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| Suspect | |
|---|---|
 Cover art | |
| Developer | Infocom |
| Publisher | Infocom |
| Designer | Dave Lebling |
| Engine | Z-machine |
| Platforms | Amiga,Amstrad CPC,Amstrad PCW,Apple II,Atari 8-bit,Atari ST,Commodore 64,Kaypro II,Mac,MS-DOS[1] |
| Release | October 5, 1984 |
| Genres | Adventure,interactive fiction |
| Mode | Single-player |
Suspect is aninteractive fictionvideo game designed byDave Lebling and published byInfocom in 1984. It is the third and lastmurder mystery Infocom released. It was written in highly portableZIL and released forAmiga,Amstrad CPC,Amstrad PCW,Apple II,Atari 8-bit computers,Atari ST,Commodore 64,Kaypro II,Mac, andMS-DOS. It is Infocom's fifteenth game.
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The player's character is areporter for the fictitiousnewspaperThe Washington Representative. Veronica Ashcroft-Wellman, a longtime friend and wealthysocialite, has sent an invitation to the annual AshcroftHalloween Ball, whereMaryland's high societybluebloods rub elbows, network, and congratulate each other on their fortunes. The paper's editor suggests covering the party as a story, smelling an easy article that could either praise or mock the wealthy. Since it is acostume party, the player's character suits up in a rentedcowboy outfit and moseys over to the bash. Many attendees wear masks, making it difficult to initially identify them.
Not long into the party, however, Veronica is found dead—strangled with a very familiar-lookinglariat, with abullet from the costume's gunbelt lying near the body for good measure. But the player stashed the rope in the closet earlier, and the bullet is missing from the back of the belt; anyone could have taken them! Nevertheless, the player is the primesuspect in Veronica's murder. A lot of snooping has to be done to identify the real killer.
Suspect included the following physical items in the package:
Based on sales and market-share data,Video magazine listed the game seventh on its list of best selling video games in March 1985.[2]ANALOG Computing praisedSuspect's technical sophistication, packaging, and premise, but criticized the game's intrusive "dry humor" and cynical tone. The magazine concluded, "It is certainly complex, detailed and imaginative. I just wish it took itself a little more seriously, both as a game and an example of truly interactive fiction".[3]