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What victim? Has there been a murder? There most
certainly has. Whilst enjoying a leisurely trip on the
Delta Princess, a steamboat bound for New Orleans, wealthy
businessman Raleigh Poindexter Cartwright III was shot
at close range in the privacy of his own Cabin! But
by whom? And why?
Murder
on the Mississippi follows the exploits of the famous
(?) British super sleuth, Sir Charles Foxworth, and
his sycophantic sidekick, Regis Phelps. It is up to
you to help them determine who murdered Mr Cartwright
before the Delta Princess docks at its destination .
. . in three hours time!
'Regis!
Look at that!
Yes m'lord. Someone is sleeping.
Yes, he's sleeping on the floor, Regis, what a curious
thing to do.
Quite, m'lord. Perhaps he isn't just sleeping.
What are you suggesting, Regis, a mishap?
Well there is that pool of blood . . . '
And
so the mystery begins with the discovery of a body in
cabin four -- the captain of the Delta Princess, Willard
Overbight, identifies the corpse as being Raleigh Poindexter
Cartwright III. There are eight suspects -- two crewmen
and six passengers -- to be scrupulously questioned,
as they all had the opportunity, if not the motive,
to kill Cartwright. Sufficient evidence must also be
gathered by searching each suspect's cabin. That is,
if they agree . . .
The
top section of the screen shows Sir Charles and Regis'
surroundings. As the investigative duo move around the
decks, the scenery scrolls to keep up with them. Beneath
this, various lists of commands and any relevant text
are displayed. Sir Charles and Regis can walk around
the ship, inspect the immediate vicinity, or 'talk'
to any of the characters. The commands are selected
by moving the joystick and pressing the fire button.
A
notepad is thoughtfully provided so that notes can be
taken when 'interviewing' suspects about either the
deceased or other suspects. Whatever the interviewee
says is displayed at the top of the screen and a hand
icon is used to pick out any relevant bits of text.
For example, 'Captain Overbight, tell me about yourself'
elicits the response 'Running a river boat like this
one is no easy matter, young man. I sleep in the wheelhouse.
Sometimes I even eat in the wheelhouse. It lakes a hard
worker like myself to run a ship like this.'
Only
a single line's worth of text can be removed, so words
must be chosen sensibly. Notes can be recalled at any
time and even shared with suspects to reveal further
clues, essential for solving this whodunnit.
Incriminating
evidence can be studied closely for more information
by taking it back to Sir Charles' cabin and putting
it on the examining table. This way, connections can
be made between certain pieces of evidence and thus
any theories strengthened as to whodiddit.
There
are four possible endings to the game, but Sir Charles
can only accuse a suspect when he has enough notes and
sufficient evidence. If he's wrong -- well, needless
to say, the innocent accused won't be too pleased and
the real murderer will get away scot-free . . .
So
who did kill Raleigh Poindexter Cartwright? Was
it dainty Daisy Du Pree, who denies ever meeting any
of the other suspects? Or Henry Stoker, the illegitimate
son of Raleigh Cartwright and the Delta Princess' maintenance
man who is secretly enjoying the carnal delights that
the lissom Twylia Smallworth has to offer? Maybe it
was Twylla herself? Or Circuit Judge Roderick Ishmael
Carter, better known as Death Head Carter in certain
quarters? Or even the captain of the ship, Willard Overbight?
Then
again, who would ever suspect the Reverend Aloysius
McMurdo Godwin, who continually quotes from the bible?
None of the other suspects trust him, that's for sure.
Maybe it was 'close' friend, Gladys Thrillington Des
Plaines? Or Lionel Humphries, who insists on shooting
birds from his cabin in the early hours of the morning?
Who knows? One thing's for sure, though -- whoever dunnit
is out to get Sir Charles before he gets them . . .
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