Dragnet Case, The

Taskmaster Software 1989

Aka:: Dragnet
Language:: English
Authors:: Edward P. Toovey, Robert Powell
Platforms:: Amiga, Amstrad CPC , Amstrad PCW , Atari ST, C16/Plus4, C64/128 , MSX/MSX2, PC , Spectrum
Genres:: Crime, Humour
Related:: Sam Boon [1: Dragnet Case, The, 2: Case of Murder, A, 3: Mystery of Markham Manor, The, 4: Legacy of Markham Island, The]
Entered by:: Garry, Strident, Sudders
Added:: 20-10-2010
Edited:: 08-05-2023

Synopsis

Plot

You are Sam Boon, a fairly well known but poor private detective. You live in a small apartment in downtown L.A. The story is set on the 19th of June. It all started at about 2:30 in the morning, when you were awoken by the sound of gunfire. The sound seemed to come from the flat below which belongs to the professor. After lying awake for a few minutes you decide that it must have been the professor's television. After a few minutes more deliberation you decide to go down and complain in the morning. Next day you wake up, and after breakfast, remember the night before. Now we leave you to continue with your complaint...

Notes

The original ZX Spectrum 1989 version was a PAWed text adventure, with a handful of graphics in certain locations.

The date for that version is approximate but based on a playtest request from the author, that appeared in Your Sinclair issue 34. The authors were 14 when they wrote the game.

Although it was playtested, the adventure was never actually released back in the day. The initially archived versions are likely to have been sourced from a playtester. In 2022 author Edward Toovey finally released the a completed Spectrum 48K version of the game; downloadable here.

Originally envisaged as part of a trilogy, with a three-part prequel (Murder, Mystery and Suspenders) and a sequel (The Feud). Work on the prequel game was started but never finished; although the first part of the prequel was also released in 2022 as A Case of Murder.

In 2023, Edward Toovey returned to the game, producing a new revised version using DAAD. This version is available in both a 48K text-only version and a 128K version with occasional graphics. There are versions for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad C64, Atari ST, C64, C16/Plus 4, MSX 1, MSX 2 and PC. Some platforms have a choice of text-only or graphics. See here for details.