Tag Archives: Sierra

PC Games

Police Quest 2: The Vengeance

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Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Year: 1988
Platform: DOS; Amiga; Atari-ST; PC-98

Rating: 10

While our family would often play adventure games together when I was young, we would generally pair off given the tight squeeze around the IBM. Police Quest 2 was the exception, with my brother, father, and me huddled around the tiny screen for weeks because we were so invested that we wanted to experience it at the same time. And while that memory no doubt elevates this game for me, I still think it’s damn near a perfect game.

Sonny Bonds is back…with a vengeance! Actually, Jesse Bains, the perp he testified against last game and put in prison, is back with a vengeance. Not only does he escape prison, he also kidnaps your girlfriend Marie to exact revenge upon you. I’d feel bad spoiling the kidnapping–which takes place about halfway into the game–if it wasn’t described on the box with a picture of Bains literally holding Marie hostage. Sierra definitely didn’t want you to realize plots could be uncovered!

The Lytton P.D. has received a major overhaul since the first game, not only of the building but of the staff as well. Lest you worry that you’ll get bored with nobody familiar around, Jim Walls has created several more characters with wonderful personalities. First is Keith Robinson, your partner. Other than taking smoke breaks and making snide remarks, he offers little help, but he provides the comic relief that every cop game needs. In one instance, while on the way to a scene, Keith wagers with you on whether the witness is a dude or a chick. There is no reason for this little scene to be in the game, but given how many intense moments there are, the levity is appreciated.

Then you have Captain Hall, who has a very short temper but a keen taste for pistachio ice cream and is a master at working the telephone. If you dink around too much, he’ll literally suspend you. But he’s also got your back when shit starts hitting the fan. And, as with Police Quest 1, the supporting cast (such as the guys in Narcotics, the street cops, and the gun range supervisor) usually have something funny and interesting to say.

The production values have also taken a leap forward. The pixel-art graphics are generally well-detailed and colorful, and there’s little in the way of pixel-hunting. The sound is a consistent delight, with the music carrying an energetic Miami Vice vibe. Even the sound that tells you that you’ve been awarded points is addictive.

The plot takes a more linear route this time around as Sonny usually knows his next destination. Yet you’re not hand-fed what to do, and the puzzles remain fair and moderately difficult. The day-to-day busywork is toned down considerably (no more checking for flat tires!), but important police procedure still must be followed (such as collecting evidence) in order for Sonny to have a clue as to what’s going on (in addition to nabbing more points!). The design team also made a smart move in eliminating manual driving. Since Sonny drives an unmarked car and never needs to patrol the streets, driving would have become pointless and quite tedious.

The Vengeance has the best story in the series, thanks in large part to its cohesiveness. Your focus is unwaveringly on Bains and saving your girlfriend, giving each decision a gravity that was lacking before. You’ll race around town to follow Bains’s trail, coordinating with airport staff, a scuba diving team, hotel staff, and other police departments. You’ll even explore a sewer system! There is one highly contrived scene in the airplane that has no relation to the main plot, but it can be forgiven considering its entertainment value. And the endgame, which requires you to think quickly to rescue Marie and stay alive, is pitch-perfect.

As close to flawless as an adventure game can get, Police Quest 2 remains my favorite game of all time.

Contemporary Rating: Medium. Good parser, but going to the shooting range multiple times to adjust the sights on your gun would annoy many.

Cruelty Rating: Tough. If your only saved game is a split second before you’re going to die, then yes, you can make the game unwinnable. Otherwise, you should be fine. You can miss a ton of things through your investigation, and this will make the game more difficult (and less enjoyable), but it won’t lock you out.

PC Games

Heart of China

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Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Dynamix
Year: 1991
Platform: DOS; Amiga; Macintosh

Review: Dynamix took everything great about Rise of the Dragon and nearly perfected it for their second adventure game. You play pilot Jake Masters (though Indiana Jones would fit as well) of a touring company in the Far East. The only blemish Mr. Masters has on his record is an acquiring debt with his creditor E.A. Lomax, a ruthless businessman out of New York and currently stationed in Honk Kong. Lomax gives Masters an ultimatum: save his daughter Kate who is in the hands of the Chinese in Chengdu and his debt will be cleared. Refuse Lomax’s offer, and well, let’s just say Masters can’t refuse the offer.

In Honk Kong, Masters finds Zhao Chi, a masterful ninja who offers to help Masters. Of course, Masters knows he needs no help, but lets him tag along anyway. Saving Kate in China is just the beginning of the adventure as you travel to several different cities, trying to get back to Paris where Mr. Lomax will be waiting for you.

Heart of China is a captivating game. Every character is fully developed, making the player feel for the heroes and hate the villains (and sometimes vice versa). Conversation is realistic. As in the game’s predecessor, what you say can come back to help or haunt you later. A romantic story develops with believable sexual tension and humour. The graphics are superb, and the sound is appropriate and lively most of the time.

Even the plot develops as the game progresses, which is a rare treat in the adventure genre. You can play all three main characters at various times, and discover plot branches that give you a completely alternate path to proceed through that part of the game. Along with three distinct endings based upon the relationships you develop (or destroy) throughout, the replay value is high.

My only major gripe about this game is the same one I had with Dynamix’s first offering.  The arcade sequences simply do not fit.  While the first one is marginally enjoyable, the second one (which literally ends the game)  is a clunky mess that ruins the tempo of the ending. Blissfully, you are given an opportunity to skip them if you fail a certain number of times, but that’s certainly anticlimactic.

Despite the arcade debacle, Heart of China is easily one of my favorite games and is one that I have gone back to on more than one occasion. If you love Indiana Jones, then this game should be on your must-play list.

Contemporary Rating: Low. The arcade sequences along with some occasional confusion manipulating inventory items would likely irritate some.

Cruelty Rating: Nasty. There are a few times you can make the game unwinnable, sometimes obviously, sometimes not.  However, the game never allows you to become walking dead for long, as it becomes obvious pretty quickly you’ve goofed.  Regular saving should allow you to explore and enjoy various paths and dead ends without getting frustrated.

PC Games

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers

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Publisher:Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Year: 1993
Platform: DOS; Windows; Macintosh

Review: Near the height of Sierra’s peak in the gaming industry they were releasing copious amounts of sequels to the games that made them famous. But in 1993, Jane Jensen began a new series, and in this author’s opinion, created the best game Sierra developed.

You play Gabriel Knight, a New Orleans writer and owner of a failing bookstore. “Employing” a young post-grad, Grace Nakamura, to run the shop while you grimace with writer’s block, there is little to look forward to in life except philandering. The headlines are barraged with stories regarding the “Voodoo Murders,” a series of mutilations that appear to be a part of a ritualistic cult. Your friend Detective Mosely lets you in on parts of the case to help you write your new book about Voodoo, and even reluctantly turns a blind eye to your own personal investigation of the murders the NOPD cannot solve.

While the game includes a comic book prelude to the plot, it gives away very little of the gaming experience. The pacing is brilliant, with a believable timeline and healthy doses of tension and humor. Gabriel’s relationships with his family and friends are genuine and deep, even though he has difficulty coping with his emotions. The story itself is fascinating, with several plot twists (mostly acceptable), and rich in detail and culture. I practically wanted to visit New Orleans after completing the game.

Sins Of The Fathers executes Sierra’s best implementation of the point’n’click system. Rather than four icons at Gabriel’s disposal, you now have eight, all with distinct and purposeful functions. The game differentiates between merely talking to a person and interrogating them about certain topics. Thankfully, you don’t have to take notes as the game saves all conversations for you. Unfortunately, the interrogation process can be painful; you are given a list of topics you can speak to each character about, and as you learn more in the game, more topics become available.  What this leads to is revisiting the same places dozens of times to see if a topic subject has appeared on the approved list.

What makes this whole process tolerable is the excellent voice acting by the game’s many characters. Tim Curry plays Gabriel. At first, I was turned off by his cocky drawl, but the longer I played the game, the more I became addicted to the personality Curry gives Gabriel. Michael Dorn also does a fine job as a Voodoo store clerk, and Mark Hamill gives a believable performance as Detective Mosely.

The game’s puzzles can be contrived at times, but usually fit seamlessly into the plot anyway. A few are also pointlessly difficult. What, if anything, holds this game back is the precise order you must complete all of your tasks in.  While the game employs Sierra’s time advance system, cutting things nicely into several days of action, it rarely allows the player to differentiate from the predetermined path. This creates stagnancy when the player is stuck on one minor puzzle, which a game should never do if the focus is on story and atmosphere.

To wrap up, the graphics and sound are brilliant, and the series of events that lead to the end of the game are superbly written and pack a wallop of intensity. Any serious fan of adventure games must play Sins Of The Fathers.

Contemporary Rating: Medium. The constant revisiting of the same places annoyed me, so I’m sure it would annoy modern gamers.

Cruelty Rating: Polite. Yeah, a Sierra game that isn’t cruel!  The few times you can die, it should be pretty obvious to save before hand.

PC Games

Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel

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Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Year: 1987
Platform: DOS; Amiga; Apple II; Atari ST; Macintosh

Score: 8

Review: My passion for adventure games–no doubt buoyed by playing alongside my dad–began with an AGI figure named Sonny Bonds. A traffic cop from Lytton, California, Sonny has aspirations of moving up in the police force, a goal roughly equal to his pursuit of beautiful women. Sonny begins the story performing his regular duties: briefings, pulling over unlawful drivers, and taking coffee breaks at Carol’s Caffeine Castle. Successfully navigating these basics of being a patrol officer will eventually help you earn a promotion to the narcotics division in order to pursue local drug lord Jesse Bains, the “Death Angel” mentioned in the title.

I love games that take place on Earth with real-world situations, because I can relate to the characters better and put myself in their shoes. Police Quest was created by police officer Jim Walls while on leave related to an on-the-job injury. The game’s depiction of accurate police procedure is so thorough that some precincts used it as a training tool to highlight the importance of following protocol. Yet the emphasis on correct police procedure is ridiculously high considering this is a regular ol’ adventure game. The most obnoxious example leads to a game over if you fail to check your squad car for flat tires. If you do a walk around, the tires will be fine; but if you ignore this protocol, the tire will magically end your career. And you must do the slow walk around EVERY SINGLE TIME you leave the police station (but not when you leave any other location!).

Thankfully, failure to do things correctly (such as correctly filing items into evidence) will often result in merely losing points rather than becoming stuck. And some procedures (like remembering the proper way to cuff a suspect) are a perfect example of how following the police manual is not only important but also enjoyable to learn and execute. While at times it can become mundane, driving Sonny around town and looking for suspicious vehicles gives the game a suspenseful, realistic feel. That is, until you run a red light or crash into a curb and hope you’ve saved your game recently.

Driving is fairly intuitive, which entails simply using the arrow keys and a keyboard shortcut to turn on your siren. The process for loading, aiming, and shooting your firearm is also slick; while you can use the parser, keyboard shortcuts make it less tedious while retaining the tension involved in the process. Even the copyright protection puzzles in the manual aren’t too annoying, as they are simply things that your average cop may need to look at a manual for anyway.

The typing parser is excellent for its time, understanding most obvious commands. The graphics are generally detailed, with impressive animations for handling your weapon and suspects. And while the sound effects are blips and bloops from the internal speaker, there are several scenes that are greatly enhanced by simple yet suspenseful background music. Even today, when Sonny approaches a suspect in a dangerous situation, the music gives me chills.

While I have played this game many times, I can find few faults. There is one ridiculous way to lock yourself out of a part of the game, but it only prevents you from completing that optional section. And if you choose to restore, it will only set you back about ten minutes or so. One annoying part is a poker game you must join.  If you lose, you have to restore the game, and considering how much luck is involved, it can become irritating.  There are also a few times where figuring out what to do next becomes tedious guesswork, visiting locations you’ve been, hoping it will advance the game.

While I am in the prime target audience for Police Quest, it really does have a lot that most adventure gamers appreciate. Every character has their own personality, even if they get little screen time. Captain Whipplestick becomes the victim of multiple pranks that you will take part in. There’s a sub-plot involving a colleague that tugs at the heartstrings. And your love interest Marie Wilkans (who was apparently Sonny’s high school sweetheart and is now unequivocally portrayed a sex worker) adds some much needed heart into this otherwise serious story. Add to that the realistic tension and intriguing arc of Sonny’s career, and you have yourself an all-around engaging gaming experience.

PC Games

King’s Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella

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Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Year: 1988
Platform: DOS; Amiga; Apple II; Atari ST

Score: 7

1988 and 1989 were Sierra’s truly great years, and it all began with The Perils of Rosella. With the series’ fourth installment, Sierra revolutionized the gaming industry with professionally composed music, their new SCI game engine, the best parser they ever created, and an adventure worthy of the moniker.

King Graham is planning on passing his adventurer’s hat to the next of kin, but before Alexander and Rosella can fight over the rights to star in the next sequel, Graham lets everyone down and has a heart attack. While Graham is on his deathbed, Rosella runs out of the room in emotional anguish, only to have the magic mirror come to the rescue once more. Genessa, a good fairy from a faraway land, informs the hopeful Rosella that a magical fruit within her realm can save her father much like drinking water from the Holy Grail. Rosella says “Okay.” Genessa informs Rosella that because the producers needed to flesh out the game, she has been struck ill and does not have enough magic power remaining for a round trip; rather, there’s just enough left for a one stop shop. Rosella says, “Screw that!” Genessa informs Rosella that the evil fairy Lollotte has stolen her talisman, and if Rosella would be so kind enough to destroy the evil Lollotte and bring back her talisman, she just may continue to live, and would thus be able to send Rosella back home. Rosella says nothing. Genessa reminds Rosella of the incredible guilt she’d feel if she didn’t at least try. Rosella says, “Bloody hell!  I’m in!”

Okay, so maybe the introduction isn’t quite like that. I make light of it because Roberta Williams must let the player know the entire plot before the first chapter even begins, as she did in nearly every game she ever made.  At least it’s the only significant mistake she made here. In fact, the plot does veer slightly at various junctures. Rosella ends up needing to complete more quests than the one already outlined during the introduction. While the various plot lines are not connected very well, they do stand up on their own merits, and because the ride is fun you can forgive everything else. The characters (human and otherwise) you meet have good development considering you rarely interact with any of them for more than a couple minutes. The game has humor; I fondly remember reading all of the epitaphs in the cemetery. There are multiple endings, and creative ways you can die. To top it off, halfway through the game day turns into night, fleshing out more characters and allowing for more exploration, not to mention adding a few spooks.

Like the last game, time is a factor, as you must retrieve the talisman within 24 game hours. While that may seem like a short time, the game can be won much quicker than that if you know what to do. There’s a chance you may have to restart if you do enough aimless wandering, but if you make good use of the “save” and “restore” commands you shouldn’t have to worry too much. Some puzzles are difficult without being unfair. Mythology is used quite heavily but knowledge of the stories is neither required nor all that useful. There is one terrifyingly awful puzzle involving a whale’s tongue(!). At least Sierra was able to poke fun at this very puzzle in Leisure Suit Larry 3.

If you only play one game in the King’s Quest series, and you are not allergic to typing, make it The Perils of Rosella.

Contemporary Rating: Low. The pointless time limit and some cheap falling deaths were annoying twenty years ago.

Cruelty Rating: Cruel. Not as cruel as other Sierra titles, but there is one way to lock yourself out of the good ending without realizing it. You might realize you did something wrong, but the game gives little indication.

PC Games

Leisure Suit Larry 7: Love For Sail!

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Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Year: 1996
Platform: DOS; Windows; Macintosh

Score: 8

Review: Al Lowe redeemed himself with his final installment in the series. After several missteps in the previous two games of the series, he returned to his roots to make Love for Sail, a massive game that manages to score (something surprisingly familiar to you!) in several areas.

The premise behind the game is familiar. Larry is left by the girl he wooed in the previous game (count that five times out of six) but manages to get tickets to a cruise, where there are quite a few luscious babes to be had. Of course, Larry can get every girl he desires just like any normal person would do: bring them an obscure item. All of this practice will allow him to bring the super item to the ship’s captain, who will ensure Larry has the ride of his life.

I jest a bit.  There are quite a few puzzles in this game and they are not all of the lock-and-key variety. Some are fun and logical, some are fun and stupid, and some are just stupid. But since the last couple of games did not list “brain” under the requirements section, all puzzles are welcome.

The cartoon graphics actually work well this time. Its recent predecessors focused on garish colors and splotchy designs. Here the drawings are crisper and easy on the eyes, with a more muted color scheme while still illustrating the tackiness of the world Larry inhabits.

Delightfully, there are a few features that were practically unheard of in the adventure game world in 1996. Before starting the game, you can record lines for an off-screen NPC that chides Larry a few times. I discovered my acting was even worse than I imagined, but it was still really cool to hear my own voice in the game. Another neat feature sees your desktop wallpaper change in real-time (well, after you restart your computer) to the image of your latest conquest.

Growing up on 80s adventures I was delighted that Lowe reintroduced the keyboard into a Sierra game. Several puzzles require you to type in the verb you want to use rather than mindlessly clicking on everything. To be fair, a few of the verbs are stupidly obscure; nevertheless, I found the occasional change in play to be refreshing.

Most importantly, I found Love for Sail genuinely funny.  “Where’s Dildo?” opens the hilarity as you search the ship for 32 red and white dildos. The numerous Easter eggs–including Sierra cameos, saucier scenes, and a few other random gags–are some of the best in PC history. The narrator is hilarious, endlessly mocking Larry. And the game goes to great lengths for stupid, elaborate puns. Despite the paint-by-numbers plot and a few nagging faults, I thoroughly enjoy playing this adventure every time.

Contemporary Rating: High. Only a couple of pixel-hunting issues, and because this game is more about the humor than the puzzles, you’ll likely feel okay about going to a walkthrough if necessary.

Cruelty Rating: Nasty.  Oh, Al.  There is one way to make the game unwinnable. Most people will probably figure they screwed up, though it’s unclear how badly at the time, as you can still complete most of the game if you ignore the gaffe.

PC Games

Leisure Suit Larry 3: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals

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Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Year: 1989
Platform: DOS; Amiga; Atari ST

Score: 8

How do you take the success of  Looking For Love and turn it into something better?

1) Crank up the laughs. Al Lowe is at his absolute funniest here.
2) Include lots of sex, but use it simply for the comedy material it presents rather than for titillation.
3) Change the perspective. Halfway through the game, you get to play as Patti!

Patti

Larry has lost his wife to a lesbian affair and consequently his job when nepotism was no longer an option for him. So, Larry is without money, a job, or a place to live, and must regain his sense of purpose in life.

Nearly everything is improved, including the graphics, music, and parser. It is easier to make out those necessary takeable items on the screen. The music, while still mostly just variations of the theme song (including the points notification), is at least crisper. The puzzles are also fairer, without being ridiculously easy, providing a good pace to the game.

Playing as Patti is a rare treat after bumbling around as Larry for two and a half games. She’s still horny, like Larry, but very decidedly a woman who sees the world very differently. As such, the approach to solving puzzles is a refreshing change of pace. While it would have been perhaps more fun to have tag-team puzzle solving, in 1989 you take what you can get.

And as mentioned already, the game is relentlessly funny. Al Lowe trusts the player more to get the jokes without having to bonk you over the head with an applause sign. My favorite running gag is the narrator slipping in double-entendres, then adding the parenthetical: (a feeling not wholly unfamiliar to you!). The combination of whimsy and subtlety makes the experience quite the enjoyable ride.

Contemporary Rating: Low. There is one puzzle that is tied into your computer’s memory.  On faster computers, the time needed to beat the puzzle approaches infinity.  Playing the game in DOSBox can help, but it still is touchy.  There is also a puzzle that is copyright protection.

Cruelty Rating: Tough.  Unlike the previous game, you can only go walking dead if you do something obviously dumb.

PC Games

Police Quest 3: The Kindred

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Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Year: 1991
Platform: DOS, Amiga

Score: 6

Another game, another promotion, another hair dye, another bad day for your significant other. Your wife Marie has been stabbed in a parking lot while leaving work. Well, she will be stabbed after you’ve played for a few hours, but once again Sierra spoiled this turn of events on the box cover, so whee! And now she’s in a coma. Though you are now a sergeant supervising the street cops, Captain Hall has authorized you to work as a homicide detective, acknowledging that you are particularly motivated to solve Marie’s stabbing and some recent murders that might also be related.

The production values are a mixed bag. The music and sound effects feel a bit understated compared to the energetic soundtrack of Police Quest 2. Even the chime for scoring a point feels embarrassed to be intruding. But the graphics once again take a leap forward thanks to the transition to VGA. Beautiful hand-drawn backgrounds help immerse you in the game world. Real actors are used for digitized character graphics, though sadly the conversations are not supplemented with any voice acting. Slick animations abound, from using your nightstick in close combat to pulling your firearm.

Speaking of which, firing your weapon remains intuitive while also coming with a targeting reticle. Driving is also back, though it is less intuitive and less useful than in Police Quest 1. While you do chase some perps, driving becomes tedious fairly soon and damn near impossible on fast computers without a slowdown program.

The plot, which entails investigating connected murders around Lytton, unfolds over a six-day period, though it’s not as tightly wound as the previous two games. You’ll be deep into uncovering the plot to murder Marie, and then have to take a break to go to court to defend a speeding ticket you gave out earlier in the week. While realistic, it feels tacked on and stalls the tension that had been building. Despite this, Sonny meets many interesting characters, such as a cheeky homeless lady who witnessed a murder and the office tech guy who’s perpetually annoyed that you need anything. You will visit some beautiful and some dreary locations, including Aspen Falls and the Old Nugget Saloon, and must once again use logical thinking and correct police procedure to track down the killer.

Though it saddens me to admit it, designer Jim Walls makes two significant mistakes here. First, you are assigned a partner that has zero personality outside of being super obviously slimy. She has no sense of humor, which might otherwise deflect from her shady dealings. She obviously does not belong on the police force, especially in a department requiring the professionalism of homicide. From the very start, she is up to no good, and the player can figure out the hows and whys fairly quickly. What’s irritating is that Sonny won’t even realize anything is suspicious until very late in the game. Meanwhile, the player has to watch the contrived charades for the duration.

case in point

Possibly even worse is that Sonny has lost all of his personality. Granted, he is in a serious position, and his wife is in the hospital, but he may as well have been a cipher with how flat and straightforward he’s portrayed. Thus, while it should be easy to sympathize with his plight, I wasn’t really feeling the feels.

The programmers also made a significant “We had to hurry to get this game out by Christmas” mistake. Day 6 is chock-full of some serious police work and intense situations. However, there is a bug that makes the entire day repeat if you return to the station unexpectedly; the opening scene is triggered, and you’re left doing everything over from the beginning.

Thankfully, there are some delightful new features worth pointing out. There are several potential endings, which would give the game even more replay value than the forerunners if it weren’t for the subpar plot. Also, when you die (which will be quite often, mostly in entertaining ways), Jim Walls will appear on the screen, mocking you.  He provides what little humor is left in the series.

57836-police-quest-3-the-kindred-dos-screenshot-trouble-at-the-recreation

Definitely play this game if you liked the previous two, as it nicely wraps up the Bonds saga (assuming you get the good ending!). However, the game isn’t strong enough on its own to warrant a playthrough without the history attached to the characters.  I fully admit my love for this game is mostly nostalgia.

Contemporary Rating: Medium. All the repetitive driving is annoying, plus it’s tied in to your computer’s processing speed, so getting it to work properly today is a chore.

Cruelty Rating:  Polite. There is one walking-dead situation, but it’s only for about two minutes, so as long as your only save file isn’t at a ridiculous spot, you’ll be fine. Considering you can die frequently, you’ll be saving plenty anyway.

PC Games

Space Quest II: Vohaul’s Revenge

4 Comments

Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Year: 1987
Platform: DOS, Amiga, Atari ST, Apple II, Macintosh

Review: After reading multiple reviews of this game in particular and of the Space Quest series as a whole, I have come to the conclusion that there may possibly be only one living human besides myself that believes this is the best game of the lot. And since that other person is my brother, and since he doesn’t remember anything he did more than six weeks ago, perhaps the following review should be taken with a grain of salt.

Once again you play Roger Wilco, janitor extraordinaire. There is really no plot to speak of, with the running premise being avoiding death while accidentally saving the universe once more. And if you thought dying was annoying in the The Sarien Encounter, be prepared to find yourself in a padded room after playing Vohaul’s Revenge. Not only are there more ways to axe yourself, there are more instant-death rooms, unavoidable except by luck. To top it off, the game designers will mock you every step of the way, insulting your very being with every mistake.

Perhaps a bit more NPC interaction would have spiced the game up, as would have some good production values.  The graphics and sound have not improved since the last installment and neither has the parser. Also, a few of the puzzles have very unobvious solutions. Though, considering I won the game in a couple of days, nothing is all too difficult.

There is one way to put yourself in an unwinnable state, but it is so flippin’ hilarious when you realize what happened that restoring back thirty minutes is worth the mistake. I was actually glad I screwed up.

To sum up, Vohaul’s Revenge has very little to offer from a gamer’s perspective, despite a couple of crafty puzzles. But I found myself laughing so damn much I didn’t care. In fact, I recommend this game to anyone who has the same sense of humor as me.  Or my brother.

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Contemporary Rating: Low. The parser is still weak and the game is not friendly.

Cruelty Rating:  Nasty.  You must save on every single screen because there is a way to die on every single screen.  The walking dead situation isn’t quite cruel, because you have a pretty good idea something went wrong, and you’ll likely have separate save files ready when the time comes.

PC Games

Leisure Suit Larry Goes Looking For Love (In Several Wrong Places)

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Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Year: 1988
Platform: DOS, Amiga, Atari ST

Score: 7

Review: Released only two years after the first installment, Looking For Love is an exceptional game, much better than the original. Also, while the game is still rated for adults, the sex has been toned down considerably, relegated to jokes and conversation rather than the act.  In fact, the more willing you are to mattress dance with the various women you meet, the more likely you are to die! This game is appropriate for most teenagers.  This was the only game in the series my parents allowed me to play before high school and I understand why.

Poor Larry has been dumped by Eve (his primary conquest from the first game) and with no money, job, or place to live, he must wander the streets of Los Angeles once more. If Larry gets lucky he’ll also wander a cruise ship, a tropical island, and an airplane! The plot, rather than focusing on sex, involves a KGB conspiracy that Larry accidentally gets himself into the middle of without knowing it!

Using their new SCI engine, the graphics have been revamped considerably. The scenery is significantly more detailed and the world feels more like a real place rather than a collection of set pieces. From a game show studio to the cruise ship bar to the smoke-filled cabin of a jet liner, there is always something cool to look at or interact with. The parser has also been upgraded, able to understand some complex sentences. Unfortunately, the sound effects and music are mostly unimaginative and flat. The Larry theme song is over-used, with even a short clip of it used for the points notification. It’s not unpleasant, but it doesn’t give me the thrill of scoring (pun intended) that I would prefer.

What really makes or breaks this game for most people is their relationship to the puzzles. While most are creative, this game probably holds the record for most ways to put yourself in an unwinnable state and not know it. What sets this apart from most games that do this is that most of the time it’s hilarious. There are at least four different points in the game where Larry dies, and only then do you realize you forgot an item near the beginning of the game. In fact, I think I encountered every single one the first time I played. The game is already quite long as it is, and the playing time was quadrupled for me due to these gaffes. I’d like to think I was able to forgive these torture puzzles as they are humorous, but more likely the reason is I played the game when I was ten and had no other games to boot up. I had an e-mail exchange once with the game’s creator, Al Lowe, and asked him about the design.  He pretty much admitted that designing a game in this manner is unforgivable and was glad I liked it anyway.

If you can put up with the puzzles, you should have a good time.  The humor is ubiquitous and quite refined in comparison to its predecessor. Along with the more overt sexual innuendo, there are more subtle jokes that are satire of everyday life, politics, and adventure gaming itself. Both should please fans with some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. And the endgame, which involves some complex puzzle-solving and goes well beyond Larry getting the girl, is a satisfying conclusion to a satisfying adventure.

Contemporary Rating: Medium. The parser is actually pretty good, and the jokes hold up well.

Cruelty Rating:  Cruel.  The cruelest game ever!