.gif)
Suspect (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Suspect is an interactive fiction
computer game designed by Dave Lebling
and published by Infocom
in 1984. It is the last murder mystery Infocom released, bringing an end to a popular genre of titles such as Deadline
and The Witness. Like most Infocom titles, it was written in highly portable ZIL
and made available for an array of popular computer platforms, including the Apple II
, IBM PC
, Atari ST
, and Commodore 64
. It is Infocom's fifteenth game.
The Washington Representative. Veronica Ashcroft-Wellman, a longtime friend and wealthy socialite
, has sent an invitation to the annual Ashcroft Halloween
Ball, where Maryland
's high society bluebloods rub elbows, network, and congratulate each other on their fortunes. The paper's editor suggests covering the party as a story, smelling an easy article that could either praise or mock the wealthy. Since it is a costume party
, the player's character suits up in a rented cowboy
outfit and moseys over to the bash. Many attendees wear masks, making it difficult to initially identify them.
Not long into the party, however, Veronica is found dead — strangled with a very familiar-looking lariat
, with a bullet
from the costume's gunbelt lying near the body for good measure. But the player stashed the rope in the closet earlier, and the bullet is missing from the back of the belt; anyone could have taken them! Nevertheless, the player is the prime suspect
in Veronica's murder. A lot of snooping has to be done to identify the real killer.
The other suspects include:
You're guilty until proven innocent.
Interactive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
computer game designed by Dave Lebling
Dave Lebling
P. David Lebling is an interactive fiction game designer and programmer who has worked at various companies, including Infocom and Avid....
and published by Infocom
Infocom
Infocom was a software company, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of interactive fiction. They also produced one notable business application, a relational database called Cornerstone....
in 1984. It is the last murder mystery Infocom released, bringing an end to a popular genre of titles such as Deadline
Deadline (computer game)
Deadline is an interactive fiction computer game published by Infocom in 1982. Written by Marc Blank, it was one of the first murder mystery interactive fiction games. Like most Infocom titles, Deadline was created using ZIL, which allowed the easy porting of the game to popular computer platforms...
and The Witness. Like most Infocom titles, it was written in highly portable ZIL
Z-machine
The Z-machine is a virtual machine that was developed by Joel Berez and Marc Blank in 1979 and used by Infocom for its text adventure games. Infocom compiled game code to files containing Z-machine instructions , and could therefore port all its text adventures to a new platform simply by writing a...
and made available for an array of popular computer platforms, including the Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
, IBM PC
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, and Commodore 64
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...
. It is Infocom's fifteenth game.
Plot
The player's character is a reporter for the fictitious newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
The Washington Representative. Veronica Ashcroft-Wellman, a longtime friend and wealthy socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
, has sent an invitation to the annual Ashcroft Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
Ball, where Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
's high society bluebloods rub elbows, network, and congratulate each other on their fortunes. The paper's editor suggests covering the party as a story, smelling an easy article that could either praise or mock the wealthy. Since it is a costume party
Costume party
A fancy dress party or a costume party , mainly in contemporary Western culture, is a type of party where guests dress up in a costume.-Fancy dress parties in Britain:...
, the player's character suits up in a rented cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
outfit and moseys over to the bash. Many attendees wear masks, making it difficult to initially identify them.
Not long into the party, however, Veronica is found dead — strangled with a very familiar-looking lariat
Lariat
Lariat can refer to:*A rope in the form of a lasso*Lariat chain, a science demonstration*A professional wrestling move, a variation of a clothesline*A genetic structure in Splicing *Double Lariat, a popular song sung by Luka Megurine...
, with a bullet
Bullet
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...
from the costume's gunbelt lying near the body for good measure. But the player stashed the rope in the closet earlier, and the bullet is missing from the back of the belt; anyone could have taken them! Nevertheless, the player is the prime suspect
Suspect
In the parlance of criminal justice, a suspect is a known person suspected of committing a crime.Police and reporters often incorrectly use the word suspect when referring to the...
in Veronica's murder. A lot of snooping has to be done to identify the real killer.
The other suspects include:
- Michael Wellman, Veronica's husband (dressed as a sheik)
- Richard Ashcroft, Veronica's brother (dressed as a werewolfWerewolfA werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
) - Linda Meade, Richard's girlfriend (dressed as a ballerinaBallerinaA ballerina is a title used to describe a principal female professional ballet dancer in a large company; the male equivalent to this title is danseur or ballerino...
) - Samuel Ostmann, a local businessman (dressed as a vampireVampireVampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
) - Alicia Barron, Veronica's friend and former schoolmate (dressed as a "harem girl")
- William Cochrane, a realtor who had dealings with the Ashcrofts (dressed as an astronautAstronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
) - Colonel Robert Marston, family friend and director of Ashcroft Trust (dressed as a safariSafariA safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa. Traditionally, the term is used for a big-game hunt, but today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph animals and other wildlife.-Etymology:Entering the English...
explorer) - Smythe, the butler (dressed as a gorillaGorillaGorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
)
Feelies
The majority of Infocom's titles were shipped with additional objects or documents relating to the game. These "extras" were called feelies. The Suspect feelies were:- The satirical book Murder and Modern Manners: A Practical Guide to Murder Manners
- A business cardBusiness cardBusiness cards are cards bearing business information about a company or individual. They are shared during formal introductions as a convenience and a memory aid. A business card typically includes the giver's name, company affiliation and contact information such as street addresses, telephone...
from William Cochrane for King's Point Realty (written on the back: "Veronica— Please call me ASAP. Don't do something you'll regret. Bill") - A receipt from "Costumes Unlimited" for the rental of one cowboy costume with lariat and gunbelt
- An invitation to the Halloween Ball thrown at Ashcroft Manor (written inside: "Dearest... It has been too long since we last talked. Please do try to come to the party. There are so many things I have to tell you. Until then, Veronica")
- A note from the editor of The Washington Representative asking the player's character to cover the ball for the newspaper
- A page from The Maryland Countryside magazine, featuring an article about developers encroaching on the "Hunt Club" countryside and a society column piece about the upcoming Halloween Ball
Taglines
You're not sure who's who. But one thing is certain... Someone is dead. And now they're pointing fingers at you.You're guilty until proven innocent.