Kind of like an interactive episode (or five) of the TV show. Just ignore the bugs. (Content note: The game is rated M and this review goes into a little detail about why.)

(Quick note before I continue: I’m reviewing the Xbox 360 version. I hear it’s also available for the two Ws: Windows and Wii.)

In the game, you’re a CSI, working with computer-animated versions of the original CSI’s main characters to solve crimes. It’s not quite as exciting as it could be; there’s no way to arrest the wrong suspect or otherwise screw up the case. But you do get evaluated on how well you gather the evidence and whether you use hints.

But it’s not without bugs. The first few times I popped the game in, I got stuck - once in Grissom’s office with nowhere to go, once with a blank “Details” screen that wouldn’t go away, and a few other times with a few other oddities. Could just be random glitches, though; things started working OK again a couple of days later.

Controls on the Xbox are a bit wonky - you use the left stick like a mouse, but the digital pad to navigate some of the menus. I would imagine it’s a bit better on Windows and Wii.

This game is OK as a freetime game - you could play it for an hour, put it away and play again later without having to remember too much. The game keeps track of all the facts and makes all the conclusions, so if you forget what happened, you can head to the case file and get caught up again.

As for the game making all the conclusions, well, that takes a lot of the mystery out of it. Since the on-screen characters take care of the thinking, the game loses some interest and intrigue. Occasionally, I found myself just kinda following along and suddenly, the case was solved.

So there are no real stakes; this is more of a game with five interactive episodes of CSI starring some off-looking computer-animated clones of the characters. And the occasional plot hole - Doc Robbins mentions the family of the first victim is all dead when said victim hasn’t even been identified. Then there’s another one in another case involving a blind character. That’s a little too important a plot point for me to elaborate on.

For fans of the TV show, a couple things may freak them out a bit, aside from the occasionally creepy computer animation. Those are the voices of Catherine and Sara, performed by soundalikes to the original actresses. The male characters are voiced by their TV actors.

A bit of a content advisory for parents: While this game does carry an M rating, it’s certainly not promoting violence. The language is occasionally a bit more intense than it is on the TV show, and there is a mild sexual theme in a couple of the cases. The player has to swab a used condom in one case and there is a short scene of fully clothed on-screen “sex.” The scenes in the morgue may creep some viewers out, and the game does use some of the anatomical animations from the show to demonstrate some of the crime.

All in all, fun was had, although the interactivity was a bit lacking. About as replayable as the TV episodes of CSI - not more than a couple times until you’ve had a chance to forget the game.