Law of the West
Encyclopedia
Law of the West is a computer game for the Commodore 64
, the Apple II family and the NES
. It was one of Accolade's launch products and is the only game in Accolade's history to be designed by Accolade co-founder Alan Miller. The game is a kind of graphical
adventure game
taking place in the American Old West
. In Scandinavia the game was published by American Action
.
. The scene is the town's main street, with a view from behind the Sheriff's back (the view is so close that only the Sheriff's waist, right arm and gun
are visible). Various other characters appear on the main street in front of the Sheriff.
The actual gameplay mostly concerns the Sheriff discussing with the various characters via a selection menu similar to those in contemporary graphical adventures. For each line the other character says, the game offers a selection of four different responses, and the discussion progresses depending on the chosen response. Law of the West marks the first use of this now-common interaction style.
As well as the discussion, the Sheriff occasionally gets involved in gunfights. In this case, the gameplay becomes a pure test of shooting skills, as the Sheriff has to shoot his opponent before getting shot himself. Gunplay was accomplished by pushing up on the joystick to draw your weapon, which would cause a joystick-controlled crosshairs to appear on the screen. The various characters would react if the Sheriff drew his gun before they had a chance to say their opening line, usually refusing to speak until the gun was put away. If the Sheriff gets shot, he blacks out, and the doctor is called to help. Depending on the Sheriff's previous interaction with the doctor and other the characters in the game (and if the doctor's in town), he may either be healed, or left for dead (either by the doctor refusing to help, or the doctor being drunk at the time). The only goal of the game is for the player to make it alive to the end of the day; if the player wishes he can gun down every character he meets without talking to them albeit this will be reflected negatively in the final score.
If you chose to shoot everybody, you will receive the lowest possible score.
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, the Apple II family and the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
. It was one of Accolade's launch products and is the only game in Accolade's history to be designed by Accolade co-founder Alan Miller. The game is a kind of graphical
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
taking place in the American Old West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
. In Scandinavia the game was published by American Action
American Action (company)
American Action was a Swedish company that, during the 1980s, published many computergames for the homecomputer Commodore 64. Among the games was Zorro , Law of the West , Soldier One , Captured , The SuperCan , Blood'n Guts , 1943 - One Year After , Sky...
.
Gameplay
The entirety of the game happens in a small frontier town, and the player takes the role of the town's SheriffSheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
. The scene is the town's main street, with a view from behind the Sheriff's back (the view is so close that only the Sheriff's waist, right arm and gun
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
are visible). Various other characters appear on the main street in front of the Sheriff.
The actual gameplay mostly concerns the Sheriff discussing with the various characters via a selection menu similar to those in contemporary graphical adventures. For each line the other character says, the game offers a selection of four different responses, and the discussion progresses depending on the chosen response. Law of the West marks the first use of this now-common interaction style.
As well as the discussion, the Sheriff occasionally gets involved in gunfights. In this case, the gameplay becomes a pure test of shooting skills, as the Sheriff has to shoot his opponent before getting shot himself. Gunplay was accomplished by pushing up on the joystick to draw your weapon, which would cause a joystick-controlled crosshairs to appear on the screen. The various characters would react if the Sheriff drew his gun before they had a chance to say their opening line, usually refusing to speak until the gun was put away. If the Sheriff gets shot, he blacks out, and the doctor is called to help. Depending on the Sheriff's previous interaction with the doctor and other the characters in the game (and if the doctor's in town), he may either be healed, or left for dead (either by the doctor refusing to help, or the doctor being drunk at the time). The only goal of the game is for the player to make it alive to the end of the day; if the player wishes he can gun down every character he meets without talking to them albeit this will be reflected negatively in the final score.
Characters
Characters you interact with in the game include:- Belle - A female cattle rustler.
- Little Willy - A kid with a secret to tell.
- The Deputy - Never there to help you, challenges the Sheriff's authority.
- The Doctor - Grumpy and cynical, will not heal Sheriff if he is too trigger happy.
- The Mexicali Kid - A fugitive from across the border.
- Miss April - School teacher. Enjoys spreading gossip.
- Miss Rose - The Saloon hostess. Tries to seduce the Sheriff.
Locations
Game takes place in the town of Gold Gulch. There are 4 different locations in this game:- The Saloon
- The Wells Fargo stagecoach office
- The train station
- The bank
Scoring
The game ends when the Sheriff is shot and the Doctor does not heal him, or when the sun sets after 11 scenarios. You are then presented with the score, which is based on various factors such as how you dealt with the characters, how many crimes you prevented, and even your success with the ladies.If you chose to shoot everybody, you will receive the lowest possible score.