A Glasgow Murder
written by J. Fanning for the Spectrum
Overview
This is a somewhat illogical attempt to recreate a Victorian murder investigation. The player's
task is to search for evidence and take it to the Glasgow police inspector. The investigator's
identity is never made plain.
Commands follow the standard verb-noun Quill format where just the first four letters of words can
be entered. Directions are abbreviated. Note that the author has often failed to set flags, so some
actions can be repeated ad infinitem. Also some object descriptions disappear very rapidly from the
screen. You will need to write down the details of some pieces of evidence.
Walkthrough
Inventory, get coin (a man appears), talk to man (he introduces himself and hands you a picture),
examine picture, south, talk to librarian, give coin (but note that it does not actually leave your
inventory), sign form, west, listen to ladies, east, south, examine shelves (you cannot get any of
these books), north, east, examine shelves, get volume, open volume (the book is about poisons and a
piece of paper drops out), get prescription, read prescription.
West, north, west, north, examine pot, empty pot (so, you can just walk into this house uninvited
and leave piles of earth and dying plants all over the place!), west, listen to men, shake hands,
get envelope, east, north, talk to the cook, examine saucepan (do not eat the soup as it is poisoned
- why?), get ashes, up, examine portrait, get portrait (something falls to the floor), get ticket.
West, open wardrobe, drop portrait, get hat, wear hat, get stick, get coat, wear coat, east x 2,
examine clock ("It is almost midnight" and the library is still open?), wait, west, north,
examine blotter, rub blotter, south, up, open chest, drop key, get letter, read letter, down x 2,
south.
East x 2, north, read plaque, up (nothing there - or is there?), wait, read inscription, down, north
x 2, talk to assistant, give prescription, get bottle, examine bottle, south x 3, east, read
newspaper, open newspaper, north x 2, talk to officer (a strange response, as you'll shortly
discover), north, interrogate woman (she gives you the safe combination - 21964), east, examine
footstep (eh?), north.
Talk to the inspector (he will ask you a series of questions, so we might as well deal with some of
these now), Edward, 249 (we do not know the answer to the next question, so it is time to move on -
however, we might as well drop some items that we will need later and others that have served their
purpose, so drop the following - card, volume, envelope, letter and bottle).
South x 2, open filing cabinet, examine records, south, east, north, talk to Johnson (you are
mistaken for Dr Pritchard), get will, read will, south, east, talk to teller, get statement, read
statement, west x 2, south, talk to shopkeeper (we need a prescription card), west x 4 (to 249
Sauchiehall Street).
North, east, move case, open safe, 21964, get form, examine form, west, south x 5, west x 2, open
drawer, examine birth certificate, west, open drawer, examine marriage certificate, west, open
drawer, get death certificate, read death certificate, east x 3, south, follow stranger (a shot is
fired, the bullet grazing your cheek, but this seems to have absolutely nothing to do with the rest
of the game).
North, east x 2, examine billboard, west, south, examine timetable, wait, enter tram, west, talk to
maid, get broach (note the misspelling), east x2, north, listen, north x 2, west x 3, north (back to
Sauchiehall Street), east x 3, north x 3, east, north (time to drop some more items, so leave the
will, death certificate and statement), south x 4, give form, south x 3, talk to stranger (who are
these strangers?), south (to York).
South x 2 (to Scarborough), south, look book (you're not told that there are any books here,
but what the heck!), open book, west, south x 3, listen to ladies, buy pint (amazing how much you
can do with one coin!), drop stick, get brass key, north, examine packing case, drop coat, get
diary, read diary, wait, west, drop brass key, drop hat, north x 5, west x 2, listen, west (to
London).
West, north, talk to man, bribe man (this coin is a wonderful thing, but you won't need it any
more), drop coin, read lists, east, read roll, east, open drawer (a lawyer appears), show broach,
get bequest, read bequest, north, read sign, south x 2, listen, west, read poster, north, south,
west, east x 4, north x 2 (hmm, seems we have to go via Edinburgh, but why is that stranger still
sitting in the same place?), west x 3, north, east x 3, north x 3, east, north.
(Now where had we got to with those questions? Oh, yes, the name of the Yorkshire village.)
Hunmanby, Portsmouth, Mary, 14 years, Edinburgh, (from here on you will have to pick up items
previously left here before giving them to the inspector), tear envelope, read note, give note, give
letter, give form, give bottle, give statement, give bequest, give will, give death certificate.
You've solved the case and learn Pritchard's motive was pleasure (or
"waspleasure" as the programmer prefers it).
So that's it. Apart from ghosts appearing all over the place, a coin that lasts for ever and a
railway ticket that allows an infinite number of journeys, and these mysterious strangers, I suppose
the game does have some kind of inner logic. However, there are really three ridiculous points.
Firstly, a hat, a coat and a stick hardly form a convincing disguise? Then, why does the villain a)
give you his photograph, and b) stay in the same place throughout the game?
A Wibble and Blim production for CASA
