In video game mysteries (as opposed to novels or movies), I get to investigate the crime scene myself. I can put together the evidence and reach my own conclusion (within a certain framework, of course). The crime is mine to solve, not just observe. But unfortunately, that’s not actually the case with Dreamcatcher Interactive’s Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders. Rather, this game is mainly a collection of puzzles framed by the popular story by Agatha Christie.

Late 2008, The Adventure Company re-released an updated Safecracker for the Nintendo Wii. And why not? The game is well suited to the casual side of the Wii audience, puzzle interaction can be easily handled with the Wii Remote, and if you add a Z to the end of the name, the Safecracker(z) will fit in quite well with the other Wii games on the shelf at GameStop.

Safecracker succeeds at being a fun diversion for puzzle gamers. The puzzles are varied in both structure and difficulty, and the graphics are very attractive in a static/dated sort of way. You may spend more time exploring and less time puzzle-solving than you’d like, and there’s absolutely no replay value (unless you wait until you’ve forgotten the solutions), but you’ll constantly feel rewarded when you’ve finally cracked a puzzle…