Sorting through a garage sale one weekend, I discovered a fully functional Amiga 500 with a collection of point-and-click graphical adventure games that ranged from Police Quest to King’s Quest. Too young to have experienced these games when they came out, I was drawn in by their simplistic design and cerebral puzzles that require more thought than just locating key cards or placing the squared shape object into a square shaped lock. So it’s a rare treat to find such a game on the Xbox and even more so if it's a police procedural mystery like Still Life.

You play the role of FBI Special Agent Victoria McPherson who happens to be investigating a series of gruesome murders in the Chicago area. Having already claimed five female victims, the killer leaves a trail of clues most disturbing for you to follow yet remains elusive despite all the evidence. To make matter worse, Agent McPherson’s boss is putting pressure on her to close the case before the FBI starts looking bad. It isn’t until McPherson sorts through her grandfather’s belongings that she discovers a connection between these recent killings with a string of murders in Prague during the 1920s. Why did her grandfather, a private detective at the time, take an interest in these killings? Why are the killings so similar in almost every aspect? These are questions McPherson must find and answer to before the killer strikes again. 

Discovering the identity of the killer isn’t going to be easy, though. Much like the recent CSI game available on the Xbox, McPherson must enter crime scenes, evaluate and collect evidence to be analyzed at labs. Armed only with your wits, easy access to case files and a forensic kit filled with all the usual evidence collecting essentials - a camera, backlight filters, tweezers, swabs and Luminol (a chemical used to detect blood stains). At the start of the game you will be put at the scene of a crime and thankfully fellow field agent Claire tells you exactly how to correctly collect evidence.

Unlike most point-and-click adventures, there is no moveable icon or pointer. Instead you move McPherson around much like Silent Hill characters. It isn’t until you’re close to an object you can pick up or examine that an icon pops up.  A dialogue icon pops up when there’s somebody you can talk to while an Examination icon comes up when there’s something that deserves your attention. It isn’t until you’re at a crime scene that the actual forensic evidence collecting comes into play. There’s a correct procedure you must follow too. Mostly you photograph the evidence before you get it the “hands-on” treatment.

Collecting is the easy part, though, because analyzing is where you really put your brain to good use. Whether its comparing fingerprints you lifted off an object or analyzing hair fibers, you are forced to think like a special agent. You will attend an autopsy and you will ask questions. In short, Still Life does a great job of making you feel like a FBI agent caught up in a serious murder investigation. It is this ability to make us experience true crime investigating that keeps this game interesting for gamers interested in problem solving.

Here’s the bad news, sleuthing fans. The game is not only short but it can also offer puzzles that will frustrate you to the point that you’ll be looking for a walk-through pretty quickly. Okay, I’ll admit that I was stumped early in the game when McPherson’s old access code to the morgue didn’t work and all she has for a clue is card with lots of numbers printed on it. You can examine your inventory’s items but trust me when I say that the solution to these puzzles won’t pop into your head instantly. Some of the easier puzzles are obvious but the ones that aren’t will not fail to make you look dumb.

Graphically speaking, Still Life isn’t a bad looking game at all. In fact, it shows off a surprising amount of detailed environments that make it pretty easy to spot items of interest before the Examine icon pops up on screen. The environments, particularly the crime scenes, look grim and oftentimes pretty gruesome (autopsies anyone?) but these things just serve to perfectly set the dark mood. The characters are just about the only thing in the game that doesn’t look as good as the surroundings and this is even more noticeable when it comes to facial expressions. They don’t even move naturally. Still, with great lighting and creepy cutscenes, there very little to complain about.

The sound, on the other hand, is what doesn’t work. The voice acting, for instance, is just plain horrible. We’re talking awkwardly read by voice actors that seem to just be content with reading the lines without injecting some much needed emotion. McPherson is quick with a joke but it just sounds incredibly cheesy coming from her, and the other characters aren’t any better. At least the music, filled with dramatic tones when you’re looking at dead bodies or making any grim discovery, fits perfectly with the game’s somber theme. Unlike the dialogue, it’s emotional and done just right.

Still Life is a return to the classic sleuthing adventure games of yesteryear and it’s one fans of the genre will certainly enjoy despite its shortcomings. While its can be on the short side and there are some puzzles that will surely boggle the mind, the good story and the crime scene investigating make this a worthwhile adventure for those gamers willing to give it a try.

Gameplay: 7.9
Collecting evidence, speaking to witnesses and immersing yourself into a case that takes you back into time will not fail to keep you hooked. There’s much to see and loads of puzzles to solve in order to piece together this mystery. Some puzzles will have you yanking hair out at its roots.

Graphics: 8.0
Still Life actually sports some decent visuals with detailed environments and great lighting effects. The cutscenes are intentionally grainy and give the game a cinematic thriller vibe that works. It’s just too bad that the characters don’t look or move as good as they should.

Sound: 7.0
The game’s soundtrack is dramatic, creepy and sets the mood just as good as the visuals. There are even some good sound effects. Why does everyone talk like they’re cast members from the movie Fargo, though?

Difficulty: Hard
Some puzzles have you put two and two together pretty darn quickly but it's those pesky puzzles with no visible clues that will have you wondering if you need a Harvard degree to solve on your own. If you’re looking for a cerebral challenge, this is the game for you.

Concept: 7.5
While not big on length, Still Life is true to the genre and it even has a good story with decent characters. You might not want to come back to it once you’re finished, though.

Overall: 7.5
Still Life might not be perfect or innovative but it does justice to the classic crime-solving adventure genre and will keep you hooked to the very end. Even with the extremely difficult puzzles, I wish the game were a bit longer and the voice acting a lot better than what’s presented here, but it's still a game worth checking out when you’re in the mood for game that will make you think.