It's been a while since I've played as a woman in a game, especially a character within the graphic adventure genre. It's not something I long for, but it's always nice to see a strong female lead. The usual CSI/Law & Order mix of FBI and murder through the adventure guise is always a good idea on paper and as an avid adventure fan I'm more than happy to investigate such games; hopefully Art of Murder: FBI Confidential will reap the benefits of an intrigued reviewer.

This is the story of young FBI agent Nicole Bonnet, whose first task as a fully fledged defender of the law is to solve a series of macabre murders where wealthy and prominent members of the community have been targeted. The perpetrator's weaponry includes a rare dagger that's used to leave a calling card by removing the hearts of the murdered, whilst each crime scene is also left covered by old Spanish gold coins. Nicole's first day begins quietly enough, a rookie FBI agent assigned to the mundane but predictable task of getting coffee while on stakeout duty with another agent, James Scott. As Nicole returns to the building, gunfire rings out and she finds her fellow agent shot and in critical condition. With his dying breath he urges Nicole to "Give Nick a message." This is one of the most engrossing introductions I've experienced in a while and it generates a real sense of excitement as you begin to play the game.

There seem to be a fair few graphic adventures coming out of the woodwork at the moment, mainly from Europe, which I fully support. Art of Murder continues this tradition, choosing the third person viewpoint whilst using the mouse in the usual manner. A fixed camera is used through the game when manipulating your character and, especially in this case, it enhances the quality of the gorgeously crafted, rendered environments, which are very well presented, almost methodical in detail but revealing a real warmth and artistic merit that will be enjoyed. Whether it's the "Under Refurb" FBI office of the moodily lit basement of the Pre-Columbine Art Museum, the quality in the surrounding environment is something that the developers should be proud of. The character models are of a decent standard as well, with Nicole Bonnet looking like a cross between Angelina Jolie and Audrey Tautou from Amélie. However, some of the characters such as the Porter lack polish and look a little blocky, which is a shame considering the amount of effort that has been put into the backgrounds. The lighting effects are used well though, guiding you towards areas where clues can be uncovered and again they're quite pleasing to the eye.

Controlling the character completely via the mouse is a little too retro these days, considering that games such as Broken Sword have developed further to allow the use of the arrow keys to move around, but to be fair it's a minor gripe. Agent Bonnet moves a little too cumbersomely for my liking; considering that you are meant to be a young and enthusiastic member of the FBI, you do lack some fluidity in your movement. The same can be said about the other characters that, like you, tend to plod from one place to another. It can also take a little while moving between locations as you wait for your legs to catch up with your pointing and clicking. Like a lot of adventure games, when you go to manipulate or pick up an object the smooth transition you expect isn't there, as your character flails a hand out and suddenly the object appears in your inventory.

The puzzles in Art of Murder range from the clever and interesting to the usual switch flicking to open up something new, with the maze probably being my favourite one. There are some instances where you have to perform a monotonous task to proceed, for example, finding paper to put in the printer so you can print a report! But I suppose in the real world such chores need to be carried out before you get to the more interesting parts. The cursor is responsive throughout and I didn't have to suffer from too many "scan the room" moments that can leave you frustrated. For those who need help there is a hint system too, which shows you where you should go if you run out of ideas.

The voice work and dialogue is successful; Agent Bonnet has a likeable voice that only irritates when you begin to repeat fruitless actions and you can always cut conversations short if you want to. The other characters' voices match their counterparts visually and they help keep the story moving along at a steady pace. The dialogue makes sense and I only noticed a couple of questionable moments, and while there's a fair bit of swearing it is used appropriately. The general ambience slowly draws you in, becoming more moody and chilling as you come closer to the killer whilst being quite relaxing when you're back in the office.

The story itself lasts a lot longer than most adventure games, which is definitely a good thing, as is the fact that the game is a lot like an episode of Law & Order with its adult themes and images. There is a lot of blood, gore and ripped out hearts at certain stages during the plot, so you should be prepared! The story itself progresses well and doesn't become overly complicated or take too long to reach a conclusion, and while the usual twists are thrown in they only help to immerse you further in the atmosphere and tension. Also you can actually be killed, so you need to remember to save; very few games have a 'game over' screen nowadays, and this is a welcome inclusion, as the possibility of your life ending if you take the wrong action adds more weight to the proceedings.

Art of Murder: FBI Confidential is a decent point and click adventure, with good longevity and an engrossing story to match. If this game had been made by one of the bigger studios then it could have been something very special, but given its budget restrictions it's a very good adult-orientated adventure that I can heartily certainly recommend to all fans of the genre. Meanwhile, I'm already looking forward to the next instalment of in the series and hoping that the developers can surpass the great work they've done here.

Reviewed by Christopher McNally for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).