Tuesday 28 March 2006
In the spirit of the book itself, we embarked on some keen investigative work and uncovered a few, we have to admit, really very unexciting screenshots from The Da Vinci Code (hit the 'images' tab above to see them). Still, while the shots reveal little gameplay - in fact, nary a hint of it, let alone Mary Magdalene - here's what we know...

The Da Vinci Code: The Game is going to be a third-person action-adventure, in part reminiscent of the old Broken Sword point 'n' click puzzlers we all know and love - except adapted specifically for life on console.

This means sneaky stealth sections and combat elements layered onto all the code-decrypting mayhem the book dished out. The game will be multi-linear as well, with numerous solutions and the option to play as carefully - or  as carefree - as you so choose.

The problem with this sort of thing traditionally is that they tend to be an absolute cakewalk for people that have read the book or seen the film, and impenetrable for those that haven't. The Collective's solution? Though strongly based on the book, the game version of The Da Vinci Code will not be afraid to mix it up a bit, retaining the core cast and locations of the Tom Hanks movie (we've already been promised La Louvre and Westminster Abbey), but also giving us the chance to explore other areas only seen in passing, such as Rosslyn Chapel.

There's quite a lot of potential in this licence, and to give The Collective its due, it appears that a lot of thought and effort has gone into designing the fundamental framework behind the game. And as a bonus, you won't have to read Dan Brown's crushingly average words either.