Crime City Download (1992 Adventure Game)

Crime City is a classical point-and-click adventure. You play Mr. White, a poor chap who writes detective stories but wants nothing more than to be a real private investigator. It's a pretty classical story: one day, he can't really write a thing, but then, a mysterious blonde stands before his door, telling him his Father, Henry White, was arrested for murder. It's up to you to prove the police wrong.

A difference to the classical adventure exists: you need money to travel, get information or training. To get money, you can trade at the stock market. What's also different is that the time of the day really matters and that the protagonist becomes sleepy after staying up too long

Crime City is a point-and-click adventure game from the United Kingdom in which you, as Steven White, investigate a recent murder in an effort to clear an innocent man... your father! You will need to use your wit, a keen eye and serious investigative work to track down the real killer.

The game interface is very simple, yet effective and you will master it in no time. Everything is basically self-explanatory, which is a sure sign of good design. The graphics are static as there is no animation, but they are well-suited for the game's age. I did not encounter any music, but there are some sound effects, such as dialing the phone, busy signals, etc.

There is no inventory to manage in this game, which can be a good thing. If you pick something up, you simply use it automatically as needed. There is not easily apparent way to see what you are carrying. Discovering an item simply adds a new dialogue option to some one you need to speak with.

The game can be a bit difficult because you have a clock to contend with. Each action, such as traveling around town to investigate, takes a certain amount of time and/or money depending on your choices. You get tired from lack of sleep, which affects your health and so on. That can be a bit tedious at times, without really adding any game play value. There are some other attributes, but with out documentation I have not pieced together what they are for. Some characters are only available for questioning at certain times of the day.

Crime City even includes a simple "Breakout" type game on the in-game computer if you get bored investigating! Overall I felt Crime City is a fun adventure game that will keep you busy for a while garnering a rating of 3 in my book. Playing it is certainly not a crime!

Spoiler's below! Here is a little help to get you started and help you learn the game's mechanics

Read the letter. Read Diary. Click Phone Tab. Note David's number. Use Computer. Access Records. Read David Walker. Note his birthday. Click on map hanging on the wall. Click on police station (the building not the words). Talk to officer. Ask to see father. Question your father about murder until you have exhausted all options. Exit police station. Go to Crime scene.

Your father, a private investigator, has been arrested and charged with the murder of his freind. Althought the police have closed the case, you are adamant your father is innocent, and set out to find the real killer yourself.

Using a freindly interface, you must navigate your way around the city, keeping a close check on your wallet, and the calendar. You are able to talk to people (using multichoice) to find clues, as well as study the crime scene and other locations. The plot unfolds very well, with new locations becoming available as and when you solve the games sub puzzles.

The games graphics are pretty but a little amateur. The gameplay is excellent, if youre willing to spend a couple of hours playing the game, which involves reading and studying the clues. The puzzles themselves vary in difficulty, but are generally all solvable by a typical 15 year old ;-) You can also dabble on the stock market via your office computer, if youre wallet is looking a little bare.

I looked for this game for a long time, and became convinced it never hit the PC platform. No im very happy to find I was wrong.

This is a neat little adventure game that was released only in Europe with little fanfare. As the prodigal son whose father was arrested for crime he didn't commit, it's up to you to track down the real killer and bring him or her to justice. It's essentially a detective game with creative strategy elements thrown in (e.g. you must manage your time and money very carefully-- each action takes time, and travel costs money). Lots of text in this game provide for hours of fun sleuthing despite amateurish graphics and sound.

How to run this game on modern Windows PC?

People who downloaded Crime City have also downloaded:
Corruption, Crime Time, Countdown, Clue!, The (a.k.a. Der Clou!), Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood, Cruise for a Corpse, Corrosion: Cold Winter Waiting, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - 3 Dimensions of Murder