A spin-off game titled Hamlet: A Murder Mystery, directed by historian Jean-Pierre Isbouts, was a co-production by Pantheon and Castle Rock Entertainment.[30][31][32] Also produced in 1996, this was arguably the first video game based on a Shakespeare work.[33][34] The CD-ROM is divided into two parts titled: "To be" (in which players can play Hamlet in the narrative) and "Not to be" (in which players can read the texts).[35] In gameplay, players wander through the castle trying to locate the killer.[36] The game combines material from the film with original footage, animation, and games and puzzles.[32]
GalleyCat deemed it "The Hamlet Video Game That Time Forgot".[37] Shakespeare Studies, Volume 38, thought that the game shows the film's potential as a middle ground for digital works by offering a sound narrative that can be manipulated by player choices.[38] "Shakespeare's Hamlet In An Era of Textual Exhaustion" felt that the game offers a reworking of the plot that gives the player agency and a sense of immersion.[39] Quandary praised the game for its multi-layered nature and its packaging.[40]
