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2022-08-26
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FELONY! - A Review
by CBS Software
One Fawcett Place
Greenwich, CT 06836
PHONE: 1-800-CBS-ASK4
At first glance, this seems like a
great idea! Twelve mysteries to
solve! Wow! But...
This continuation of the MYSTERY
MASTER series - the first one was
MURDER BY THE DOZEN - has some really
nice features - for a board game. As
a computer game, it just doesn't cut
it. Let me explain.
Along with a disk, you get a police
manual that explains all twelve cases
(this is the same information that
will be printed on the screen, so
save computer time and read the
police manual). The police manual
also contains instructions on how to
use the program disk and hints on
solving the crimes. It also explains
the detective ratings. Depending on
how fast you solve the case, you
could be a CLAIRVOYANT COP or a TOTAL
TURKEY or something in between.
Play goes like this: You select the
case you want to solve, then read
about it in the police manual or on
the screen. The case information
will tell you where in the town of
Huxley (all the cases take place
here) you will start. Now play (such
as it is) starts.
You are presented with a screen
listing up to seven choices. You can
choose to talk to or question someone
at the location, look around the
location, or move to another
location.
When you want to move to
another location, you can choose to
see a map or simply enter the code
letter for the place you want to go
to. (The game also includes
worksheets that list the names and
letter designations for all the
possible locations in Huxley. You
are advised repeatedly to write down
anything you want to remember on this
sheet.) You should be aware that
there is a clock ticking. You only
have a certain amount of time to
solve the crime.
Travel to different locations takes
time, as does talking to suspects or
searching an area. If you choose to
move to another location, you will be
presented first with a screen with
the option to solve the case or
continue with the puzzle. If you
want to continue, you will see
another screen where you can talk,
examine, or move to another location.
If you want to talk to a suspect,
you'll get to use another manual that
comes with the game - Clues.
Whenever you talk to someone or look
around - actually do anything but
move to another location - you will
be presented with a series of
numbers. They could be something
like this: 675,32,145,80. What you
have to do is go to the clue book,
find the clue with the appropriate
number, and read the clue. Thumbing
through a 70 page plus book to find
five numbered clues only to find that
they all say "no clue" is "no fun"!
We'll say that you stuck with it and
finally think that you have the
solution to the crime. You are
supposed to tell the other sleuths
(if any) what the solution is. Then,
you read - yes, READ - the solution
from the Solutions manual and tell the
rest of the group if you were right
or not.
Now this might be okay if you're
playing with a group (you can have up
to four teams), but playing the
solitaire version is about as
exciting as washing dishes. Now
don't get me wrong - the screens are
well done, prompts are clear, the
manuals are well written, the cases
are interesting, the map of the town
is well done. The point is they
could have left out the disk,
enclosed another manual to refer to
when at a location, and you could use
your computer for something more
exciting (word processing, running
LOADSTAR.....).
If you're looking for a program to
play with a large group (who are
interested in mysteries), this would
be okay. Not great, but okay.
If you're looking for a one player
(or even two player) game that allows
you to solve a mystery, you should
keep looking. CBS has taken a really
great idea (solving mysteries on your
computer) and gone half way in
implementing it.
What would it take to make it a
great game? Not much. Take away all
the manuals except the Police Manual.
Whenever you choose to question a
suspect, the program will go to a
file on disk and print out the
responses. Same when you're
searching or looking around a
location - use the disk. That's what
it's there for!
As for solving the puzzle, one
solution would be a multiple choice
selection of all the people who are
mentioned anywhere in the crime.
Once you select the criminal, you
could go on to another multiple
choice screen to choose motive,
evidence, etc.
Whatever the solution, let's do
away with the manuals. Manuals are
great for reference - checking how to
do something - but that's all!
Everything else should be available
on the computer.
Should you buy FELONY!? That
depends. It's one of the few mystery
games around and it is well done. If
you don't mind thumbing through
manuals or if you want a "group"
game, then this program might be for
you. I don't feel I wasted my money
on the program. I just think that
with very little work, it could be a
million times better than it is.
Donna K. Woody
-----------<end of reveiw>-----------