As the open credits roll, the cinematic images flash by and the gruff, noirish voiceover begins the tale of corruption and crime in 1940s Los Angeles, you begin to realise LA Noire is something very special indeed.

Interactive fiction has made a major comeback, having died a death in the guise of point-and-click adventures such as Broken Sword and Monkey Island.

With Heavy Rain came a revitalised genre which sparkled with narrative and played like a cross between real-life and a gripping television drama.

But LA Noire goes even further with a slick, involving game that pits you as a detective and is the gaming equivalent of a top-quality HBO drama.

The lines between film and virtual console fiction have become heavily blurred as graphics technology provides increasingly realistic and engrossing gameplay experiences.

L.A. Noire shoots itself to the top of this billing by employing revolutionary facial recognition and motion-capture effects to produce the most lifelike in-game characters ever.

Just as well, because this gloriously gritty 1940s crime adventure requires you to interrogate subjects and predict who's lying from their facial expressions.

No more evidence required, other than a few hours spent with lead character Cole Phelps and co...