Download issue cgw_37 - Computer Gaming World Museum

y Roy Wagner
Accolade games are fun and of high quality.
They know the C64/128 and know how to use its
best features to the fullest. They give you value for
your purchasing dollar. Paraphrasing a famous
quote, I've never played an Accolade game that I
haven't liked. (Stepping down from the soapbox...)
Killed Until Dead is a murder mystery with a
few special twists. Instead of solving a murder, you
must prevent one from occurring. To be successful
you must identify the potential victim, killer, the
weapon, location, and motive within twelve "game
time" hours.
To assist you in your task are a set of essential
tools for the modern day crime fighter. These include
a set of files on each of five suspects, sophisticated
surveillance equipment, a telephone with
video interface, a computerized notebook that
records your investigations and collects clues into a
reference table, and a game time digital clock.
The game begins with an optional tutorial that
will run for about fifteen minutes and illustrates
every aspect of the game. It is very well done and
provides a great introduction for anyone new to the
game. A well written manual will further clarify
any details that might need explaining. The game is
very easy to play and uses a joystick for nearly all
actions. You select your text options from a displayed
list and will not be required to type anything.
You play the role of Hercule Holmes, the
world's greatest detective and house detective at the
Gargoyle Hotel. The Murder Club has just checked
in for their annual reunion. The five members of
this club are "famous" crime writers with a passion
for practicing the art of murder. Perhaps you have
heard of these writers before; Mike Stammer,
Agatha Maypole, Lord Peter Flimsey, Claudia Von
Bulow, and Sydney Meanstreet. But then again,
maybe you haven't heard of them yet.
These five will attempt to commit twenty-one
different murders during their stay unless you pre-
vent them. If you have not prevented the murder
by midnight, you will become one of their victims.
There are four levels of difficulty; Elementary, my
Dear Watson (7 murders), Murder, Medium Rare
(5), Cases for the Cunning (5), and Super Sleuth
(4).
ONE STEP AT A TIME
Arriving at the correct solution requires full use
of your available tools. The first step is to break
into the rooms of each suspect. To do this, you
must answer a multiple choice mystery trivia question.
If you get it right, you get into the room.
Answer it wrong and a guard will prevent your
entry for ten minutes. The next time you attempt to
enter, the trivia question will be the same. You also
cannot enter a room if it is occupied. Before attempting
to break-in, you can monitor it with your
hidden camera.
The break-in will provide you with information
pertaining to the room's occupant. This information
will be needed later when you interrogate the
characters by phone, so you must break-in to all
five rooms. Some of the information will pertain to
scheduled meetings between two of the characters.
These meetings will provide important information
related to the murder motive. You can monitor
these meetings with your hidden cameras directly
or you can set up a video tape to record up to three
separate meetings.