Reuters re: Law & Order
Cassie
Sun Nov 17, 7:05 AM ET
By Gene Emery
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Reuters) - The new computer game based on television's
popular "Law & Order" program gives PC owners the chance to play both
detective and prosecuting attorney in the case of a murdered investment
adviser.
"Law & Order: Dead on the Money" ($30, Windows) unfolds like an original
episode of the hit TV show, with interesting characters, sharp dialogue and
some nice twists and turns -- some of which involve insider trading on Wall
Street.
Legacy Interactive has created the mystery story and courtroom drama using
features typically found in an adventure game, such as video clips, scenes
to explore and plenty of personal interaction with the characters.
The "puzzles" involve finding a password to a computer, the combination to a
safe, and the right pieces of evidence to get people to spill their guts.
The story opens with the discovery of a woman's body in New York's Central
Park. Detective Lennie Briscoe is called to investigate and players assume
the role of Briscoe's partner.
The game uses virtual characters, sometimes known as cyberpuppets. But the
computer-generated humans have a convincing array of expressions: you can
see the perps twitch nervously when Briscoe and his partner ask the right
questions.
And there's nothing virtual about the voices. Jerry Orbach, who plays
Briscoe on the show, does the voice-over for his character, as do the actors
who play Briscoe's supervisor and the assistant district attorney.
The first half of the game focuses on the police investigation. At the
murder scene, the player must scour the area, looking for clues to the
identity of the victim. You'll need a good computer monitor to see some of
the tiny pieces of paper that must be picked up. Items that seem significant
must be stored in a case file, where they can be sent to the crime lab or
the research department to get more information.
When someone needs to be interviewed, the player selects from three
questions -- an aspect of the game that isn't particularly challenging. Many
of the questions are obviously not relevant to the investigation, and if you
miss the opportunity to ask a key question the first time, the game gives
you other chances.
The controls for the game are very easy to use. To send things to the lab,
just click on the casebook to open it, find the lab form, drag a picture of
the evidence into a box and click "submit." Your cell phone rings when the
results are ready. If you need to go somewhere, click on the map icon and
select the location -- but be careful because some locales are below the
screen and you need to scroll down.
If you identify the perpetrator and include all the key evidence into your
arrest warrant, you'll move on to the trial part of the game and assume the
role of prosecuting attorney.
You'll also have to do some gumshoe work because the judge has thrown out a
key piece of evidence, so you must snoop around for additional information.
At trial time, you select the order in which the prosecution witnesses are
presented and the questions to be asked. You can also object to a defense
question if it's out of line, although the game gives you only a few seconds
to do so -- something that is unlike in a real-life trial.
Players unfamiliar with court procedure can do a little research in the
assistant D.A.'s office to find explanations of the different reasons for
objecting as well as other rules. Those are important to know. Near the end
of the game, the defense tries to exclude a piece of testimony. If you don't
select the correct counter-argument (you have a 1 in 3 chance of being right
if you simply guess), you lose the case and the bad guy goes free.
Fortunately, you can save the game at any point and try a different path.
Aside from the need to object almost immediately if the defense lawyer asks
a bad question, I have a few other objections to the game's design.
You can't dawdle in your investigations. For reasons that are not explained,
"Law & Order" gives you a time limit for finding all the right clues and
zeroing in on the suspect. In real life, the statute of limitations for
murder is a lot longer than one week.
There are times when the cursor takes on a life of its own, rapidly skimming
past the point on the screen where you're trying to click. It's the most
maddening element of the game.
Ultimately, with its twists and timing geared to the fast pace of TV drama,
"Law and Order (news - Y! TV): Dead on the Money" is guilty of simulating a
television drama better than a real-life murder mystery. But fans of the
show and people who like whodunit games will find that this CD-ROM acquits
itself well.
-- - -- -
(Gene Emery is a columnist who covers science and technology. His Internet
address is GEmery(at)Cox.net. Any opinions in the column are his alone.)
Joan Hansen
I'm loving the game. I did download the patch that gives you more time.
I'm old and I need it and I enjoy picking up all the unwanted items
and then have to throw them in the trash can. :) I'm now in the court
proceedure and thanks for the tip about objecting almost imediately.
Jenny100
news:3DD83DCA...@cox.net...
> Cassie, I couldn't agree more. You gave a very good review of the game.
> I'm loving the game. I did download the patch that gives you more time.
> I'm old and I need it and I enjoy picking up all the unwanted items
> and then have to throw them in the trash can. :) I'm now in the court
> proceedure and thanks for the tip about objecting almost imediately.
There is a second patch for Law and Order now. It's supposed
to help with incompatibilities with Intel 810/815 chipsets and a
missing evidence problem.