The voiceovers for the many characters range from believable and engaging to unconvincing and dull. Vincent D'Onofrio sounds particularly wooden and halting. On the show, he might appear intense, but here you can't see any facial expressions to enliven his numbingly dry performance. He makes the murder victims seem positively lively. The sound effects are equally poor; they're too sparse and usually sound cheap and unrealistic. Happily, the understated, moody music creates some genuine Law & Order ambience.

Criminal Intent marks a bit of a step backwards for the Law & Order game franchise. The third-person perspective is a bust, and the gameplay is often too linear and tedious. On the bright side, fans of police procedurals and Law & Order in particular should find the cases interesting to unravel. The verdict? Fair to middling.