Death on the Nile

One of the fastest growing segments in the casual game industry is the seek-and-find genre, most recently represented by Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile. Like the Mystery Case Files series, your task in Death on the Nile is to unearth a number of hidden objects in a highly detailed scene. Whether your a fan of the murder mystery genre of books or you like playing Where's Waldo, Death on the Nile has a lot to offer you. To succeed, you'll need a keen eye, an inquisitive mind, and maybe just a little bit of luck too.

Granted, the main reason why you'd be interested in a hidden objects title such as this is the gameplay, a good backstory can also go a long way in adding value and enjoyment. Because Death on the Nile comes with backing of the legendary Agatha Christie, you can be sure that the tale is compelling, intriguing, enrapturing, and occasionally enlightening.

Similar to Clue, the gist of the story is that a group of people got together and one of them is mysteriously murdered. Everyone's pointing fingers but no one is accepting the blame. Was it an accident or was there mal intent? Who's lying? Who's telling the truth? You can't tell from their testimony alone, so you must search through each of the several rooms to unearth some clues. These range from things like candlesticks and bits of ribbon, right up to obscure items like snakes and African drums.

Remember, though, that all this evidence is cleverly hidden in the scenes. You may be tasked with finding a baseball bat, for example, but it has been camouflaged into a door frame, blending in seamlessly. You'll need to look very carefully for objects like this. Other items may be partially covered by other things, so you can only see a portion of it. You also have to remember that things aren't always as they seem or sound either. When looking for a "flying bird", for example, it might only be a figurine or a painting and not a live animal. Parts of the scene are even animated to add to the challenge!

Because there isn't nearly as much animation found in these hidden objects games as in titles of different genres, the developers are able to integrate much higher quality and details in the background. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the imagery is photo-realistic, but it is certainly more believable than the cartoony appearance of popular games like Diner Dash and Bejeweled.

The soundscape in this free online casual game, on the other hand, isn't nearly as impressive. Then again, the video game music and sounds aren't as important either. There are some whimsical effects used when you click on an appropriate object, but not much else. People looking for a little more in terms of creating atmosphere may want to look elsewhere.

Because the story is written and endorsed by Agatha Christie, there is an automatic appeal to this fantastic murder mystery. On the other hand, the gameplay is virtually identical to each and every other hidden objects game out there, so you won't find much in terms of innovation in Death on the Nile. Sure, there are occasional mini-games that break up the action -- piecing together shards of a map, for example -- but by and large, you've played this game before. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is completely up to you.

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