Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None

The Good
I have never read the book on which this game was based, but I have seen various television and movie adaptations. All of them were marvelous and I looked forward to playing a game with the same plot.

The contents of both CDs are installed completely onto your hard drive, so you can put the game away after installation. Referring to the manual will help you navigate around the house, though, so keep it handy.

There is nothing unusual about the simple point-and-click interface. Icons for movement, pick up, examine and use are present. Inventory items can be looked at, taken apart and combined inside the "bag". You also have a notebook to refer to if you choose.

The atmosphere is one of pending doom and the music reflects that, as does the storm brewing outside the mansion. Graphics of the house and Shipwreck Island (where the mansion is located) seem realistic enough. The voices of the actors and actresses are marvelous in the English version. The puzzles are integrated into the story very well and are very easy, for the most part.

The story is presented in 10 chapters following the verses the poem. One by one the guests are murdered off until "there were none". It is nice that you do have a chance to save one, two or none of them and that the endings will reflect what happens in each case. And then .. you are given an opportunity to see how Agatha Christie's original story was told in a "final treat".

The Bad
The individuals stranded on the island are drawn stupidly .. akin to what we used to see from that obsolete french company (some of you will know to whom I refer). Blocky bodies; teeth either missing or all too white and in the wrong places; funky body movements.

There's entirely too much conversation and trampling up and down stairs to find people to talk to. And not being able to escape out of the conversations (and comments) was irritating.

The pathways around the island are not very clear. Even with a map your view changes often and it's easy to get lost or at least to forget which paths lead where.

The Bottom Line
I must say I was disappointed with this first Agatha Christie game. It felt more like a Nancy Drew mystery than a real Christie thriller. Somewhat fun, yes .. just not a great game .. and easy to forget.