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A Big Disappointment

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: February 23, 2008
Author: Amazon User

When I read the review of this game that stated if you liked the game "And Then There Were None", you would love this game, I decided to give it a try. I really enjoyed "And Then There Were None". I did not like Murder on the Orient Express, but what the heck - there have been other games that I have not enjoyed.

"Evil Under the Sun" drove me nuts. The main character, Hercule Poirot, had this stupid shuffle walk that I found extremely irritating. Also I don't like a lot of dialogue and there is way too much for me in this game. I finally took it out of my computer, put it back in its box and on the shelf.

So I give this game 1/2 a star.

Could Have Been WAY Better...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: November 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game had the potential to be great. But because of a very wacky and very annoying glitch, the game got old very quickly. I have read a few reviews where others have had a "white screen effect" in which the screen goes completely white, making the player unable to see anything on the screen. This has happened to me. The only way to (temporarily) fix the "white screen effect" is to save your game into a slot and then re-load it. This works for about...um...two seconds. You must keeping doing it. If, that is, you intend on actually completing the game, which I do because I paid 30 bucks for it. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the computer's fault. It is a bug. Something the company should be taking responsibility for. I wouldn't recommend this game only because there's about a 50/50 chance of it working or not.

Something wrong

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: January 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I played this game, which is a good game. but something was wrong with it. I had to keep saving just about every time I took a step. wild and made me crazy. My hard drive crashed and I bought new computer. Tried installing on new computer and guess what happened. Would not install. I was cussing old computer and guess I need to rethink that. Would not buy this game again.

littledutchgirl

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: November 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Like others that bought this game I am encountering a white screen after playing for a few minutes. I am very disappointed because I have enjoyed the other two games in the series. I wrote to the company about this problem and have received no reply. I will not be buying from this company again unless they develop a patch that fixes this problem.

The Third Game In A Great Series

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I have played the last two games in the Agatha Christie PC Games series and was thrilled when I purchased this one. However my excitment soon turned to disapointment when I recieved a white screen on my computer. Luckiy, I was able to play on my mothers 2 week old laptop and I am glad I did.

In the third installment in the series you play Hercule Poirot. Well, physically you play Poirot but mentally you are playing Hastings. Hastings is an old friend of Poirot and after Poirot challenges Hastings to solve a murder case he previously has solved. This being the murder of a famous actress, Arlena Stuart.

The are many suspects and two different locations you can travel to. The graphics in the game aren't the best but not a disapointment. I loved all the different European accents the characters had. The scenery was also beautiful. The music matched the scenery lovely.

There were a couple of things that bugged me about this game. First of all the white screen myself and many other gamers have recieved. In the rest of the game the thing that really made me want to hurt my computer was when I was stranded on the island after the lack of a magazine I needed to repair a car. I had to start the game over (I was about halfway through) since I had no previously saved games. My advice, save the game in different slots after you complete each Act.

Over all I really enjoyed the game. "And Then There Were None" was my favorite but this was a close second. I finished it in three days but used a walkthrough so it probably would last a fair amount of time without one. Playing Poirot for once was also a definite plus and I thought the ending was marvelous. I would definitly play this game again, but $30 is a lot for a game that might not work (white screen again) so I would try to buy a used one or borrow it from someone just in case.

I can't wait for the next installment in the Agatha Christie series!

good game/save and load often though!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 04, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This like the other 2 agatha christie games is good. My favorite was then there were none. But evil under the sun is about the same as murder on orient express. I was able to complete the game without a white screen by saving and reloading every minute.Hopefully future agatha christie games will run better on my XP. But this game is playable if you save and load often.Otherwise it freezes badly or turns white.

Good, not great,.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 10, 2008
Author: Amazon User

First of all I have to say that I had the same white screen problems as other people but by just hitting F2 then F3 for quick save/load I was able to play for an hour or so between white screens. Using that method it only takes about ten seconds to get back into the game and the flow wasn't disrupted at all.

One strange thing about the game I bought was that there were already several saved games that installed from set up, I don't know if anyone else had this?

I haven't played And Then There Were None but this game is definitely better than Murder on the Orient Express. The plot keeps you guessing all the way through and the ending is surprising in a good way, although on reflection it didn't really seem logical (I can't really explain without giving away the ending, but you will see what I mean if you finish the game)

It seems to take a while for Poirot to get from one side of the island to the other but in reality if you double click through the screens it is less than 40 seconds, so it's not a game killer.

The real problem with this game is keeping track of all the characters, you find yourself trailing all over the place to see if someone has anything new to tell you and the only way to know for sure that you have done everything is when the Act ends and you are returned to Poirot's flat.

This is more of a 'gather evidence to support alibis' game than a puzzle solving exercise and the puzzles really don't take much solving. I think the developers wanted this to work more like a graphical whodunnit than a traditional adventure game.

Bottom line is graphics are nice, voice acting is a bit over the top sometimes,the story is absorbing in the sense that you do find yourself suspecting different characters at different points in the game and like I said earlier, never in a miliion years would I have worked out the 'truth'.

This is actally one of the easiest games I have played in terms of the puzzles (this is not a criticism, just an observation).There aren't many places where you should need to consult a walkthrough and I would say there's about 16-20 hours of gaming time in there.

I believe a patch has now been released, but I would wait until you can pick this up as a cheapy rather than shell out full price for it.

A schizophrenic journey through criminal minds

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: May 25, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun is AWE Game's third Agatha Christie adaptation for the PC, and as such, has made admirable improvements over its predecessors, with a few small glitches. Based on Dame Agatha's Evil under the Sun (Hercule Poirot Mysteries), it is the tale of seemingly unrelated guests vacationing on a nearly-deserted British island early in WWII. However, all is not quiet in this apparent paradise; Arlena Stuart-Marshall, a rich and beautiful actress, turns up dead on an isolated beach, and nearly everyone has some connection either to the murder or the strange goings-on on Seadrift Island.

The game opens with the unique premise that Poirot and Hastings are in Poirot's London apartment during an air raid, and in order to distract themselves, Poirot offers to retell the details of his latest case, which received scant publicity due to being upstaged by Hitler. Poirot offers the services of the Finger of Suspicion, a "magical" device that helps eliminate suspects if you get stuck. During the tale, Hastings will jump back and forth between Seadrift Island, 1940 and Poirot's London office as the two share details of the case.

Unlike the previous AWE game Agatha Christie : Murder on the Orient Express, where you played as Poirot (voiced by David Suchet, the BBC Poirot), in EUtS you play as Poirot's friend Captain Hastings as you retrace Poirot's footsteps leading up the the murder and its investigation. However, your physical appearance is that of Poirot, and your thoughts alternate between Hastings and Poirot as the two banter about clues and suspects. Sound confusing? It is at times. Also, David Suchet didn't reprise his voicework here, deferring to the capable Kevin Delaney instead. However, the time travel / body swap gimmick works, and the clever writing results in comic relief.

There are no fewer than twenty possible suspects, and each has their own motive. There is not one, but several crimes unfolding simultaneously, including subplots involving a fascist spy, drug smuggling, past murders, pirate ghosts, hidden treasure, small thefts, and of course, Arlena's murder. Also, Seadrift Island and the Smuggler's Rest hotel are incredibly vast compared to the first Agatha Christie game Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None, offering hours of exploration.

Graphically, the game is flawless, including the Art Deco hotel details and elaborate period costumes. However, I had to giggle on several occasions at a few of the characters who really, really looked like men in drag, especially during cutscenes. I wondered if that was part of the deception at first, but no. Another graphic improvement was in the game's extensive use of ambient effects such as rolling fog, moving shafts of sunlight, distant waves, and rustling leaves that helped to bring static 2D backgrounds to life. The game's voice acting is generally very good, with the exception of some truly bad German accents, and the music is perfectly tailored to suit the mood. The cinematic cutscenes are beautifully executed, and many times are for comic effect as Poirot's grumpy face is featured in close-up, the crinkling of his eyes expressing his disapproval.

The inventory system remains unchanged from previous games, but thankfully, you carry few unnecessary items. Generally, the puzzles are inventory-based and are straightforward, sometimes requiring you to combine items or examine items more closely. Another new twist is the stopwatch; in this game, you time several routes around the island to the scene of the murder to determine whose alibis are sound. There are also numerous documents that are added to Hastings/Poirot's notebook that shed light on past events that are connected to the murder. Poirot also engages in eavesdropping on several occasions, and shadowing shady characters (and ghosts). Another pleasant addition is the use of chemical testing to determine contents of items found in suspects' rooms and at crime scenes.

Two small gripes: when testing evidence, the results are delivered automatically, with no chance for trial and error. A little more freedom of experimentation in determining content would have been nice. Similarly, Poirot is required to play darts at one point, and he wins automatically. I was hoping for a little eye-hand coordination practice instead of having the computer do it for me. Also, some players had issues with gameplay crashes and glitches, but the game ran smoothly on my above-specs computer.

Overall, this is a welcome addition to an impressive series of games that capture the diabolically clever murder puzzles in Dame Agatha's famed mysteries while bringing bygone eras to vivid life. The touches of humor and vivid environment, combined with the extended gameplay, make this the best entry in the series by far, and fans of murder mysteries and adventure games should definitely add this gem to their collection.

read all reviews before purchase

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 9
Date: November 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I knew something was drastically wrong when I found the master key for the hotel rooms before I finished Act 3. It was dangling from the hallway ceiling near Linda's Room. After that, I uninstalled the game and called it quits.

I wish that I could have played this game for more than 7 minutes without my computer rebooting with an error message. A white screen would have been welcome.

Contrary to other reviewers, having an excellent driver or an excellent graphics card did nothing to help me.

I am very disappointed. I own both of the earlier games for PC (Murder on the Orient Express, And Then There Were None) and never experienced a problem this severe with either of them.

Caveat Emptor!!!

Additional note. I gave this game to a friend at work. She took Mr.Anderson's advice and downloaded the "patch" for the game and was so pleased with the patch's ability to stave off the white screen and reboots that the game is currently in a landfill somewhere in PA.

good early and than bored

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: December 16, 2007
Author: Amazon User

its a shame, every time i play agatha christie games i start out enjoying them and than hit a wall,they become boring,walking around this place is so slow and time consuming,makes me go to sleep sooner than i like...i just wish there wasnt so many locked doors, people i cant find,boring puzzles...i guess over all its o.k but the investigating is slow going...i need more action less traveling and less dialoge...i just cant get into this series...the orient express was better since it was confined to the train mostly...this place is just too big if ya know what i mean. graphics are very good but the investigating and walking everywhere over and over again is torture

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