As far as adventure games go, this is a superb example of how one should be made. Solving crimes is the perfect subject matter for this genre - one that seems to die with each passing month. In this day and age of lighting fast reflex oriented games, the slow, methodical pace of most adventure games just isn't "sexy" or attractive to today's Gen-Xers. But every once in a while a really good one will come down the pipe that makes us slow down, catch our breath and use our brains instead of our trigger finger.

Law & Order: Justice is Served is such a game. Actually, it's more like two games (three if you include the free game Dead on the Money). Like the TV show, the game is broken up into two parts: the first half is "find who did it," the second is "prosecute who did it." The storyline feels like an episode of the long running TV show, which prides itself on ripping stories straight from the headlines. In this... ahem, case... Elena Kusarova (nicknamed the "Ukrainian Ace") is found dead in the locker room the day before the US Open. The first detectives on scene are none other than Lennie Briscoe (voiced by Jerry Orbach) and Ed Green (voiced by Jesse L. Martin), and you - the armchair detective.

The first half of the games involves you going about collecting evidence, obtaining information and conducting a plethora of interviews with witnesses and other individuals who might be involved. In tried and true (and now quite archaic) point-n-click, pixel hunt adventure game format, you begin investigating the case from a first person perspective. To a degree, that still happens with L&W - but the pixel hunting here doesn't feel tedious or boring because real world criminal investigation hinges on the minutest of details. As you move the cursor around the screen, the icon changes from a target-like image to a magnifying glass when there's something to investigate. When you can talk to someone, the cursor changes to a little head with a chat balloon above it. If a piece of evidence can be collected, the cursor changes to an open hand - click on the evidence to automatically add it to your inventory.

Certain pieces of evidence can be sent to the lab for analysis. Some of it will help build your case, others won't. But in order to do that you must fill out a "Lab Test Request" form, just like the real cops. You must travel back to your office in order to fill out the form, and submit the evidence to the lab. Not only that, but you have to wait for the results too! This adds just a hint of realism to the game, showing that being a detective is not quite as glamorous as the TV shows make it out to be.

During interviews, you'll be able to choose from several different questions. Always keep in mind that the goal is to ask pertinent questions that will give you the most helpful information. Unfortunately, that only minimizes the length of the interview as opposed to having any sort of "penalty" for asking the wrong ones, because the "interview" doesn't end until you've asked all the right questions. It would be nice to see a game incorporate some form of "penalty," since asking the wrong question in real life can often dead end an investigation. The graphics, facial rendering and voice acting/dialogue (minus the cheesy Russian accents) is well done, and at times conveys the feeling that you're conducting a real criminal investigation. Lennie is as dry and caustically witty as he is in the show.

There are plenty of interesting characters to interview, including the real Patrick McEnroe, who plays Elena's famous coach; a male tennis star who once had a relationship with Elena; her mother - a real charmer, who is as overbearing and belligerent as some of the real-world's tennis star parents. There's even Elena's dubious sports agent, who may or may not have been more; a sleaze-bag security officer, and of course the obligatory stalker, who has made numerous threats against Elena. During some interviews, a witness may become reluctant to give you information. When this happens you'll have to determine what item in your inventory will satisfy (or threaten) the witness to convince them to continue the interview.

To assist your investigation you can submit a "Research Request" - a background check on a witness or research on a piece of evidence; a "Surveillance Request" to see what the witnesses are up to, or a "Psychiatric Evaluation Report." All of these functions must have an appropriately filled out form submitted to the proper division within the precinct. You also have a cell phone, with voice mail, which can be used to get minimal advice from your lieutenant.

Once you think you've built a solid enough case, you can attempt to obtain a search warrant, and eventually an arrest warrant. If you don't have every "i" dotted and "t" crossed, your requests will be denied, and you'll have to resubmit the requests until you have everything right. This attention to detail is a very neat feature that adds to the realism of real police work.

After the arrest, the game changes pace - now you must try the accused. As with the TV show, District Attorney Serena Southerlyn (voiced by Elisabeth Rohm) gives you guidance along the way. If that's not enough, there is a law guide included on the CD. Your job is to make sure you have a solid trial case, again by accumulating evidence and witness testimony. Once you're ready to go to trial, you subpoena your witnesses and submit your evidence. When the trial commences, you will have to examine your witnesses on the stand using the same interview technique from the first part of the game. However, there's a twist here: if you ask the wrong question, or ask it the wrong way, the defense will object and the judge will reprimand you. On the flip side, if the defense asks something wrong you too can object - but it's up to you to do so.

As usual with the genre, you'll come across some puzzles. Thankfully, they're not nearly as impossible to decipher as most adventure game fodder. Primarily, you'll be looking for the right combination of numbers or letters to unlock a safe or a locker, and they'll usually have clues nearby that even a blind man could find. One rather odd puzzle involved navigating Lennie through a room filled with boxes. It's not all that easy, but it still felt tacked on and out of place - almost as if they were adding it just for the sake of including a mazelike puzzle to the mix.

The lone problem we found, which really isn't so much a problem as the way most adventure games are formatted to work - sometimes you find yourself getting ahead of the story. If you haven't collected all the evidence or talked to the correct people in the right order, the plot and dialogue will reference things that you haven't "unlocked." However, if you're an adventure game vet you know this just comes with the genre.

Final verdict? Justice Is Served is first and foremost geared toward fans of the show and those adventure game purists who still exist. It imitates the TV show's style letter perfect and scores high marks for creating an enjoyable story and showing what a good adventure game can be. Additionally, it gives us an amazing criminal investigation experience unlike any game before. If you fancy yourself a modern day Sherlock Holmes... you'll enjoy serving up your own justice!