I remember playing this game during third grade when we would get anywhere from a five to fifteen minute break to go play on the computers along with the other classic teaching games. Number munchers, Odell Lake etc, but everyone would fight over who got the computer with sim city on it and who got the computer with jack the ripper on it.
For a third grader this game was a bit complex and basically my five to ten minute break consisted of running around London gathering a clue or two and not really having the capacity to frame anything together.
Then again it was the game with the best graphics we had as compared to the old Apple II computers that were broken half the time.
This game is a basic adventure game, it introduces you to early London and while not comparable to today’s graphics, I felt that it was satisfactory for what the game required. As for gameplay it was relatively smooth while no stellar graphics to speak of, the graphics were definitely usable.
You basically are a detective at Scotland Yard in Britain and your job is to catch Jack the Ripper before he can murder again. Gather clues, piece together evidence and get inside the mind of a killer. Interface is simple scroll bar and point and
click but it gets the job done. The game does have a series of confusing parts and can be trying your patience at times but once you get the clue you pull the "now why didn't I think of that?" Simply put if you are looking for a quick game to beat in an hour you should keep looking, however if you are the patient type and like challenges and confusing set-ups this game is for you.
Basically the concept plays similar to that of the Carmen Sandiego games, you piece together clues and based on your action a newspaper tells you if you were correct or not. Where in this case you catch Jack or else you are in a body bag. Clues are all over the city ranging from word of mouth to things left at the murder scene. I believe that it’s a very well done simulator and it plays well along side the Sherlock Holmes games as well as other murder mystery games. A must have for all murder mystery fans, or for those who always have had the dream to work at Scotland Yard.
