Finished my second playthrough of "The Colonel's Bequest"

Analyzing the heck out of this game...

This one took me about 10 hours, meticulously keeping track of all NPC's during all time slots on a second computer, trying to compile a perfect path through the game. This came with a lot of saving and restoring but hey, it's a Sierra game after all, you HAVE to do that with them (though usually only to survive till the end...)

Jeeves keeps telling me to get out of his room, but he doesn't really seem to mind all THAT much...

And it worked! I didn't reach Super-sleuth, but I am a Seasoned P.I.! I'm very much satisfied with that result, even though I still missed some things (didn't examine enough items with the monocle, didn't use all items where I could, stuff like that...)

 

I'd like to try some gumbo, please. No idea what it tastes like actually...

I spied on loads of interesting conversations this time, AND I found my way in some unexpected locations as well! Like the butler's room, Celie's house, the attic, and even an underground cave system leading to a couple of surprises!

 

Okay, this is getting creepy...

Truly a great game! I had loads of fun with this one, can't believe I waited this long to play it!

 

Yay, seasoned P.I.!

 You can find The Colonel's Bequest here!

I reached the ending of "The Colonel's Bequest" after 4 hours or so...

 ...but I only got an "Absent-Minded" rating on the Sleuth-o-Meter!

Bummer...

There's a lot of stuff I missed, as was obvious when Laura goes over her notebook at the end of the game. Lots of things I should have uncovered are left incomplete. And I even got the bad ending!

 

Wasn't expecting this!

I restored to see the good ending, but that didn't change much about my score, if not to say nothing!

 

The End? I don't think so...

So I'm diving back into the game for a second playthrough, and this time I'm going to make sure to find out where all NPC's are during every time slot!

 

Aha! I finally know how to spy on people during my second playthrough! No more secrets for me now! Mwahaha!

Let's rock that Sleuth-o-Meter this time!

You can find The Colonel's Bequest here!

Two hours into "The Colonel's Bequest"

Uh-oh...

I already found three dead bodies, which immediately disappear so people are hiding them either down the well, or in the cellar, or up the attic, or perhaps they're just throwing them into the swamp to sink, I don't know.

 

Trying to eavesdrop isn't all that succesfull in this game...

I realized there's not really much else to do in this game than walk around and try to find interesting things to see or hear that will progress time. I'm currently in Act V and I've already witnessed lots of strange things; the dead bodies of course but also arguments between people, harrassment, fisticuffs, a drunk woman zigzagging all over the place, ...

 

No, they're not doing the tango...

I've also died a couple of times. Someone pulled me inside a closet, and I was so proud when I found an oilcan that I sliced myself in half fixing the rusty armor in the main hall.

 

Bam!

Really wondering where this will all lead to. Is there one murderer, are there several, will I have to point them out in the end? I've found a handkerchief, a poker, and I'm seeing boa feathers all over the place, so that's not much for gathering evidence...

 

The cheek!

Time will tell!

You can find The Colonel's Bequest here!

Classic time: "The Colonel's Bequest" playthrough

New game!

I'm 1 hour into Sierra's The Colonel's Bequest, aka Laura Bow 1. I've never played this game before, so it's about time I got around to it, since the game dates back to 1989!

 

Welcome to the mansion!

Laura's friend Lillian invited her over to her uncle Henri's mansion for dinner. The entire family is gathered, and Henri drops a bomb on them: he doesn't have long to live, and he's splitting up his inheritance equally amongst any surviving family members.

 

My first (intentional) death scene...

This game is typical whodunit fare and makes me think in the first place of Agatha Christie, but also Cluedo and Knives Out. After one hour of playing, I explored the entire mansion and a little bit of the outside. I think I met most cast members (11 NPC's so far...) and tried asking them about each other. I found a soup bone in the kitchen's ice box, and I already died twice (once intentionally)!

 

Lots of weapons in this room...

There's an in-game clock which starts at 7 pm. The clock has advanced a couple of times and it's now 7:45. It hasn't advanced in a while now, and I feel like I'm back on the ship in Cruise for a Corpse, searching far and wide for that one clue that will advance time.

 

Sorry, couldn't help myself... They told me she was into it!

I have absolutely no idea what to expect, except certain death around every corner. It's wild playing a text parser game again after so long and not having pre-chewed dialogue options, nor a one-click mouse interface to examine and interact with hotspots.

 

My first (unexpected) death scene!

I also have no idea where to go next, or what to do, so I guess I'll just go around the house again...

You can find The Colonel's Bequest here!