The Da Vinci Code

The Good
It did have A LOT of mystery and is very deep in the puzzle area. You need to know your art, history, geography etc. Even if you don't it will teach you quite a lot about works of art, artists, locations etc. VERY educational. The puzzles are VERY challenging because of this need for specific historical or art knowledge. Over all very mysterious feel which is enhanced by decent graphics and very moody and shadowy backgrounds. Very cinematic presentation.

The Bad
Unfortunately, there is a lot to dislike about this game. Being a mystery/puzzle game, it does have lots of that, but you almost have to have a degree in Art History, Geography and Languages, not to mention some kind of background in cypher/code knowledge. It is very hard to know what you need, unless you have these talents. As I said, it is a very EDUCATIONAL game, which is good today, and they deserve a nod for doing that, especially when you consider how kids play games ALL the time. Why not give the kids a lesson or two while we're at it.

The problem with that is, you better make the game fun or all that education ain't going nowhere! Not having that background in this game also makes it VERY possible to miss some stuff. How are you supposed to know you need that coin, amulet or talisman? Which brings me to another bad part of this game. There is no assistance in gameplay. It does prompt you as to what your next chore is, but nothing else. You have no clue as to what you're looking for. Your assistant, cryptographer Sophie Neveu, doesn't offer much more than a simple, "I don't think we have looked everywhere" statements. She even says this when you are really finished with the room you're in, but need to go to another room. How are you supposed to know that?

The other thing is that while you're trying to figure out the very brainy historical puzzles, you have to avoid guards, cops and other assorted bad guys, and it's almost impossible to do so. Yes, it adds a spooky creepy feel to the game and lends some danger also, but it gets tedious AND they are sometimes very hard to beat, because the fight control is very poorly designed. They make it much to complicated for this kind of game, with multiple button combo's to hit JUST to make simple punches, kicks or throws. Why not have a simple single button to punch, another to kick and yet another to throw? That part was very frustrating as you would die and have to start over to the last "section complete" of the game. Combine this frustration with the fact that around almost every corner is a potential battle with a bad guy, makes this a real sore point.

Another odd and not so obvious thing about this game is that it really plays itself. There is only one thing to do in any room etc. Apart from the actual puzzles, if you need a certain item, especially early in the game, it is there for you to find. There are no other things to interact with EXCEPT what is required for the game. While some puzzles are harder, this aspect makes a lot of the puzzles or tasks rather obvious. For example if you say, needed a candle it is right there on a table for you to find, or maybe in a drawer. There aren't any other items. It would make it much harder if the room or desk had other things to make you think about using, even if they are useless. Sort of item "red herrings".

The Bottom Line
Nice try, but not really worth the time. They obviously rushed this out to cash in on the movie and slapped a mediocre game out to the market.
Decent graphics, with ok voice acting if not a tad repetitive.

The game doesn't involve you enough and is more frustrating than fun. If you can get through the boredom and single track world, at least it does have a certain educational value.
Perhaps include it in the schools? But, if you're not a teacher, pass.