Murder off Miami

Murder off Miami
Developer(s)	Delta 4 Software
Publisher(s)	CRL Group
Designer(s)	Jason Somerville Fergus McNeill
Platform(s)	Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum
Release	1987
Genre(s)	Interactive fiction

Murder off Miami is a 1987 whodunnit adventure video game based on the book of the same name by British thriller novelist Dennis Wheatley. Players take the role of Detective Officer Kettering, who is inspecting the supposed suicide of a British financier on a cruise ship in the waters near Miami. His job is to unravel the mystery.

Gameplay

Players progress by collecting clues, interrogating people, and interacting with the environment. The interface is largely text-based, with occasional images to set the scene. Commands are given to complete actions.^[1] Gameplay is split into three parts which represent the three days of investigation.^[2]

Development

The game was co-written by Fergus McNeill, who had previously authored The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings parody games The Boggit and Bored of the Rings.^[3] It is based on a novel of the same name by Dennis Wheatley; this text already had some interactivity through the use of physical clues provided with the book such as a blood-stained curtain and cigarette butts, plus an envelope at the end cover to reveal the answer.^[4]

There was a fatal bug in the first batch of Spectrum units, resulting in the game restarting each time the player tried to get out of their chair at the beginning of the game.^[5]

Reception

Reception

Review scores

Publication	Score
ZZap!64	81%[2]
Aktueller Software Markt	8/10[6]
Computer Gamer	60%[3]
Your Commodore	7/10[7]
Commodore User	2/5 stars[8]

Sinclair User thought the game would have used a packaging style similar to that of Weatley's novel.^[1] Meanwhile, ZX Computing's review was cut short due to the bug, but the reviewer was impressed with what they experienced and looked forward to reviewing it again the following month.^[9]

References

1. "Murder off Miami". Sinclair User. No. 65. EMAP. August 1987.
2. "Murder off Miami". ZZap!64. No. 24. Newsfield. 1 April 1987.
3. "Computer Gamer - Issue 25 (1987-04)(Argus Press)(GB)". 1 April 1987 – via Internet Archive.
4. Computer Gaming World Issue 76. November 1990.
5. Your Computer Magazine (April 1988). April 1988.
6. "Aktueller Software Markt (ASM) Magazine (April 1987)". 1 April 1987 – via Internet Archive.
7. "Your Commodore Magazine Issue 32". 1 May 1987 – via Internet Archive.
8. "Commodore User Magazine Issue 43". 1 April 1987 – via Internet Archive.
9. "ZX Computing Magazine (May 1987)". 1 May 1987 – via Internet Archive.

External links

• Murder off Miami in the Interactive Fiction Database