CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Another one of these games whose progenitor is a TV show. Since I stopped looking at the show the moment that the coroner picked up something that looked like liver - I am going at it cold. However, I suspect that fans of the show would have even more fun that I did.
This game is not so different from Law & Order. In both games you are a new detective investigating a criminal case and you have available all the departments services - coroners, labs, data searches. But the people inCSIare sofriendly You don't have to wait around for reports or come back like in Law & Order. This crew is very accommodating.
There are five cases to solve. The first one is part tutorial. You have to pick up on the hotspots to find the clues before you can use your onsite detection and collection tools. A microscope and a computer are available at the station.
The game is geared to the casual gamer. There is no time limit but if you want to score 100% you as best not ask Grissom for too much help. The saves are automatic upon exiting, the evidence you pick up is automatically placed in your evidence folder - a nice touch that keeps the fiddling down. The game takes a minimum of 350 MB and a full installation more than a gigabyte. I didn't do the full install which might explain why my sound would break up occasionally. With a Mature rating, would you let your kids play this? Do they watch the TV show? The violence is off camera, although these characters do lead seamy lives. The investigation and using the tools would appeal to most kids - and maybe they will decide to be a forensic investigator - could be worse.
Reviewed by: Editor - 05/03
Ages: Mature