Murder Mansion is a whodunit game that tests and improves deductive skills. You must deduce the identity of a murderer and the weapon that was used. Sound easy? You're also working against the clock.
Run the program using Menu 128. The game screen contains the following windows:
1. The Layout window, showing the mansion floor that you're on. It covers most of the screen.
2. The Clock window. The clock starts at 00:00. After 24 hours, the game automatically ends if you haven't solved the murder.
3. The Item window, showing ten weapons and a key. As you find each item, it darkens on the screen.
4. The Location window, indicating the room you're in.
5. The Command window, with following play options. Press the first letter of the option you want.
a. Look at a room. Use this option to discover objects, secret passages or who is in the room with you. You'll see only the room where you're standing.
b. Question suspect. Use this option to question any suspect in the room. A suspect will offer several clues if you ask enough. Possible clues are the location of a weapon and whether a suspect had a motive or an opportunity for murder. Note: One of the suspects is a liar; everything he or she says is false.
c. Phone police. This option is used only when you're sure of the murderer and weapon. Just follow the prompts.
d. Movement. To move from room to room, just press the first letter of the direction you wish to go, including up or down. Some rooms have locked doors, requiring the key.
To identify the murderer, you must determine who had both a motive and an opportunity. These clues come from the suspects, but don't expect suspects to sit still waiting for you to ask questions; they move around. For example, while you're talking to one suspect, he or she may leave the room and another enter. You may find someone different in the room after the suspects move, or maybe no one at all.
The murderer also moves, and ocassionally kills other suspects. You'll know when this happens from the message saying you hear a scream.
With many rooms to explore and suspects to question, you must use every clue to its fullest, so keep track of who says what. Once you know the murderer and weapon, go to a room with a phone and call the police. If you're correct, you'll receive a detective-ability rating based on the number of suspects still alive.
Murder Mansion consists of two programs. If you want to copy it to another disk, be sure to use the ReRUN interface. Good luck and happy sleuthing!
