<!--
	Title: Suspect
	Author: Shay Addams
	Source: QuestBusters, v1(12)
	Date: December 1984
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

<u>Zork</u>-style adventures, staged in fantastic settings where magic prevails, seem to have peaked
in popularity. While Infocom intends to complete the <u>Sorcerer</u> trilogy, they are concentrating on
science fiction and contemporary stories. <u>Hitchhiker's Guide</u> and the "Tales of Adventure"
series are prime examples. Mysteries have also become a hot ticket, and Dave Lebling's <u>Suspect</u> is
his first "disk drive detective" game. But there's a twist this time: you're not a detective.

An absorbing work of "interactive fiction," the story takes place at Halloween costume party at
the Ashford-Wellman estate in Maryland's Montomery County. Veronica Ashford, a friend of
sorts, invited you to attend, and your editor told said to try and get a story out of it for the
newspaper. Little does he realize the headline will read: REPORTER ARRESTED FOR MURDER.

Like the rest of the blue bloods in her social circle, Veronica deplores the way the suburbs are
encroaching on the neighborhood. They've even formed a loose coalition to persuade landowners not
to sell out to developers who might replace the ritzy mansions with rows of townhouses.
Incongruously, two real estate men, Bill Cochrane and Samuel Ostmann, were invited to the party. In
the ballroom, where the party is already in full swing (with a live band and a generous bartender),
you must chat with each of the guests to find out who hides behind the extravagant costumes.
There's an African Explorer, a Werewolf, an Astronaut...and you are dressed as a Cowboy.

<h2 style="text-align: center;">SLINGING SINGAPORES</h2>

Veronica immediately spills a Singapore Sling on her white dress and dashes off to remove the
stain. Each turn consumes a minute (the story begins at 9 PM), and you can spend the next two
hours just socializing and wondering when she'll return. Then Sergeant Duffy appears and holds you
with an "iron grip" until an anonymous detective arrests you for killing her. A paragraph explains
that the lariat and a bullet from your costume were found near the body. Though convicted, you are
ultimately freed after Duffy and the detective conduct a more thorough investigation.

So you restart the game and start looking for the scene of the crime, determined to solve it
before Duffy arrests you again. After all, you're a reporter and smell a Pulitzer Prize-winning story
behind this murder. Be sure to bring along plenty of paper, for the sprawling house is much larger
than the one in <u>Witness</u> and even bigger than <u>Deadline</u>'s Robner mansion. One convenient feature
has been added: you can type "go to bar" or any other location, eliminating the need to constantly
refer to the map when moving around. The next location's name appears along with anything that
just happened, and you merely press "c" to continue moving until you reach the bar. You may
enter another command if you change your mind.

<img class="float-right" src="/public/img/articles/questbusters-suspect-review/suspect-veronica-marston.png" alt="Photos of Veronica and Marston from the Suspect documentation">

<h2 style="text-align: center;">A CAST OF THOUSANDS</h2>

The emphasis is on the characters here, interacting with them and trying to figure out
what's going on. And there are plenty of them to watch. You've got Michael (Veronica's husband),
George Smythe (the butler), Colonel Marston (administrator of Veronica's trust fund), Richard
(Veronica's younger brother) and Senator Asher. Then there's Alicia, Linda...even <u>Deadline</u> didn't get
this crowded! And who is the mysterious guest in the devil suit? As in <u>Deadline</u> and <u>Cutthroats</u>,
you'll be told the locations and movements of everyone in the same room. Something is always
happening, and it helps to pay close attention at all times. You'll find more motives than clues strewn
about the landscape. Richard stands to inherit the trust fund with Veronica dead, and Cochrane now
has a chance to buy the house. Yes, it turns out she was planning to sell the estate and move upstate.
But the killer struck before she signed the contract. Snoopy detectives will soon find this and
other incriminating documents without much trouble. The mindgrinder is piecing the elements
together to figure out who killed Veronica -- and, of course, finding enough evidence to convince the
detective that <u>you</u> didn't do it.

Duffy will still analyze objects, but you must first ask the detective to do it. He sends Duffy to
the lab; to hear the report, you've got to be near the detective when Duffy returns. The cop's not
particularly bright. You can remove the lariat, the key evidence against you, before he arrives. Drop
it on the floor later and the detective walks past it without blinking, though he's already examined the
body and knows she was strangled. Hide it, though, and this suspicious act will be brought up in court.

The game recognizes more than 700 words, but seemed to falter in an atypical manner at least
once. Type "jump ribbon" at the stairs, and you'll be told "Please try rephrasing that." Infocom's
parser usually points out the problem word or syntax in a flawed command. Even so, it's still
state-of-the-parser for the industry.

<h2 style="text-align: center;">GRUES, TOO?</h2>

Humorous touches abound. Lebling, who wrote <u>Starcross</u> (and co-authored the mainframe <u>Zork</u>,
the <u>Zork</u> trilogy, and <u>Enchanter</u>), managed to sneak in a grue and a reference to the Frobozz Magic
Company. Beyond a scribbled note on a genuine business card from Cochrane's real estate
company, the documentation does not appear to conceal any solid clues. A page torn from a local
magazine offers an article quoting Cochrane about the local real estate situation, plus background on
Veronica and Colonel Marston. You also get a formal invitation to the party, and the receipt for
your costume. A clever instruction manual, "Murder and Modern Manners," satirizes Emily
Post-type books.

<img class="float-right" src="/public/img/articles/questbusters-suspect-review/suspect-business-card.jpg" alt="King's Point Realty business card from the Suspect packaging">

As far as difficulty goes, Infocom rates the game as Advanced, one step below their Expert
rating for <u>Deadline</u>. (This coincides exactly with the QB rating system, though we refer to the
hardest games as for "Master Adventurers Only.") <u>Suspect</u> is still a tough game, and can be maddening
when you run out of time. (You can buy an extra hour or so by locating a particular piece of
evidence, at least.) It's not your typical "look rock" and "climb rope" adventure, and anyone who
hasn't finished <u>Witness</u> would be getting in over their heads here. <u>Suspect</u> works as true
interactive fiction, too. The characters are convincing, and the suspense intensifies each time
the detective or Duffy approach you when there are only moments remaining and you just <u>know</u>
onto a hot lead. Speaking of hot leads, we don't usually give out clues. This is such a difficult
game, though, it's an exception to the rule. So if you're really stuck, try looking under the Oriental
rug in Veronica's sitting room.

<hr>

**Computer:** Most Home Computers<br>
**Skill Level:** Advanced<br>
**Saves:** 8<br>
**Price:** $39.95, Atari & C-64; $44.95, others<br>
**Manufacturer:** Infocom, Inc.
