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Review: 'Da Vinci Code' compels play in gameBy Marc Saltzman  Players control two characters throughout the game: Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSYou've read the book and seen the movie -- now you can play the game. Based on Dan Brown's novel -- currently in its 104th printing -- and the Hollywood blockbuster of the same name, "The Da Vinci Code" is a controversial adventure game that challenges players to unravel a 2,000-year-old secret. Despite the bland performances by the game's two main protagonists, "The Da Vinci Code" fares well as a video game thanks to its clever puzzles, new story elements and extra locations not found in the book or film. Players control two characters throughout the game: Robert Langdon, a professor of symbology and murder suspect on the run, and Sophie Neveu, a French cryptologist with the French Judicial Police and granddaughter of the mysterious Jacques Sauniere, who was killed in the Louvre Museum at the start of the adventure. If you can get past the monotonous-sounding dialogue and lifeless interaction between Langdon and Neveu, "The Da Vinci Code" does offer some compelling game play. For example, Langdon must search for clues on and around Sauniere's body, type in the correct code scribbled on the back of Neveu's business card to hear a recorded message, and then throw off the French inspector by combining a planted tracking dot with a bar of soap before throwing it out of the bathroom window. A few minutes later you're controlling Neveu, who tiptoes undetected through the Louvre to steal an ultraviolet light, deciphers some puzzles with the help of one of her grandfather's books, and then stealthily attacks a guard and drags his unconscious body into the shadows. All of this, by the way, takes place only within the first 45 minutes of the game. Between evading those on their trail, searching for the Holy Grail and unlocking the truth behind a secret society, Langdon and Neveu will travel to many locations to collect clues, store and combine items in their inventory, solve puzzles and battle foes. Some of the fighting sequences require players to quickly press specific buttons on the controller in order to perform a move that can neutralize an enemy. Think of it as a kind of "Dance Dance Revolution" inspired exercise that requires quick reflexes and memorization of the controller's button layout. Players can also find and brandish weapons such as candlesticks, two-by-fours, lead pipes and wrenches. Other moves at the player's disposal include peeking behind a wall, healing oneself with first aid kits and bandages, and causing a sound distraction by tossing an item, such as a soda can or rocks, to draw an opponent's attention away from the player's location. Those who've read the book or seen the movie may better appreciate this interactive version of "The Da Vinci Code," but any video game fan who enjoys a good story and investigative work should also enjoy this adventure, even if they don't know the difference between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei. 
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