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The first thing I noticed when looking at CSI: Hard Evidence at the game store was the M 17+ rating on the box. The game is based on "CSI in Las Vegas," which is one of the few shows I really love to watch, so I decided to take a chance and pick it up, even if it meant that my play time would be limited to when my daughter is safely asleep. Boy, am I glad I went ahead and got this.

I was immediately drawn in. This is my first CSI game, and I was happy to see that Hard Evidence begins with a fairly short tutorial that does a fantastic job of introducing you to the lab equipment, the Wii-mote commands and your incredibly handy PDA.

The PDA is your main control center of the game. With it, you can access all of the evidence you've collected (and any information you have on that evidence), the case file (information on the victim(s), information on any suspects, and the evidence trinity showing any links and how strong those links are between each suspect, the victim and any physical evidence), a list of locations you can visit while you work your case (and new locations become available as your case progresses), and finally the options menu that lets you tweak your controls, save your game, etc.

You do your investigating with the Wii-mote. You'll need to thoroughly scan each location. You can pan around your initial view area. If you can zoom in somewhere for a closer look, you'll get a green arrow letting you know this is an option. You might find something immediately; you may find nothing but get thoroughness points for pursuing every angle (and getting a ton of thoroughness points really helps your evaluation when you face Grissom at the end of the case); you might find a bug to collect for Grissom (There are five bugs in each case that you can collect for Grissom. Collect all five bugs, and you unlock a bonus item of some sort for the case. Since I only got four bugs in the first case, I don't know what that item is at this point.); or you might be able to zoom in even closer to something else.

When you find something that potentially is evidence in your case, your point will turn into a little green toolbox icon. When you open your toolbox, you'll see either your collection tools or your detection tools, depending on what it is you're doing. If you're examining things in a dark area, your detection case holds a handy flashlight. If the flashlight reveals something interesting, you switch to the collection case automatically. You have eight tools in each case, and it's pretty much up to you to determine which tool you need to use. In my first case, I found that if I scan across the tools, two of the eight will jump out a bit. It's up to me to pick which one. If I pick wrong, at least in the first case, it will tell me that's not the right tool and to try again.

After I've collected my evidence, I get to take a closer look at it. I can rotate it around and look at it from all angles. In this mode, I can collect smaller bits of evidence (like a skin flake in one case) or dust the item for fingerprints, for example. You always want to look at your item inside; outside and upside down to make sure you don't miss anything. When you're finished with this initial visual evaluation and have collected any other evidence, it's time to take your booty to the lab for further analysis.

You will learn that in the lab you have five incredibly useful pieces of equipment that enable you to analyze the evidence you've collected. You have a comparison microscope (very handy with fiber analysis), a trace analysis computer (good for checking fingerprints, tire tracks, shoe prints, video surveillance evidence and other miscellaneous items — in one case, a bank deposit slip), a DNA analyzer, a chemical analyzer, and finally, a big table you can use if you need to reassemble smaller pieces of evidence you've collected.

The tutorial case (which you can skip if you really want to, but I don't recommend it) is kind of funny. Someone has stolen Grissom's donut (how low can one sink), and you have to find out who did it — investigating the scene, collecting evidence, using nifty lab equipment and even interrogating a suspect.

Once I'd finished the tutorial, I was just going to have a quick peek at the next case. In Burning For You, I was partnered with Nick Stokes. What was supposed to be a quick look (after my daughter went to bed) turned into a marathon three hours locked in front of the Wii, trying to put together enough evidence in my first real case to get an arrest warrant on someone. It took another hour the next evening (it helped being a bit more rested) to put together the last few critical pieces of evidence that convinced Captain Brass to give me that arrest warrant.

While only one person can be at the controls in Hard Evidence (the Wii-mote in this case), I found it invaluable to have my husband play the game with me — discussing evidence and suggesting other places we might search for clues. I could definitely see this as a thinking man's party game. Even if you intuitively think you know who the perp is, you still have to put together the right evidence to make sure you have a rock-solid case before you're going to get that arrest warrant from Captain Brass. Keep in mind that as you collect and process evidence, Captain Brass is your go-to guy for all warrants and sometimes other inquiries. If you get stuck, go talk to Captain Brass again. Sometimes it takes time to get a warrant or information, and he might just have a little more to offer you.

You should plan on scouring each scene for every little bit of evidence, and you'll likely be revisiting a given scene more than once. If you try to poke around in unauthorized areas, you'll be told that you can't do that yet — you need a warrant. Once a "person of interest" is brought in for questioning, you can talk to them in the interrogation room. Plan on multiple visits since each bit of evidence uncovered, as well as conversations with other interested parties, might open additional lines of questioning. If the person tells you something to the effect of, "That's all your getting for now," then you need to investigate further before you can talk to them again.

If you're playing on your own, and you truly are stuck, you can talk to your CSI partner and request a hint. I have not taken any hints so far, but your partner is there if you really become stumped.

When the case is solved and the perp arrested, you'll report to Grissom's office for your evaluation. I was so excited when I finished my first evaluation. I got a Master ranking my first time out (and you need Master rank to unlock bonus items). I took 0 of 29 hints. I discovered 37 of 37 pieces of evidence. I only found 4 of 5 insects (which is going to make me go back through that level again, dang it) and got 17 of 18 thoroughness points. Woohoo! My husband commented that all the time I've spent playing hidden-object games has really paid off in playing Hard Evidence.

The characters are all recognizable as themselves. The voice acting is superb — though how could it fail to be when the characters (a majority if not all) are voiced by the original actors from the series. Yes, sometimes the lips were not exactly synced with what people were saying, but I was more interested in what they were saying than how their lips were moving. One of the suspects, Ed, in Burning For You, kind of made me snicker every time he talked. If you ever watched the movie "Heathers" (with Winona Ryder and Christian Slater), Ed sounds like he's trying to sound like Christian Slater, who sounded like he was trying to sound like a young Jack Nicholson.

The scenes are incredibly detailed. Hard Evidence is very strict in that it requires you to collect sufficient evidence before you bring someone in for questioning, get a search warrant or get an arrest warrant. Having a hunch helps, but if you don't have the evidence to back it up, forget it.

Hard Evidence has definitely earned its M 17+ rating. There are crime re-enactments like you would see on "CSI," and there are autopsy bits that can be pretty graphic. Let me tell you, I was cringing when I had to collect a used condom as evidence and then swab it inside and out for DNA evidence. It was critical to the case, but ewwwwwwww.

I highly recommend CSI: Hard Evidence. Whether you're a fan of the show, a fan of forensics in general or just like solving gritty crimes, there's something for you. This game is not for younger children or the easily squeamish, so you've been warned. I have loved my time with Hard Evidence and can't wait to get back to my next case, Double Down, working with Catherine this time (but not until after the child goes to bed).