Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel

In the early 1990’s Sierra On-line moved their adventure games from a text based parser engine to a newer point-and-click game engine. In doing so, they re-released and updated several of the original games in their more successful game series, including Police Quest.

The original Police Quest game was the first in a series of police genre adventure games; it was designed by Sierra developer Ken Williams and former police officer Jim Walls who aimed to provide gamers with a realistic simulation of police work.

It would not be unfair to suggest that the amount of “adventure” for the lead character, Sonny Bonds, is somewhat limited. Rather than being the computer-gaming equivalent of a TV cop show, Police Quest is much more of a police procedural simulation where everything is done by the book, literally. The Gazette that came with it contained a full list of procedures and violation codes which would be needed in order to complete the game. Despite the seriousness, gamers were captivated by Sonny Bonds, and the Police Quest series developed something of a cult following among adventure gamers over the years.

As well as the updated game engine this remake features improved VGA graphics and looks and feels similar to Police Quest 3: The Kindred (which had been released in the previous year). For those who prefer the convenience of not having to type text commands, Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel offers a perfect opportunity to replay a classic adventure game.

Review By Richard