Hercule Poirot was a famous Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie, in the book of the same name, published in 1936, the story has since been translated for both the small and big screen. The game follows the bare-bones plot with Poirot meeting newly weds Simon and Linnet Doyle, just prior to Linnet’s apparent murder. In the game Poirot is left with fourteen suspects to question as well as gathering what clues he can find...

Although the graphics are atmospheric and evoke the period wonderfully, especially the in-game cinematics, for owners of next gen consoles, or a good gaming PC, they will fail to blow you away. That said the object of the game is the puzzles rather than pretty graphics.

Game play is of two types. In the first you get to question the key suspects, in the second you get to search the various rooms for objects. There are twenty four room to search and many of the objects in these mini games are there just to be found - though a few objects in each room are crucial for your advancement. If you get tired of an individual room you can always use the ship's map to try out another, though you will have to complete all the rooms on the twelve levels to catch your man/woman.

As well as the main game there are a number of mini-games for you to play and although they are not necessary for the completion of the game it will make finishing it that little bit easier. Between the main and mini game you should be able to check all the suspects alibi’s before you go ahead and accuse the wrong person.

The game is likely to appeal to Christie fans and fans of casual gaming alike. The combination of graphics and some good atmospheric music go a long way to creating the right ambience. The game requires relatively low specs so should run fine on any modern machine.

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Charles Packer