Police Quest 2: The Vengeance

aka: PQ2, Police Quest II
Moby ID: 147
DOS Specs

Description official description

Little time has passed since the events of Police Quest, when Sonny Bonds climbed the ranks of the Lytton police department and became the key element in the arrest of Jesse Bains, the notorious drug lord. After the trial, Sonny's application to the Homicide division was accepted and proposed to Marie, who had her prostitution charges dropped and started a new life away from the streets. Life was good - until Bains escaped, taking advantage of a low-security prison and an inexperienced correctional officer. Sonny is now in danger from a vengeful Bains and is saddled with his new chain-smoker partner Keith. Sonny goes to the field again to capture Bains, but things are about to get awfully personal...

Using Sierra's new SCI engine, the graphics are more vibrant than in the first game, but gameplay remains basically the same, with the player ordering Sonny to move to a place in the scene (either using the directional keys or the new mouse interface) and a parser interface to interact with the game world. Game sequences are more varied, and include a shooting range, an underwater search or searching the inside of an escape vehicle. The driving sequences are gone, and the player can relax while reading the chatter between Sonny and Keith as they move from location to location. The approach to the game, however, is radically different. While the first (for a large part) is based on street police work, this sequel is oriented into forensics field work such as collecting evidences that link Bains into the happenings of the game.

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Credits (DOS version)

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Reviews

Critics

Average score: 71% (based on 21 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 80 ratings with 11 reviews)

Nearly 16 Years on, and its still one of the best yet!!!

The Good
THE STORYLINE. What a riveting story line. Even as a 9 near old back in 1992, I could understand and become excited by the storyline.

An all-time classic. This game was nearly responsible for me becoming a police officer. Nostalgia galore, I put this up there with the Tupac albums that could have been, the Bruce Lee Flicks we should have seen. It actually makes me depressed that no-one has made a police "quest" game in years. I take personal pride in the fact that (especially since I'm a computer science undergraduate myself) such a dated and "unpretty" game.....is still one of the greatest ever written by humanity. In terms of story, playability and entertainment....it has only been matched by Monkey Island 2 or perhaps GTA3 Vice City.

The fact that by the age of 11, I could type at a rate of 32wpm at least and had a reading age of 17-- SOLELY DUE TO THIS GAME!!! It is fair to say that modern day computer game are abusive to concentration span and perhaps intellectual development, but this game proved that it doesn't have to be like that.

The Bad
The fact that it took me one full year when I was a kid to leave the police station!, because I didn't know you had to press F3 to get into the car and make your partner keith enter the car also!!!!! LMAO This was the biggest puzzle in the game. I still never have seen it written in the manual. (just like in police quest 1 the VGA version, I was stuck in the final scene for 6 months because I didn't know the number for the taxi - and still don't know where I was supposed to get it) Well of course, they're are many features which may be unbearable to users nowadays. The graphics are extremley dated. The input system means you must use exactly the correct "keyword" or "phrase" at times, even when you know the correct course of action.

The Bottom Line
If I were to be honest, I would have to admit that only a very patient person or a diehard fan could sit down and play this game today. Its simply too dated(and possibly too complex) for modern users. Modern computer players don't like to think, they just hit the fire button.

However, if I've just managed to convince you, yes YOU, well you can download the game absolutley free at any abandonware site, and it would nearly fit on your mobile phone these days.

DOS · by kubakuba (9) · 2003

Another Sierra Classic

The Good
I purchased this game the day I got my first true PC, it was a 286 Tandy TL2. One my favorite memories of this game was the first time I booted up a game on that system I saw the opening to this title.

Ok now that we have walked down memory lane lets discuss why this is a classic! First of all the graphics were first rate for its time. Sierra's use and blending of colors and graphics were always great and in Police Quest it shows. Second Sierra during this time really knew how to weave a story. The way the story progresses is just right. I never felt that it dragged or got boring. I was always glued to the screen to find out what would happen next. Third there were some heart stopping moments when you thought that sonny's life might end. (and sometimes it did too!)

Sound was ok, but back then you couldn’t ask for much. and generally there weren’t any stupid or dumb moments in the game. It all felt real or as real as a PC game gets. ..... One last thing, I really felt as if I was a cop after playing PQ2. I had to do things just right or of course the game would tell me otherwise .

The Bad
Well at one moment of the game you have to do some scuba diving. Some of the objects are almost impossible to see. While the scene is fun and enjoyable it took an experienced PQ2 player to help me though that part. Also the game could be a tad rigid. If you didn’t do things just right you couldn’t even get into your car. Now I know cops don’t do all of those things every time they get into a squad car. Come on!

The Bottom Line
One of the top games in Sierra's past.

DOS · by William Shawn McDonie (1131) · 2001

An outstanding adventure... ever wanted to be a cop for a day?

The Good
This game is a bit more non-linear than the first. In other words, there is a lot more freedom as to where and when you can go places. It is also more unforgiving -- you have to be careful, because forgetting to do something can have serious consequences (translated, this means "Use more than one save game, because you'll need to go back to earlier ones on occasion"). For a police drama, this is great; it makes you think carefully and analytically.

The Bad
To reiterate, there are times where you get yourself into an un-winable state because of things you did or forgot to do earlier in the game. While this does add to realism, it can be irritating as well.

Having to practice your shooting and adjust the sights on your gun is a cool idea, but you don't really have any indication as to WHEN you should do this apart from the first time. You need to do this about 3 times during the course of the game, but you probably won't know it until you need to use your gun and you get killed because you don't hit the person you're shooting at. Kind of a bummer (see my above tip about multiple save games).

Also, the scene with the terrorists is a bit hokey. If you've played the game, you know the one I mean.

The Bottom Line
This is a very good game overall. If you played and liked the first one, odds are that you'll enjoy this one at least as much. If you're not detail oriented, you may find you have difficulty gathering evidence, but overall this one is good for several hours of enjoyment as you work towards solving the case!

DOS · by Mirrorshades2k (274) · 2002

[ View all 11 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
About PC-98 version's 16 color mode Infernos (44016) May 25, 2023

Trivia

Easter Eggs

  • If you're clever enough to "hack" into the office computers, you discover that Laura Watts, Sonny's narcotics partner from PQI, was found out to be the "Gremlin" that antagonized Dooley. She quietly retired from the force after she was caught.
  • Look around in the airport, and you will see Larry Laffer (and hear a quick rendition of 'For Your Thighs Only').
  • Take a second look at the Victor Simms picture from the manual. Remind you of anything? ("Get your stinkin' paws off me, you damned dirty ape!")

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Andy Roark.

Amiga added by POMAH. Atari ST, PC-98 added by Terok Nor.

Additional contributors: Alaka, Echidna Boy, formercontrib, Picard.

Game added May 29, 1999. Last modified January 29, 2024.