And Then There Were None

It’s amazing no-one has thought of basing a point-and-click adventure game on an Agatha Christie book before.

Christie’s slightly old-fashioned murder-mystery style suits the slightly old-fashioned gameplay of the adventure genre perfectly.

And Then There Were None takes its plot from one of the novelist’s most popular books, which was recently adapted for the West End stage.

Fans of the original book, which has seen a few title changes over the years, will no doubt take enormous pleasure from being able to solve the mystery themselves, but may be slightly less pleased with the amount of artistic licence that has been taken.

The mechanics of converting the story into a game means that several of the alterations are unavoidable.

In the novel, for example, only 10 characters were stuck on Shipwreck Island, getting bumped off one by one.

In the game an eleventh character, Patrick, has been added so the player can take on the role of someone unconnected with the story.

Similarly, the ending has been left open so that even those who know the story by heart can enjoy the mystery as it unravels.

As Patrick you are part observer, part amateur sleuth as you nose your way around the mansion, explore the island and interact with the rapidly diminishing number of guests.

And then there were none’s point and click gameplay might seem quaint to those who are used to the pyrotechnics of modern shooters and action games.

Graphically too, it looks a little dated, particularly the character models.

Nevertheless, it’s one of the better adventure games to have been released in recent years and has enough intrigue and atmosphere to keep you playing through its lengthy (20 or so hours) running time.

System requirements:
850MHz processor
256MB of Ram
1.5GB hard disk
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP