THE GREAT DETECTIVE
CRL, 1984
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Solution by Exemptus - November 2022
Overview and general hints:
---------------------------
This is a short narrative game where you play the part of a detective in pursuit
of a gang of thieves. It's just a "choose the right option" game with a few
coded messages thrown in. Some of the messages are random, and may or may not
have any bearing on the story except for being a test for the player to pass.
There are a few bits of help for the player: If the wrong option is chosen, this
doesn't always mean certain death. The player can sometimes escape fate if the
right key is pressed. Some kind of clue about the right key to press is given in
either descriptions or the text-based illustrations. However, this is totally
unnecessary, since there are only three significant choices in the whole game,
and finding the right ones (and therefore completing the game) takes about ten
minutes. So I won't bother to explore most of the ancillary paths: the solution
is as short as possible.
The game has at least two arcade sequences. The first one is critical but easy;
the second one is impossible but irrelevant, as it only determines the final
score.
Walkthrough:
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[The game begins with the phone ringing and a message. We read the paper; there
is a clue about "Issue B only in stock", meaning option B is the right one for
the first choice.]
B [We go to the information office]
[We are assaulted by a gang of delinquents in a van with the letter H. This is
another clue about the next letter to press.]
H [We escape death and enter the library]
B [Go directly to the reading room]
[We read about the Brien gang which operated in California. Next we are given a
random coded message and need to enter the solution, which is one of the
following:
WIGJONYL LYHNUFM FCGCNYX = COMPUTER RENTALS LIMITED
TPJYV BZLYZ KV PA ZPAAPUN KVDU = MICRO USERS DO IT SITTING DOWN
CZOMDBEW PYB ZBOCSNOXD = SPECTRUM FOR PRESIDENT
CSXMVKSB BOCOKBMP BEVOC YU = SINCLAIR RESEARCH RULES OK
You may also notice that there are some mistakes, as the last message decodes to
RESEARCF instead of RESEARCH, but the right spelling is accepted anyway.]
[Next we come to Colt's Cafe and we are given a pistol with 10 bullets, as well
as another message. This one we don't need to enter the solution to, but it
tells about the next decision. Once decrypted (and the words properly spaced) it
says that the Brien gang is meeting at the Hall on the 27th, which is today.]
A [Keep the paper]
A [Go to the Hall, as the message said]
[The first arcade sequence plays now. We have to gun down the 10 gangsters and
not waste any bullets. Since it is so slow, it is easy to get right.]
[We are now told about another arcade sequence to prevent the remaining
gangsters from escaping the Hall. First of all we need to decode another
message, which is one of:
PHRQ TEAQ AOLO = SHUT THAT DOOR
SXY FT TIQH FLLTBRS = SAY IT WITH FLOWERS
MIDS JFDHT CLV = PIGS MIGHT FLY
JXN LK TEE JOLK = MAN ON THE MOON
And that's about it. The last arcade sequence you can basically ignore, or try
to play for points. In any case, it is practically impossible to prevent more
that 2 gangsters from escaping. The best strategy seems to be to go to one of
the two spaces adjacent to the exit door and stay put over there.]
[End of game.]
