The game does add a few puzzles elements for variety, although they are pretty straightforward such as finding locker combinations and computer passwords. There’s even a maze-like box moving puzzle at one stage of the game, although this feels contrived and out of place. How often in the television series has a detective needed to reach the other side of a room by shifting around the boxes in his way?

And so it goes for the first half of the game – examine, gather, test, and repeat until you have enough evidence to serve an arrest warrant. Once the arrest is made the game moves to the prosecution side of the criminal justice process. This is a two part process: the first requires you to interview potential witnesses and identify any additional evidence and the second is the actual trial of the suspect. The pre-trial preparation works pretty much like the initial investigation, except now your goal is to identify the evidence you’ll bring to trial and who you will serve with subpoenas.

During the trial you will need to question witnesses on the stand using the same “select the right question” system as before. The difference this time around is that if you ask the wrong question, the other attorney will object to the judge. Similarly, as the defense attorney is questioning witnesses you’ll need to pay attention as to when you will need to object. There’s no need for legal expertise here as the game gives you what you need to know to prosecute the trial through an in-game legal guide.

The game does a good job of capturing the feel of an episode of Law & Order, complete with the opening credits montage and the sounds and music of the series. The story itself is good enough, but it lacks the punch of the ripped-from-the-headlines episodes often seen on the series. This is a murder mystery pure and simple, and won’t invoke moral outrage or ethical dilemmas. The graphics are serviceable and have a slight cartoon-like feel, but don’t expect photorealism or cutting edge 3D here. You should also be warned that the game has its moments of instability and can exit to the desktop without warning. Since there is no auto-save or progress monitoring feature in the game, you need to save often or face replaying chunks of the game.

Law & Order: Justice is Served will appeal most to casual gamers who are fans of the series. If you fall into this category you’ll appreciate the opportunity to solve a crime with Briscoe at your side and to work with Southerlyn on a trial. Adventure game aficionados will find the game too easy – there’s a huge gap in challenge between this game and one from the Myst series. Everyone else will probably not find Justice is Served to be all that engaging and are probably better off spending their game time with other games.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 67%.  Diehard Law & Order fans will find Justice is Served to be a great way to spend a little time with some of their favorite characters from the series. If you’re not in that category then the game will have a tough time challenging you and holding your interest.

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