Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders review

What golf does to walks, this game does to classic detective fiction novels

GamesRadar+ Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Digital sleuthing

  • +

    Won't sprain the brain

  • +

    Based on a great story

Cons

  • -

    Tons of dialogue to flick through

  • -

    Overly-fussy handwriting recognition system

  • -

    Weak-ass puzzles

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How would you go about making a classic ‘whodunnit’ mystery novel even better? If your answer is “By turning it into a videogame where your time is divided between furiously tapping the touchscreen to keep the dialogue moving, answering sub-Layton calibre logic puzzles (usually about train times – Poirot gives this kind of thing too much thought) and desperately fighting against an overly-fussy handwriting recognition system,” you answered… incorrectly!

The ABC Murders, originally released in 1936, is a cracking yarn (although clearly not ‘Poirot’s latest adventure’, as the back of the box claims), but this digital version is barely more interactive than its paperback origin, and infinitely more annoying.

Jan 4, 2010

More info

GenreAdventure
DescriptionThe novel this is based on, originally released in 1936, is a cracking yarn, but this digital version is barely more interactive than its paperback origin, and infinitely more annoying.
Platform"DS"
US censor rating"Teen"
UK censor rating"12+"
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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