You play Patrick Narracott, and your brother is Fred Narracott, the boatman from the original novel. You get involved when you have to take over boating duties and ferry passengers to the islands. A turn of fate (or was it sabotage?) strands you on the island with ten people who were all invited by a mysterious character named U.N. Owen. But something strange is afoot, and people start dying. The rhyme above the mantle, "Ten Little Sailor Boys," seems to echo each person's fate. As the story evolves, it may turn out that Narracott has more of a role to play than you first thought.

Unfortunately, Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None suffers from some of the same flaws as other games of this sort. Movement can be painfully slow and is restricted to only a few set paths. Yes, double-clicking will make Narracott run, but most paths are so short that there's no benefit to doing so. Since the cursor changes when you encounter something of interest, you may find yourself resorting to "pixel hunting" - sweeping the screen with the cursor looking for clues. This style of gameplay is no longer new and exciting, and puzzle game designers need to take a serious look at addressing some of these common complaints.

The visual elements of the game are nice, but not stunning. Since most of the scenery cannot be interacted with, it has a flat feeling and can look a bit fuzzy at times. The house interiors are very nice and quite detailed in some places, like the staircase or the floor in the entry hall. The characters themselves are stiff, but they aren't animated most of the time, so it's hard to see how well they might look if they were actually moving.

Voice acting and sound in general is another matter, and was quite well done, especially considering the large number of characters that needed voices. The background music was pleasant, and sound effects were sufficient considering the lack of action. Since the story takes place in England, all of the characters have a British accent of one sort or another. Despite this, the game doesn't feel like it captures the essential "Britishness" of the novel. When Narracott is told to wait until dinner is over so he can get a sandwich in the kitchen, the average player probably won't understand why he doesn't just go and sit down with the other guests. However, in the novel Agatha Christie does great job setting the tone of British society in the early 20th century, and it would be much clearer that he can't sit with the guests because he's the help. This is an element that the game sadly lacks, especially when Narracott starts grilling everyone incessantly, and gets answers, despite his lowly status.

While the game has plenty of non-linear elements, the storyline can stall out until you've done certain tasks. However, with multiple possible endings, it's interesting to see how different decisions affect the outcome. This is a far cry from games which proceed inexorably to the conclusion no matter what you do, and in my opinion one of the nicest touches in Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None. In addition, if you play your cards right, after finishing the game you can see the novel's ending unfold as well.

Despite these gameplay issues, the puzzles can be fiendishly difficult. Many of them require items from your inventory, so you better hope you have the right pieces at the right time in the right place. Fortunately, you have room for anything you can pick up, but I think it's limiting that the most of the items you can pick up are the ones that will eventually give a clue or solve a puzzle. It would be more fun if you could pick up or at least interact with more of the environment.

Your inventory will process most items you find, so there's a minimum of clicking required to extract the appropriate information. However, in a new twist on the old inventory screen, you can assemble and disassemble items to help solve puzzles. Up to four items can be combined at a time. You won't get any clues if you pick the wrong items, which you may find either challenging or frustrating.

Agatha Christie fans and novices alike should enjoy Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None for the great story, despite the disappointing gameplay style. Since the novel is included in the game package, you can either read the book first as I did, or else play without knowing the story, which will make things much, much harder. If you're familiar with the story, you may fear that you know how the game will end. Trust me, there are plenty of surprises in store for you.