In Cold Blood Review

The star of In Cold Blood is MI6 agent John Cord. You start the game in a holding cell with John being interrogated. He has no real memory of what's happened or what's going on other than a strong sense that he's been betrayed. John gradually regaining his memory dictates the main action. As the interrogation develops, so do the events in the game. The ultimate aim is to find out who betrayed him and why.

In Cold Blood plays like a cross between Resident Evil and Monkey Island, with a touch of Fear Effect thrown in. Pre-rendered backgrounds play host to much conversation, exploration and super-tricky puzzles. Often, one false move will result in a quick death. Thankfully, players can save anywhere during the course of the game.

At this stage, In Cold Blood looks like a quality package. The voice acting is spot-on and the game is hugely atmospheric. The character animation is currently naff and the loading times are long, but there's time for these quirks to be fixed. What may cause the most problems is the nature of play itself: puzzles are logical but tough; progress is satisfying yet slow.

Stephen Fulljames