The Roottrees are Dead brings a classic murder mystery for money story to mobile

• The Roottrees are Dead, and it's up to you to find out who gets their money
• Uncover a genealogical landmine and find out who is blood-related to the billionaire family
• Wield a dial-up modem and an eye for detail as you dissect articles, books, photos and a mountain of evidence

Picture this: a mysterious plane crash, a wealthy family all deceased, a tangled family tree and an eye-watering fortune on the line. Sounds like a complicated case file of facts and fabrications arriving this November 5th. But one thing's for absolute certain, The Roottrees are Dead.

The Roottrees are Dead puts you in the shoes of an investigator piecing together the aftermath of the titular family and their deaths. A private jet crash kills both the parents and children of the Roottree family, leaving a billion-dollar fortune up for grabs. And thanks to the wishes of their eccentric elder, Elias Roottree, you'll need to figure out exactly who is related to the family and eligible for the money.

Dial-up time

Armed only with a dial-up modem and your own wits, you'll need to scour the early internet, books, photos and a mountain of other evidence searching for the links that tie seemingly unrelated individuals together. Seemingly simple facts become much more complex the further you dig in, and the case only grows more complicated with each step.

The fun of The Roottrees are Dead lies in connecting the dots, and untangling a very, very complex web of genealogical data. All with a massive, billion-dollar fortune on the line and plenty of people vying for a slice of that pie.

The Roottrees are Dead has achieved broad critical acclaim for this approach, and as a fan of classic mystery television such as the X-Files and Columbo, I admit there's something tantalising about stepping back in time and doing the detective work the hard way. So if you're interested keep an eye out November 5th, for when The Roottrees are Dead launches on iOS and Android.

In the meantime if you're looking for even more tantalising stories to follow, full of twists and turns, then why not check out our list of the best narrative adventure games on mobile, packed with everything from pitch-black comedy to exciting, rip-roaring journeys!