Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None
Agatha Christie -- And Then There Were None
The title comes from the last line of a children's nursery rhyme that predicts and describes
the deaths of the ten invited guests to Shipwreck Island
One choked his little self, and then there were nine
One overslept himself, and then there were eight
One said he'd stayed there, and then there were seven
One chopped himself in halves, and then there were six
A bumble bee stung one and then there were five
One got in Chancery, and then thee were four
A red herring swallowed one, and then there were three
A big bear hugged one, and then there were two
One got frizzled up, and then there was one
One little Sailor Boy left all alone,
He went and hanged himself, and then there were none.
With the rhyme in one hand and the floor plans for the exquisite Frank Lloyd Wright
inspired house in the other, you are off to solve Christie's best mystery. The mystery
begins when the boatman who brought the guest to the island finds his boat scuttled --
now all are trapped. The Adventure Company has used a clever mechanism for telling the
story. Patrick Narracott , the boatman who ferries the people to the island becomes both
the third person story teller and the investigator. The ten people are a varied lot: a judge,
playboy, secretary, detective, doctor, spinster, retired general, an adventurer and husband
and wife butler and housekeeper. After a quiet dinner, a mysterious voice accuses each
one of them of murder. Soon after, one of the guests chokes to death and one of the sailor figures disappears.
The beginning of the game deals with gathering information. Patrick wanders throughout
the house picking up clues and random items which will eventually be of use. After the
first murder -- He listens at doors, peaks though keyholes and questions the guests and
assembles dossiers on each of the guests. Once this is done, the game picks up speed.
Will Patrick be able to discover the killer and save any of the guests? Enough to say that
there are three possible endings. The game uses a unique identifying cursor which
changes to indicate various actions: speech, keyhole, walk, view, stairs eavesdrop, door
and take. Using the keyhole for peeking and the eavesdrop function came in very handy.
This was a very ambitions undertaking for the producers. A game with 11 different
characters to animate; a complex story line to tell; and conveying the emotions of nine
trapped people facing probable death is more suited to the movies. As games introduce
more complex story lines -- how to convey such information will have to be fully worked
out. The Mystseries depends upon the gamer reading numerous journals to get
the most out of a game, but it can still be played by skipping all the reading. Not so with a
complex mystery. You must know the facts. Interestingly, the game comes with the
paperback Agatha Christie mystery. Do you read it before, or after? Anyway, I am glad
that The Adventure Company put out the game. There has to be more mysteries than
the Nancy Drewseries.
Reviewed by: Editor - 12/05
Ages: Everyone
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