Daryl F. Gates Police Quest: Open Season

The Good
The idea of bringing real police work to life in a game is certainly an appealing one. Who wouldn't like to see how police officers are solving murder cases? It is no wonder that Police Quest 4 needed good counselors to develop such a game. Daryl F. Gates, retired Chief of LAPD, wrote and co-created Open Season. And he did a nice job with the story line.

The Bad
I expected sort of a high-speed-get-the-serial-killer-game, when I bought Police Quest 4. I was bitterly disappointed. Most of the time you're walking around crime scenes, jotting down notes, comparing photographs, collecting evidences, write your report. And then you do it all over again. This may very well be realistic, but it is also boring as hell.

Since the game has a rich story to tell, it is inevitable that you're writing down the clues. After all your character in the game does this all the time. Now it was impossible, for no apparent reason, to review that information within the game. I would have loved a recorder to replay suspect's interviews for example.

The Bottom Line
The title is worth a look for everyone interested in real detective work. It is much more of a police simulation, than it is a police game.