Unsolved Crimes

$30, Nintendo DS

Teaches: logic, problem solving, reading

CTR Rating: 90%

CTR Review

Players take on the role of a rookie detective in the New York City Police Department homicide unit, in this one-player Nintendo DS game that has a look and feel like an episode of a Dragnet television show. There's a good deal of reading, although it is nicely mixed with the story. Betsy Blake, an aspiring model, has disappeared, and your job is to find out what happened. You gather clues to unravel the mystery. There are three modes of play: an action game; a 3D crime investigation; and a crime quiz. You use the DS stylus to trace marks, routes and memos on suspicious items discovered at crime scenes. Content includes eight cases and five action games related to the story. Nick (age 13) loved this game. He said it really made him think, and he liked trying to solve the cases. While the violence refers to the fact that you are solving homicide cases, you don't actually witness the violence; however, you do see the bloody bodies. He would buy this game. Developed by NowPro for Empire Interactive.