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showing 38 games

name	publisher(developer)	year	description
Stimulating Simulations	Personal	1978
Mystery House	On-Line Systems	1980	Widely thought to be the first text adventure to include graphics. This game is also unique in that the plot and object of the game is not known until well into it. Also, completing the game is not accomplished by a protagonist/player that must be the squeaky clean heroic good guy who wins by doing everything perfectly. There are some interesting plot twists. The plot was influenced by Agatha Christie's [i]And Then There Were None[/i]. For Sierra's seventh birthday, they released Mystery House to the public domain. [Zerothis]
Alibi	Hayden	1981
Deadline	Infocom	1982	Episode one in a projected series of murder mysteries by the authors of Zork. Interrogate, accuse, make transcripts. Includes inspector's casebook, lab report.*Difficulty Level: \| Junior \| Introductory \| Standard \| Advanced \|[b]>>Expert<<[/b]\| [Zerothis]*An interactive fiction mystery game where you have 12 hours to determine if the dead body in the locked room was the result of a suicide or something more devious. This was the first Infocom game to include 'feelies', the extra items included with the game that contain important information for completing it. Tags: Feelies were the first copy protection that people actually liked. [Zerothis]
Snooper Troops: Case #1 - The Granite Point Ghost	Spinnaker Software (Computer Learning Connection;Tom Snyder Productions)	1982
Snooper Troops: Case #2 - The Case of the Disappearing Dolphin	Spinnaker Software;Ediciel (Computer Learning Connection)	1982
Earthly Delights	Datamost	1983	You ungle leave you a painting of a woman which it titled "Earthly Delights". He assures you in his will that it is of little value to the art world but will bring you much pleasure personally and you should never part with it. Immediately you get a mysterious offer of $70,000 for the painting that is 'of little value to the art world'. You refuse, but are subsequently visited the next night by a burglar who steels Earthly Delights. Now you're off on a world adventure to get your painting back and find out just what is going on. [Zerothis]
Masquerade	Phoenix Software	1983	Same engine as [url=/game-155906]Sherwood Forest[/url]* [48]* [48]*** [48]
Mystery at Pinecrest Manor	Scholastic	1983	[b]Compilation releases:[/b] - Mystery Double Feature - Tales of Mystery
Mystery Master: Murder by the Dozen	CBS Software;Thunder Mountain (BrainBank)	1983
The Witness	Infocom	1983	Difficulty Level: \| Junior \| Introductory \|[b]>>STANDARD<<[/b]\| Advanced \| Expert \| This is a text only interactive fiction. This game was also published in 1987 as part of Infocom's Classic Mystery Library compilation. A desperate in fear for his life needs you help. Its unlikely you can. The good news is, your a police officer and can arrest anyone at any time for any crime they commit against him. The bad news is, you'll need to first gather enough evidence to ensure a jury will be convinced of the guilt of your suspect. You must look for a motive, a method, and the opportunity your suspect had to commit the crime. A bit of caution for your own conscience, It may be possible you could convince the jury of the guilt of an innocent person. Why would you? Because within 12 hours you've got to arrest [i]someone[/i]. You might let the pressure effect your judgment. Common English sentences will work just fine but here are a few things you can do: [b]SAVE[/b] or [b]SUSPEND[/b] saves your game [b]RESTORE[/b] or [b]CONTINUE[/b] loads a game [b]QUIT[/b] exits the game after [b]YES[/b]/[b]NO[/b] confirmation [b]REVISION[/b] or [b]VERSION[/b] tells you the software version of the game. [b]N[/b] to go North [b]E[/b] to go East [b]S[/b] to go South [b]W[/b] to go West [b]INVENTORY[/b] shows your items. [b]OPEN[/b] or [b]UNLOCK[/b] for doors, cabinets, etc... [b]TAKE[/b] or [b]GET[/b]) to obtain items[spoiler=show actions;hide actions][b]WAIT[/b] or [b]WAIT[/b] [# time unit] or [b]WAIT FOR[/b] [# time unit] or [someone], this will wait 10 minutes if you don't give a specific time. [b]ASK[/b] [someone] [b]ABOUT[/b] [someone] or [something], this is a formal question. [someone], [b]TELL ME ABOUT[/b] [someone] or [something], is a friendly way to ask. Some people respond better to politeness. [b]ANALYZE[/b] [something], will give things to your assistant who will do an analysis in the police lab (includes fingerprints) [b]FINGERPRINT[/b] [something], speedier for fingerprints only? But sloppier. [b]ANALYZE[/b] [something] [b]FOR[/b] [something specific], the police lab does not test for INLAND TAIPAN SNAKE VENOM, for example. You'll need to get specific for nonstandard tests. [b]EXAMINE[/b] [something], a standard examination. [b]EXAMINE[/b] [something] [b]CAREFULLY[/b], to take a lot of time in the hopes of finding the maximum amount of information about it. But remember that you only have 12 hours. [b]SEARCH[/b] [something] or [someone] [b]SEARCH[/b] [something] or [someone] [b]FOR[/b] [something], for non-obvious things. You won't find a scratch on the floor, for example, without specifically searching for it. [b]SHOW[/b] [something] [b]TO[/b] [someone], to get their reaction. [b]ACCUSE[/b] [someone] [b]OF[/b] [something], ie: [b]ACCUSE BOB OF MURDER[/b] [b]ARREST[/b] [someone], this is it, game over, one shot, you can only do this once, use with extreme caution. After the arrest, you'll be told the outcome of the case.[/spoiler] [Zerothis]
Apple Games	Sams Software	1984
L'Enlèvement	C.I.L.	1984
Murder on the Zinderneuf	Electronic Arts (Designer Software)	1984
Mystery Master: Felony!	CBS Software;Thunder Mountain (BrainBank)	1984	1 player, 2 players, 3 players, or 4 players competitive. Solve the crime 1st.
Suspect	Infocom	1984	Difficulty Level: \| Junior \| Introductory \| Standard \|[b]>>ADVANCED<<[/b]\| Expert \| This is a text only interactive fiction. This game was also published in 1987 as part of Infocom's Classic Mystery Library compilation. Play a murder suspect. Time is short and police aren't looking for anybody else. Time to graduate from reporter to investigative reporter. You know your innocent, right? The real murder may be watching your every move, so act cautiously. [Zerothis]
Baker Street Detective	Artworx	1985
Borrowed Time	Activision (Interplay)	1985	Borrowed Time is set in mid-1930's. The player assumes the role of a private investigator named Sam Harlow, who has to solve the kidnapping of his ex-wife Rita Sweeney. At the beginning, he runs away from two thugs, who want to kill him for an unknown reason. They fail, and he begins to search the town for clues, asking its inhabitants for information. But if the player makes a wrong move, Sam dies - killers come from nowhere and murder him... The player has to type in combinations of verbs and nouns to make an action. Locations are described in text form and presented by pictures, the latter often providing additional information not contained in the text description.* [48]* [4]
James Bond 007: A View to a Kill	Mindscape (Angelsoft)	1985
Le Crime du Parking	Froggy Software	1985
Mystery Mazes Case #1: The Carnival Caper	Educational Activities	1985
Perry Mason: The Case of the Mandarin Murder	Telarium	1985
Sherlock Holmes in: Another Bow	Bantam Software;Firebird (Bantam Software)	1985
Ballyhoo	Infocom	1986
Intrigue!	Spectrum Holobyte (Kinemation)	1986
Killed Until Dead	Accolade (Distinctive Software)	1986
La Java du Privé	Froggy Software	1986
Moonmist	Infocom	1986	Difficulty Level: \|[b]>>INTRODUCTORY<<[/b]\| Standard \| Advanced \| Expert \| This is a text only interactive fiction. This game was also published in 1987 as part of Infocom's [i]Classic Mystery Library[/i] compilation. Play a famous skilled detective. She (or He) has been invited to England by a friend who is in need of her detective skills. Her friend is being tormented by a ghost in a castle, or a fake ghost? Regardless of its nature, why is it tormenting her friend? There's a secret treasure hidden in the castle. How is that fact connected? The castle is full of interesting characters who will interact differently with a male or female detective. Additionally, there are four main story paths for either one to take. [Zerothis]
The Scoop	Telarium	1986
The Spy's Adventures in Europe	Polarware (Magic Tree)	1986
The Spy's Adventures in North America	Polarware	1986
Murder on the Mississippi	Activision	1986
Dick Francis: High Stakes	Mindscape (Angelsoft)	1986
Make Your Own Murder Party	Electronic Arts (Trans Fiction Systems)	1986
Ace Detective	Mindplay (Methods & Solutions)	1987
Murder on the Atlantic	IntraCorp (Cobra Soft)	1988
Police Blotter	Avalon Hill	1988
Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels	Infocom	1988

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