~3 minute readCOMPUTER GAMING
Suspect
Infocom, 1984 / Most systems / Disk / $44.95
As usual, things are just not going your way. The first time you're invited to a society affair, there's a murder and you're a prime suspect. Your mother was right. Can't take you anywhere.
Of course, as the prime suspect in this case you do have several choices. You can go outside into the backyard and get lost in the fog. You can hang out in the ballroom and pretend you're interested in what the werewolf has to say. You can hide the body. Or you can try to solve the murder yourself and prove that you didn't do it. This is easier said than done. You see, the only evidence is fairly screaming "Arrest the cowboy!" and guess who's wearing the cowboy suit?
But let's start at the beginning. Your hostess, Veronica Ashcroft is one of those wealthy horsey types. She lives in one of the last of the great Southern mansions, a modest little affair on the order of Tara -- or Georgia. Some unscrupulous carpetbagging realtors have started buying off several of the great estates, dividing the land into smaller lots and building little estates. In other words, these's an outbreak of suburbia in the area. They want Veronica's land. Veronica wants Veronica's land and trouble is brewing. But for now, all of this can be put aside until after the Halloween masqued ball, a local tradition for 110 years, is over.
Or can it? At approximately 9:19, Veronica Ashcroft is found dead in the office. She has been strangled by a lariat, the kind that came with the cowboy outfit you rented. A silver bullet is also missing from your gunbelt. All you have is your reporter's notebook, a pen and, if you're lucky, a drink. You have 12 hours to prove you didn't do it. You know you didn't do it. You know you were tangled up with Smythe the butler and some clumsy late arrival at the coat closet at the moment the murder was committed. Smythe knows, too, but he's not talking. The object is to arrange it so that everyone knows.
As usual, the writing is witty, the support material is classy and the repartee between you and the computer better than most conversations you have with friends. Like all Infocom games, there's a cast of other suspicious characters, made all the more bizarre and weird because they're all dressed up like astronauts and sheiks and vampires. Fortunately, some of the more annoying aspects of other murder mysteries such as Witness have been left out -- there's very little waiting around for something to happen. Equally fortunately, some of the more sensible aspects of Witness have been left in: You get to have a drink. Have two. You'll need them before the evening is over.
Fans of Deadline will be happy to know that the loyal Sgt. Duffy is back and is still a master of silent departures and arrivals. He does not recognize you from past cases. This hurts, but life is cruel. It's best not to dwell on it. Instead, bury yourself in your work. Hunt for evidence which will clear your reputation. It's not easy to find but don't give up. As long as you keep handing the detective items that cast a reasonable double on your guilt, you buy time to look for the definitive clue that will prove your innocence.
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