In 2012, I wrote a series of blog entries on the subject of Sierra On-Line memories. It was entitled The Treasure of the Sierra On-Line. It covered Space Quest, Leisure Suit Larry and King's Quest. The three Sierra On-Line franchises which I had the most experiences with at the time.
With the sudden passing of friend and fellow Sierra On-Line fan, Roberta Vaughan, I decided that now might be the best time to revisit The Treasure of the Sierra On-Line. I am in the process of further exploring various memories of Sierra On-Line. Everything from Space Quest to You Don't Know Jack. From Police Quest to 3-D Ultra Pinball. From King's Quest to Quest for Glory. Today, we will be exploring more Police Quest. The series began with Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel designed by former police officer Jim Walls. A point and click adventure game in the vein of King's Quest. Jim Walls went on to develop two sequels. Police Quest II: The Vengeance and Police Quest III: The Kindred. The series followed police procedure so closely that it was even used for real life police training at one point.
The New Treasure of the Sierra On-Line (Police Quest 33⅓)
In a city teeming with drugs, one man rises to uphold the law. His name is Sonny Bonds.
A few years had passed since my first experiences with the Police Quest series. Police Quest: SWAT seemed like a distant memory. My campy adventures with the LAPD SWAT division had certainly left a lasting impression, however. I was slowly rediscovering the early Sierra On-Line games while working as a community moderator for Chris Cromer's AGI Web Site. I had become fairly acquainted with a fellow moderator there. Someone with an even more intimate knowledge of Sierra On-Line than myself. Mark was quite the character. He had a warped sense of humor at times. A very adult oriented sense of of humor! It would never fly in the police force! With his help, I began to archive much of the Sierra On-Line game catalog digitally. It would come to include virtually every point and click adventure game ever produced by the company.
Naturally, that archive would include Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel and its sequels, Police Quest II: The Vengeance and Police Quest III: The Kindred. When it came time to include Police Quest IV: Open Season, however, we could not seem to find the files we needed. Thankfully, there was an eBay auction for the original Police Quest IV: Open Season CD-ROM currently in progress. It was a rather barebones offering. No box and no manual. Just the CD-ROM itself. But it appeared to be our only option at that point. I quickly placed a bid for the CD-ROM. After the auction had closed, Mark somehow managed to find the files online after all. He was always a hoot. My Police Quest IV: Open Season CD-ROM arrived in the mail a few days later. Mark reassured me following the game's arrival. At least I now possessed a physical copy of the game. From what I have come to understand, it is the most controversial entry in the series too. I was somewhat eager to give it a try, but it felt only natural to begin with Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel. The very first game in the series. The game that I had never actually finished years prior. It was time to report for duty. It was time to get back on the beat.
I once again arrived for work at the Lytton Police Station. I placed my civilian clothing in my locker, took a brief shower and then changed into my police uniform. It was time for the daily briefing, and I intended to pay close attention to the sergeant's instructions this time around. Our shift was ordered to track down a 1983 Cadillac, license number 'LOP1238,' VIN C03456218. It was reported stolen in the last week. The sergeant went on to inform us that three teenagers were arrested in three separate arrests last night, each for drunk driving. Two of the three were in possession of cocaine, and all three attend Jefferson High School. The writing was on the wall. As the briefing concluded, the sergeant gave me my call number. I would be 83-32.
During a routine patrol, a call came in over the radio. It was the very same car accident as before. Having studied the streets of Lytton in the time since my last "playthrough," I quickly located the scene of the accident and began my investigation in earnest. The driver was deader than a doornail. Upon inspection of the vehicle, I discovered that the license plate was nowhere to be found. One of the witnesses in the crowd provided information on another vehicle involved in the accident. A light blue, late-model Cadillac. They appeared to be racing down the street. As they approached, there was a loud bang. The Cadillac kept on jamming as the victim's car lost control and crashed. A second witness seemed to remember part of the Cadillac's license plate number. It was 'L964.' A partial plate was better than no plate at all. A late-model Cadillac. The very car I was ordered to watch out for. I radioed dispatch with the information. The police sergeant was on route. Upon his arrival, I was told to hit the streets and find the rat responsible. Detective Hamilton would handle the crime scene investigation from here.
It seemed as though a coffee break was in order. Carol's Caffeine Castle was just a few short blocks away. Once there, I sat with a fellow officer and sampled some of Carol's finest Jamaican Java. It was not long before the cafe's phone rang. Carol answered. It was Detective Hamilton calling for Sonny Bonds. The coroner had identified the victim in the car crash as Lonny West, a local small-time drug dealer. He was the second small-timer to get his ticket punched in the last two weeks. Things were really beginning to heat up in Lytton. I could have spent the whole day drinking coffee, but duty called. I returned to my patrol route. Soon after, I witnessed a car running a red light. I pulled the driver over and asked for their license and registration. It was a tall brunette woman. A woman that seemed ready to do just about anything to get out of paying a ticket. I was an officer of the law, however. I was not about to succumb to temptation. I quickly wrote the woman a ticket and then went on with my day.
As I continued to patrol the streets of Lytton, another call came in over the radio. A group of drunken bikers had taken all the parking spaces in front of Carol's Caffeine Castle. Their bar was located next door. It was called Wino Willy's. Carol was a nice lady. If someone was making trouble for her, they were making trouble for me. As I entered the bar, the bartender mumbled under his breath, "Here comes trouble!" The leader of this rowdy bunch came over to me and said, "Well, well! If it ain't the Tidy Bowl Man!" I stepped closer to the bar. The room went deafly silent. The leader looked me in the eye and shouted, "What the (*&^$(# do you want, PIG?" His choice of words was so putrid, Sierra's Adventure Game Interpreter could not display it. I politely asked them to move their bikes, but they impolitely refused. I was now surrounded by angry, drunken bikers. I had little choice left. I whipped out my PR-24. More commonly known as a nightstick. I quickly assumed a defensive stance. The lead biker suddenly backed down. I was apparently a little too rough for their liking. They promised to leave quietly.
After the rowdy bikers had dispersed, a voice called out from the bar. She shouted, "Sonny Bonds! 'Zat you?" It was Sonny Bonds' old friend, Sweet Cheeks Marie. She was glad that I showed up when I did. Those guys had some pretty strange ideas. I asked her about the drug problem in Lytton, and she proceeded to spill her guts. Metaphorically speaking. Marie said, "There's a big dope man tryin' to take over Lytton. He likes to call himself 'The Death Angel!' I don't know no more about him, but this john was sure a peculiar duck!" In return for information on the Death Angel, I told Sweet Cheeks Marie of the upcoming undercover crackdown on prostitution called "Operation Trick Trap." With that business out of the way, it was time to return to the streets once more. I still had a Cadillac to track down!
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