The Da Vinci Code

It doesn't offer enough puzzle variety for serious adventure fans, and the combat will irritate or bore most action aficionados.

And while the game generally looks and sounds just fine, you'll come away thinking about the interminably dull dialogue passages and unconvincing characters.

The game's poor presentation and frustrating combat system make the mystery behind The Da Vinci Code one that most gamers would be better off leaving unsolved.

The actors (not from the film cast) sound utterly bored throughout their lengthy speeches; the only thing that trumps the highly questionable French accents is a guy who actually says "woof woof" on behalf of a virtual dog.

I could go on and on about the other dreadful aspects of this game - the fact that there is virtually zero replay value because once you've solved the puzzles they never change, or the stupid setup that has speech subtitles appearing OVER parts of the screen you need to see to perform actions at some points - but I really can't be bothered.

Except for a few clever puzzles, a strong story, and a handful of pretty pictures, this licensed mess is mostly a failure.

The overall impression is of a game that’s both bravely and badly designed, and weighted towards the latter. [July 2006, p.84]

Playing as Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu, unraveling the mysteries that mirror and expand upon the book and movie's stories, you'll be forced to solve a mystery called "find the fun."

The combat mechanism is an abomination. Every time you get in a fight, you have to match a pattern of buttons to throw a good punch or block an attack. Presumably, this was meant to help non-action-gamers get through combat, but even your grandmother would rather mash buttons than deal with this painful interface.

From the over-reliance on cutscenes and combat that doesn't quite fit, The Da Vinci Code is one of those properties that lives up to the reputation for bad movie-licensed games. Add some cardboard graphics and emotionless audio, and you've got a lemon.

But the other aspects – animation, dialogue, acting, environments, and fighting – are too poorly produced and out of place to ignore.

If you're expecting puzzles to solve in The Da Vinci Code, then you'll be pleased to know there are plenty; if you're expecting a good game, however, that's a different story entirely. [Aug 2006, p.84]