It's a dark and stormy night in the spring of
1926. As Laura Bow, college student and amateur detective, you are
looking forward to spending the night in your roommate Lillian's old
family mansion. A ferry transports you across a dismal swamp and
deposits you on the grounds of the dreary and run-down Dijon plantation.
There, the rich and eccentric old Colonel Dijon, who feels his end is
coming near, has organized a gathering of friends and relatives. He
announces that, when he dies, his wealth will be divided equally among
those present. Should anybody die before he does, then his share will be
divided among the surviving inheriting people. Shortly later in the
evening the murders begin.
Who is killing the relatives and associates of the colonel, one by one?
Is it the sneaky lawyer, who has a racehorse scam on his conscience and
can't tolerate the colonel's niece from separating with him? Is it the
doctor, who owns a bag with deadly injections and pills? Or did the
quiet, yet imposing butler do it? Whoever is responsible, they aren't
likely to take kindly to a would-be private eye snooping around, so
you'd better be careful as you discover facts (and falsehoods) about
your fellow guests and their relationship to the old man who's money
will be inherited by whoever survives him. Use secret passages to
overhear private conversations, look out for suspicious items which may
change from location, search for finger prints and other clues to find
out the truth behind the killings. Observe, be fast and careful, because
you could be the next victim.
|
|
Roberta Williams, who designed Sierra's first game, Mystery House
in 1980, felt it was time to write another murder mystery which lived
up to the computer capabilities of the late eighties. Mystery House,
which was put on public domain in 1988, was the first computer game ever
with graphics, but it lacked colors, animation and sound. The Colonel's
Bequest was developed, using EGA graphics, Sierra's SCI engine, sound
and a music score, as well as featuring a deeper plot and more detailed
character descriptions.
The game has a sequel, The Dagger of Amon Ra, which is also the last Laura Bow game. Both games are also included in the 1997 King's Quest Collection and the Roberta Williams Anthology. Although the original release of The Colonel's Bequest can still relatively easily be found on online auctions, a complete
original game is considered as a true collector's item, as it contains
many goodies which are often missing from second-hand sales,
particularly the Laura Bow pen and notebook. The games copyright
protection is also quite original: the gamer needs to use a magnifying
glass (included in the box) to identify a fingerprint on the game
screen.
|
|
|
|