Well that depends.  If you love the show, you may find an adequate amount of entertainment here.  For others, veteran adventure gamers especially, CSI: Miami is a mediocre offering, full of bland dialogue, mildly interesting storylines and decent graphics.  There is nothing to write home about, but there are no hideous blemishes either.

The player takes control of another rookie investigator.  Each case is solved by obtaining evidence at the scene of a crime and then running evaluation tests back at the CSI crime lab.  This includes computer comparison and microscopic analysis depending upon the evidence in question.  You can also interview suspects and get helpful hints from whichever CSI cast member you happen to be paired off with.  The game is very linear and since this is the third game in the series a little deviation from the formula would have gone a long way.

Investigation consists of finding spots on the screen that appear a tad bit more vivid than other portions.  Once this hotspot is found, you must pick the relevant tool in order to collect and analyze it.  You can read about evidence you’ve collected and go over the case by clicking on a related icon located on a menu at the bottom of the screen.  Traveling is handled in the same way.  There are also gruesome cut-scenes that detail events of the crime which will be familiar to fans of the franchise. 

As it stands, CSI: Miami seems specifically crafted for that casual gamer who enjoys the television show.  Having said that it is hard to kill this game as it doesn’t fail in that regard.  Instead, it offers an easy gameplay experience for those who don’t have much time to invest in puzzle laden adventure games or the patience to run and gun through another shooter.  The best games provide a realistic and emotional polish that creates a level of immersion for the player which dissolves the world around.  This game does not have that type of depth.   

Gameplay: 6
Very linear.  You will not be able to progress until something is collected or someone is questioned.  There is a hint system that can be tweaked in order to customize the level of difficulty.  The stories this time out were not as interesting as previous games.  Sometimes the narrative slips a bit when a character makes reference to a piece of evidence that hasn’t been discovered yet.   

Graphics: 6.9
The visuals are serviceable but movement is restricted.  Character models appear decent for the most part but animation seems awkward at times.  Lip sync if off too, a minor complaint.  Hey, David Caruso looks like David Caruso.

Sound: 7
I thought the music delivered that dark, CSI atmosphere and was the best part of this game, although subtle.  David Caruso did a good job with his dialogue, but than I’ve liked Caruso since his fling with NYPD Blue.  I even liked that freaky little independent film he did about the asbestos removers cleaning up a haunted asylum.  Go figure.  Anyway, each location in the game has a good share of sounds and ambient noises to fill the spaces between your ears.  Some of the dialogue however did make me roll my eyes.

Difficulty: Easy  
Too easy for veterans, but this game isn’t really for veterans.  In which case, the level of difficulty fits perfectly for that casual gamer who really digs the television show, but lacks the patience and time to play through a 40 hour epic like The Longest Journey.

Concept: 6 
This is a good franchise but I think the next game will have to add more to the mix in order to keep people interested, even hardcore fans of the show.

Overall: 6.8
This game gets a 6.9 but only for fans as it does a decent job at recreating the look and feel of the television version.  The game is tailored for those casual gamers and that’s not necessarily a bad thing if you find yourself in that category.  However, I’d have to drop that score a bit if you happen to be a veteran gamer looking for an adventure game full of emotional depth.