Blue Toad Murder Files

The memory test mechanic means you should remain engaged with the story, rather than switching off, once the controller moves on to the next player. It's also suitably non-confrontational, with puzzles that encourage mild co-operation whenever someone gets stuck, or at least a little gentle ribbing. There's no sense of wanting to 'win', more an atmosphere of trying to be a useful part of a team. Design director Paul Woodbridge likens this to watching an episode of your favourite mystery drama with a friend or loved one, generally puzzling out whodunnit for the general good whilst chasing the quiet approbation which comes with getting there first.

The puzzles themselves are relatively straightforward without being too much of a breeze, with some nice new ideas mixed in with a few old staples. Each is timed, with a medal awarded according to speed and the number of guesses. Failure bears no penalty other than the mild censure of your fellow investigators and a condescending quip from the avuncular narrator. Don't expect a Mensa test, then, but there's more here than word searches and simple mazes. Did you know that 'strange lipsticks' is an anagram of 'sticking plasters'?

It's all very well presented and polished, with the pervasive atmosphere of a late-forties BBC radio play or a sentimental episode of the Archers. Embroidered wallpaper of the sort you might expect to find in a classy gentleman's club adorns the interstitials, and flocks of ceramic ducks flutter across the loading screens. Each puzzle is introduced in towering, classic font, casting a shadow to a hammy yet apt crescendo of pantomime string stabs. Relentless is fully aware of the Englishness of it all, and isn't shy about the fact that Blue Toad Murder Files is aimed primarily at a British audience, although there's hope that the tradition of American interest in Britishness will carry here.

As lead writer Iain Lowson explains after we finish the episode, which takes around an hour, he didn't dumb the script down to make it accessible. This is unequivocally a family game, yet it throws around words like 'egregious' and 'libation'. There are things children will skim over and their parents enjoy, and vice versa, but it's all somehow part of the charm. The synergy between script, voicing and character animation is the game's principle asset, and these aspects work together very well to produce a general cosy appeal which encompasses young and old alike.

For its first self-published title, Relentless is aiming high. "The whole idea of the game is to be a replacement for TV," says Woodbridge, a clear shot at the Christmas living room crowd. What's more, the devs are positive that a game like this could never have been a success until recently; the mainstream acceptance of consoles and their presence in most houses means that new directions of development are opening up for studios who wish to explore them. Blue Toad might never become a blockbuster series, but Relentless could well be carving out a very British niche in a new, family-driven market. Try it out at the Eurogamer Expo this week to see how it's getting on.