Whodunnit meets classic Sierra !
Laura Bow is one of my favourite classic B-game adventures. While Sierra is primarily known for its adventure series Space Quest, Larry and Kings Quest. Laura Bow might not be as flashy when it comes to setting or license, but it delivers a full and sophisticated gaming experience. Obviously influenced by Agatha Christie novels, the game takes place in a hosue filled to the brim with relatives and money vultures. Following the murder of the childless colonel and considering his mighty wallet, the search for the murder amongst the relatives begins. The game is heavily character and story driven, and instead of screwing frozen monkeys into rocket ships made of banana peels, you will find yourself interrogating suspects, gathering clues and trying to make sense of what happend. The game also features a time mechanism, and some dialogue options and events are triggered during game time. The game's atmosphere resembles classic Christie, a huge mansion and some outskirts. The characters are varied and add greatly to the atmosphere, a widow, a lawyer, a butler, an afro-american cook, and so forth. What makes this game enjoyable is, that there are multiple endings in the game, usually relating to the apprehension of the suspect. However, whether the man arrested is the real murder is not said, and the game delightfully plays with the fact that it could as well have been someone else, and I found that replaying the game with a few years in between can lead to a completely different picture.
Highly recommended, especially if you are looking for a grittier and more profound adventure experience than the goofy and quirky games which are so dominant in the genre.
Henrik