Simulating death is the one thing that games love to do. How many times have you watched your favourite avatars die and resurrect? Despite its gothic ambitions, Murdered: Soul Suspect has its hero die just once, at the beginning. Detective Ronan O'Connor then takes a spectral form and investigates his own killing, with the help of Joy, a grouchy teen medium. Think The Lovely Bones meets Phillip Marlowe via CSI: Ronan examines crime scenes, possesses witnesses, suspects and cops, and stitches together the events that led to his death. There's also some action, as Ronan fights the odd demonic ghost, which should be more exciting than sneaking behind them and pressing a button. The premise is fresh, the story is fine, the crime scenes are user-friendly, and the game has an appropriately murky, near monochrome look. It's subdued, but reasonably effective. murdered.com