate mysteries kept the game fresh for many hours as well. Anyone who likes a good detective story will love this game, even if hidden objects aren’t usually your thing. For hidden object fans who also like mysteries, there was never a game more suited for you. Download your copy today and start investigating! System Requirements:
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