Description
Mystery House is a monochrome interactive fiction adventure game that places the player in a Victorian mansion with seven other people. As the player explores the mansion, he discovers that there is a killer murdering each guest one by one. The objective of the game is to figure out who the murderer is before the murderer finds the hero. Players explore and manipulate objects by typing in one or two-word phrases such as "north" or "get knife".
Alternate Titles
- "Mystery House" -- iPhone title
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Trivia
Distribution
The game was available in only 4 stores in the L.A county.
Ken Williams and
Roberta Williams transferred the software personally.
Source:
Sierra On-line Fansite
Freeware release
To commemorate Sierra's seventh year in operation (1987), the game was donated as freeware in the public domain. See below for transcript of the 'official notice' which appeared in this re-released game:
FROM A GREAT MOMENT IN HISTORY: MYSTERY HOUSE THE FIRST GRAPHIC ADVENTURE, WAS CREATED IN 1980 BY SIERRA ON-LINE FOUNDERS KEN AND ROBERTA WILLIAMS AND RELEASED INTO THE PUBLIC DOMAIN IN 1987 TO CELEBRATE SIERRA'S 7TH ANNIVERSARY.
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO COPY THIS GAME FOR YOURSELF OR TO SHARE. IF YOU HAVE ENJOYED IT YOU MAY SEND A $5 DONATION TO KEN AND ROBERTA'S FAVORITE CHARITY, SIERRA HISTORIC SITES ASSOCIATION, P.O. BOX 451, OAKHURST, CA 93644.
NOTE: BECAUSE IT IS NOW FREE SIERRA'S GIFT TO YOU WE CAN NO LONGER TAKE CALLS ON THIS GAME. IF YOU NEED HELP, WE SUGGEST YOU CONTACT YOUR LOCAL APPLE USERS GROUP TO TALK WITH OTHERS WHO MAY HAVE PLAYED IT.
Innovations
Mystery House was the first graphic adventure game.
Inspiration
According to an interview with Roberta Williams in Computer Gaming World issue #54 (December 1988), the game was inspired by the
Agatha Christie novel
Ten Little Indians (also known as
Ten Little Niggers and
And Then There Were None) and the board game
Clue.
Mystery House Taken Over
In 2004, New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc., (aka Ether-Ore) commissioned the Mystery House Taken Over project for turbulence.org. Noted Interactive Fiction authors created variations of Mystery House which can be downloaded or played online. The variations include an Asian-themed adventure, a Gothic mystery, and a Spanish game set in Casa Tomada.
Awards
- Computer Gaming World
- November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) – #4 Most Innovative Computer Game
Information also contributed by
Garcia,
Indra was here and
Terrence Bosky
