The Dagger of Amon Ra
Encyclopedia
Roberta Williams' Laura Bow in: The Dagger of Amon Ra (usually just called The Dagger of Amon Ra) is a computer game published by Sierra On-Line in 1992. The game is the second and final installment in the Laura Bow Mysteries line of adventure game
s, the first of which was The Colonel's Bequest
. The sequel, unlike the first game, was not written or created by Roberta Williams
. It uses 8-bit color and a point-and-click interface. It contains voice acting, though this is only available on the CD-ROM
version. The Dagger of Amon Ra was developed using Sierra's Creative Interpreter
(SCI1.1).
Overall, this sequel owes little to the original game and is a much more traditional point-and-click game.
craze of the period. The protagonist
is Laura Bow (a pun on Clara Bow
), a Southern belle
who has just graduated from Tulane University
and moved to New York City
, where she has landed a job at a prestigious newspaper. For her first assignment, she is asked to write a straightforward, lightweight story on a benefit held at a local museum to celebrate their new Egyptian exhibit. When a murder occurs during the party, however, she is locked inside with all of the other suspects. As other guests begin dying one by one, Laura must solve the numerous crimes occurring before the culprits escape or kill her.
The Laura Bow games were distinctive in that they required some actual logical detective work on the part of the player; for the most part, though, the puzzles were of the typical variety of inventory and environment interaction (and frequent, often unexpected, player character
death) found in most Sierra adventures.
The identity of the murderer is not automatically revealed at the end of the game. Instead, the player is asked a series of a questions, ostensibly by the police, to prove that Laura had solved the crimes and discovered the secrets of the other suspects. If the questions are answered incorrectly, the coroner will give a hint to point the player towards the path that would have revealed the correct answer in subsequent playing of the games. The ending of the game can change depending on the answers given to the questions, most notably in that Laura can be killed if the player doesn't know the identity of the main murderer. Some fans have complained about this approach, since it can require replaying the game from nearly the beginning to reach the optimal ending; while others believe it makes game play more interesting and challenging.
, Laura Bow was hired as a reporter by a prestigious New York newspaper. Her first assignment is to investigate and report on the theft of the Dagger of Amon Ra, taking over from the reporter Crodfoller T. Rhubarb.
, Dr. Carrington was appointed to become the new president of the Leyendecker Museum after the death of the previous president, Sterling Waldorf-Carlton. When the story begins, Archibald had worked at the museum for only a few weeks.
at a speakeasy
. She has a deep sexual fondness for men and maintains relationships with several men at the same time including Ernie Leach and Detective Ryan O'Riley. Rumors are abound concerning Yvette's "encounters" with various men in New York.
archeologist, Dr. Carter was the one who discovered the Dagger of Amon Ra within a long-buried temple in Egypt. In the weeks before the story begins, he had been busy preparing the new Egyptology
section for the Leyendecker museum. Dr. Carter is fastidiously attentive to his personal hygiene and appearance. He sometimes talks about, and compares himself to, his cousin, who is also an archeologist. The cousin, and Dr. Carter's name, may be a reference to Howard Carter
, best known for his discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun
.
, Greece
, Dr. Myklos is a curator at the Leyendecker Museum, specializing in paleontology. She has a morbid fascination with death and keeps exotic pet animals, including a ferret
named Daisy and an Egyptian cobra
named Barney.
and handyman
of the Leyendecker Museum. A hard-working, African American
man, Ernie took employment at the museum to pay off his gambling debts to a loan shark
.
detective in the NYPD
, O'Riley is the detective assigned to investigate the theft of the Dagger of Amon Ra. He keeps fit every day and is fond of grapes.
to meet his financial needs. His name is a pun on the word "stevedore".
who is deeply opposed to Dr. Carter's claim over the Dagger of Amon Ra. His arguments with Dr. Pippin Carter concerning the Dagger have almost come to blows at times.
in exchange for leniency. He has many connections and resources within the criminal underworld and can often be found in one of New York's many speakeasies. Due to his status as a "stool pigeon", he is distrusted by criminals and police officers alike. Because of this, he is extremely paranoid and his face often twitches nervously. He also seems to be familiar with Yvette Delacroix, though she pretends not to know him when others are watching. Recently, he has been seen meeting with Countess Lavinia Waldorf-Carlton several times.
. He mysteriously disappears from time to time and none admit to know his whereabouts during these absences.
about a year ago and married only a month or two later. Lavinia claims to love her late husband, but others have suspicions that she was only interested in his wealth. In a local speakeasy, a flapper
claimed to have seen the Countess and Ziggy meet several times.
, Fat is a faithful patron of the Leyendecker Museum. Through his business, he has made acquaintances with many major contributors to the museum. Laura acquires the names of many of the supporting characters through Fat's connections. He is married, but implies to Laura that he is having an affair with Yvette Delacroix in exchange for free laundry service. Fat is also responsible for providing Laura with her distinctive evening dress to the museum party.
wanted by Scotland Yard
. Reports indicate that he has recently escaped from Dartmoor Prison
. The local police are still investigating the circumstances behind the escape.
#189 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
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,...
s, the first of which was The Colonel's Bequest
The Colonel's Bequest
The Colonel's Bequest is a computer game published by Sierra On-Line in 1989. This graphic adventure game was the first of the short-lived Laura Bow Mysteries series created by Roberta Williams and used many elements from the original Mystery House. It was created with SCI0. It uses 4-bit color ...
. The sequel, unlike the first game, was not written or created by Roberta Williams
Roberta Williams
Roberta Williams is an American video game designer. She is most famous for her pioneering work in graphical adventure games, particularly the King's Quest series.-Career:...
. It uses 8-bit color and a point-and-click interface. It contains voice acting, though this is only available on the CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
version. The Dagger of Amon Ra was developed using Sierra's Creative Interpreter
Sierra's Creative Interpreter
Sierra's Creative Interpreter is the scripting language created by Jeff Stephenson of Sierra On-Line for its adventure games after the older AGI, and the runtime environment for such adventure games....
(SCI1.1).
Overall, this sequel owes little to the original game and is a much more traditional point-and-click game.
Story
The game is set in 1926, primarily in a museum, and reflects the EgyptologyEgyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
craze of the period. The protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
is Laura Bow (a pun on Clara Bow
Clara Bow
Clara Gordon Bow was an American actress who rose to stardom in the silent film era of the 1920s. It was her appearance as a spunky shopgirl in the film It that brought her global fame and the nickname "The It Girl." Bow came to personify the roaring twenties and is described as its leading sex...
), a Southern belle
Belle
Belle is the feminine form of the French word which means beautiful.It may also refer to:-Business:* Belle Baby Carriers, a U.S. baby carrier manufacturer* Belle International, a Chinese footwear retailer-Computers and software:...
who has just graduated from Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
and moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where she has landed a job at a prestigious newspaper. For her first assignment, she is asked to write a straightforward, lightweight story on a benefit held at a local museum to celebrate their new Egyptian exhibit. When a murder occurs during the party, however, she is locked inside with all of the other suspects. As other guests begin dying one by one, Laura must solve the numerous crimes occurring before the culprits escape or kill her.
The Laura Bow games were distinctive in that they required some actual logical detective work on the part of the player; for the most part, though, the puzzles were of the typical variety of inventory and environment interaction (and frequent, often unexpected, player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
death) found in most Sierra adventures.
The identity of the murderer is not automatically revealed at the end of the game. Instead, the player is asked a series of a questions, ostensibly by the police, to prove that Laura had solved the crimes and discovered the secrets of the other suspects. If the questions are answered incorrectly, the coroner will give a hint to point the player towards the path that would have revealed the correct answer in subsequent playing of the games. The ending of the game can change depending on the answers given to the questions, most notably in that Laura can be killed if the player doesn't know the identity of the main murderer. Some fans have complained about this approach, since it can require replaying the game from nearly the beginning to reach the optimal ending; while others believe it makes game play more interesting and challenging.
Laura Bow
After graduating from Tulane UniversityTulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
, Laura Bow was hired as a reporter by a prestigious New York newspaper. Her first assignment is to investigate and report on the theft of the Dagger of Amon Ra, taking over from the reporter Crodfoller T. Rhubarb.
Dr. Archibald Carrington III
Formerly a curator of the British MuseumBritish Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, Dr. Carrington was appointed to become the new president of the Leyendecker Museum after the death of the previous president, Sterling Waldorf-Carlton. When the story begins, Archibald had worked at the museum for only a few weeks.
Yvette Delacroix
Yvette is the amorous French secretary of the Leyendecker Museum president. She has worked as a secretary under both Dr. Archibald Carrington, the current president, and Sterling Waldorf-Carlton, Dr. Carrington's late predecessor. Years ago, Yvette worked as a call girlCall girl
A call girl or female escort is a sex worker who is not visible to the general public; nor does she usually work in an institution like a brothel, although she may be employed by an escort agency...
at a speakeasy
Speakeasy
A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. Such establishments came into prominence in the United States during the period known as Prohibition...
. She has a deep sexual fondness for men and maintains relationships with several men at the same time including Ernie Leach and Detective Ryan O'Riley. Rumors are abound concerning Yvette's "encounters" with various men in New York.
Dr. Pippin Carter
An arrogant, self-important EnglishEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
archeologist, Dr. Carter was the one who discovered the Dagger of Amon Ra within a long-buried temple in Egypt. In the weeks before the story begins, he had been busy preparing the new Egyptology
Egyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
section for the Leyendecker museum. Dr. Carter is fastidiously attentive to his personal hygiene and appearance. He sometimes talks about, and compares himself to, his cousin, who is also an archeologist. The cousin, and Dr. Carter's name, may be a reference to Howard Carter
Howard Carter
Howard Carter may refer to:* Howard Carter , English archaeologist who discovered Tutankhamun's tomb* Howard Carter , American basketball player...
, best known for his discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun
KV62
KV62 is the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings , which became famous for the wealth of treasure it contained. The tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter, underneath the remains of workmen's huts built during the Ramesside Period; this explains why it was spared from the worst of...
.
Wolf Heimlich
As Chief of Security at the Leyendecker Museum, Wolf is obsessed with order and takes to his duties with an almost fanatical devotion. Dressed in a German military uniform, Wolf can often be found patrolling the museum grounds in a goosestep march. He also collects weapons of various types, keeping them in his office. Wolf is in a relationship with Dr. Olympia Myklos.Dr. Olympia Myklos
A native of AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Dr. Myklos is a curator at the Leyendecker Museum, specializing in paleontology. She has a morbid fascination with death and keeps exotic pet animals, including a ferret
Ferret
The ferret is a domesticated mammal of the type Mustela putorius furo. Ferrets are sexually dimorphic predators with males being substantially larger than females. They typically have brown, black, white, or mixed fur...
named Daisy and an Egyptian cobra
Egyptian cobra
The Egyptian cobra is a species in the genus Naja found in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It is one of the largest Naja species in Africa.- Description :...
named Barney.
Ernie Leach
Ernie is the custodianJanitor
A janitor or custodian is a professional who takes care of buildings, such as hospitals and schools. Janitors are responsible primarily for cleaning, and often some maintenance and security...
and handyman
Handyman
A handyman is a person skilled at a wide range of repairs, typically around the home. These tasks include trade skills, repair work, maintenance work, both interior and exterior, and are sometimes described as "odd jobs", "fix-up tasks", and include light plumbing jobs such as fixing a leaky toilet...
of the Leyendecker Museum. A hard-working, African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
man, Ernie took employment at the museum to pay off his gambling debts to a loan shark
Loan shark
A loan shark is a person or body that offers unsecured loans at illegally high interest rates to individuals, often enforcing repayment by blackmail or threats of violence....
.
Ryan Hanrahan O'Riley
An Irish AmericanIrish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
detective in the NYPD
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
, O'Riley is the detective assigned to investigate the theft of the Dagger of Amon Ra. He keeps fit every day and is fond of grapes.
Steve Dorian
An art student, Steve Dorian works as a part-time dockworkerStevedore
Stevedore, dockworker, docker, dock labourer, wharfie and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....
to meet his financial needs. His name is a pun on the word "stevedore".
Dr. Ptahsheptut "Tut" Smith
A curator from the Egyptian MuseumEgyptian Museum
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display, the remainder in storerooms....
who is deeply opposed to Dr. Carter's claim over the Dagger of Amon Ra. His arguments with Dr. Pippin Carter concerning the Dagger have almost come to blows at times.
Lawrence "Ziggy" Ziegfeld
A small-time local criminal who sometimes works for the NYPD as an informantInformant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
in exchange for leniency. He has many connections and resources within the criminal underworld and can often be found in one of New York's many speakeasies. Due to his status as a "stool pigeon", he is distrusted by criminals and police officers alike. Because of this, he is extremely paranoid and his face often twitches nervously. He also seems to be familiar with Yvette Delacroix, though she pretends not to know him when others are watching. Recently, he has been seen meeting with Countess Lavinia Waldorf-Carlton several times.
Rameses Najeer
An Egyptian accountant of the museum, he is opposed to Dr. Carter's claim over the Dagger of Amon Ra. Rameses is a successful man who is married with one child, with another on the way. He is extremely proud of his Egyptian heritage despite the fact that he has lived in the United States for many years. Others describe him as a hard worker and a good family man, but he can be intense and passionate at times. Rameses speaks with a characteristic interdental lispLisp
A lisp is a speech impediment, historically also known as sigmatism. Stereotypically, people with a lisp are unable to pronounce sibilants , and replace them with interdentals , though there are actually several kinds of lisp...
. He mysteriously disappears from time to time and none admit to know his whereabouts during these absences.
Countess Lavinia Waldorf-Carlton
The widow of the previous museum president, Sterling Waldorf-Carlton. She is currently engaged in a legal battle concerning Sterling's will and her entitlements as his spouse. Apparently, Sterling and Lavinia met during a trip on board an ocean linerOcean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
about a year ago and married only a month or two later. Lavinia claims to love her late husband, but others have suspicions that she was only interested in his wealth. In a local speakeasy, a flapper
Flapper
Flapper in the 1920s was a term applied to a "new breed" of young Western women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior...
claimed to have seen the Countess and Ziggy meet several times.
Sam Augustini
The editor-in-chief of the New York newspaper, he is Laura's boss and the one who hired her to write a story of the museum's benefit party. He is close friends with Laura's father, John Bow, who once saved the editor's life.Crodfoller T. Rhubarb
Laura's co-worker, he tries to help Laura whenever possible, but is also reluctant of Augustini's decision to send Laura to write a report of the dagger's theft when she is only just a rookie. If Laura fails to solve the murder mysteries and dagger theft, he would take over the case and solve them instead.Lo Fat
Lo Fat is the jocular, Chinese-American owner of Lo Fat's Laundry; a Chinese laundromat in New York City. Originally from Newark, New JerseyNewark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, Fat is a faithful patron of the Leyendecker Museum. Through his business, he has made acquaintances with many major contributors to the museum. Laura acquires the names of many of the supporting characters through Fat's connections. He is married, but implies to Laura that he is having an affair with Yvette Delacroix in exchange for free laundry service. Fat is also responsible for providing Laura with her distinctive evening dress to the museum party.
Watney Little
A known English fugitive and con artistConfidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
wanted by Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
. Reports indicate that he has recently escaped from Dartmoor Prison
Dartmoor (HM Prison)
HM Prison Dartmoor is a Category C men's prison, located in Princetown, high on Dartmoor in the English county of Devon. Its high granite walls dominate this area of the moor...
. The local police are still investigating the circumstances behind the escape.
Reception
The game was reviewed in 1993 in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#189 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
External links
- The Dagger of Amon Ra History & Review, Adventure Classic Gaming
- The Dagger of Amon Ra at Game Nostalgia