Scoop, The

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs

GAME DESIGNER:Jonathan Merritt & Dale Disharoon
GAME DEVELOPER:Telarium
GAME PUBLISHER:Spinnaker
Copyright 1988, Spinnaker

The last in the long line of great Telarium/Windham Classic adventures, this game doesn’t quite live up to the wonderful Below the Root , which uses a similar but more outdated choose-the-verb engine. It is nonetheless a solid detective game with interesting plot twists and nice interface (e.g. you can “listen” in on the conversations, and question the characters’ alibi). It is also the first (and last, alas) Telarium game to use EGA/VGA graphics and excellent NPC routine that is well-integrated into puzzles– you must, for example, observe each suspect’s routine by following them, then eavesdrop on their conversation at the right time and place to gain new topics you can ask other NPCs about.

The Scoop also displays an unthoughtful design, as the rather harsh time limit means that you might have to restore many times to get everything done, which means that you unrealistically know what will happen before the event. Still, its interesting plot, fun character routines, and well-written dialogues more than make up for its shortcomings. Thumbs up!