Da Vinci Code cracked

We've got the first glimpse of The Da Vinci Code game, which is based on the upcoming film adaptation of the multi-million selling Dan Brown book. Published by 2K Games and developed by The Collective (Marc Ecko's Getting Up), the game is described as "action orientated suspense." Expect a strong puzzle element as well, as the plot of The Da Vinci Code concerns solving the mystery behind a murder in the Louvre museum in Paris.

The murdered body of an elderly curator is discovered with the only clue to a potential murderer being a mysterious ancient symbol. Symbologist Robert Langdon is called in to identify the symbol and discovers it relates to a series of codes hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, placed there by the painter himself. Deciphering these codes leads Langdon to discover the existence of an ancient organization still at work today and a conspiracy that goes right to the heart of Christianity.

The screenshots that have been released don't pack much action, but they do show the level of detail for locations such as the Louvre and numerous chapels.

The game's release date hasn't been announced yet, but we expect to see it around the same time as the Ron Howard directed film, which is due out in May, 2006.