If you're not a fan of the books then you shouldn't play this game.
The story goes as one fogging day that the Baudelaire's parents had died in a horrible fire (or did they?), and the siblings were sent to live with a relative of theirs; who was Count Olaf and who was a terrible guardian to them. I personally didn't have a problem with the movie or the game, and I did read all the books so far released.
This is a really simple game. You play as Violet, Klaus, or Sunny depending on the situation you encounter. You can move the camera angle and walk with the mouse or just use the up, down, right, left buttons (much easier). Your character basically walks around and collects objects to make weapon inventions. There's not a lot of combat, but when you do get in a fight with Count Olaf's henchmen; you'll use some really ridiculous weapons to blast "things" to kill (not really) your enemy, and then they'll pass out on the floor. There is a variety of different environments in the game, but not a whole lot of interaction with things. Most objects aren't moveable. There are some puzzle solving in the game, but they shouldn't be a major problem. You won't pull your hair out with this game.
The graphics aren't obviously good. It probably look worse than a Pixar movie. A lot things were lacking details and most things looked sloppy. The graphics overall wasn't the best effort in this game; but I did gave credit that it did provide a depressing, dark atmosphere that the books had. The music wasn't very noticeable, but sometimes it added more depressing elements for the game.
Warning: This Game Is Extremely Short; Ranging From 2 to 4 Hours Of Gameplay The First Time You Play!!!!! The Second Time May Only Last Less Than 1 Hour!!!!!!!
At $19.99 or maybe $9.99 by now is worth it just for a fun week. Go buy it if you're a fan of Lemony Snicket. If not; then you should have absolutely no reason to try this game.