The Colonel's Bequest cover art

The Colonel's Bequest

A murder-mystery adventure where eavesdropping on a scripted timetable of events is the whole game.

Here's the argument for where this game sits - disagree freely.
Match your experience?
EXECUTION1 /10READS0 /10VARIANCE6 /10OPTIMIZATION6 /10

the cheat-test profile

The four axes - the argument

Each axis is rated on its own - how far one cheat would trivialize the game here. They don't trade off; low on all four means the game is an experience, not a contest.

  1. Execution

    cheat: Aimbot - perfect inputs

    1/10

    Almost pure observation; trivial physical demands

  2. Reads

    cheat: Out-predict an adaptive opponent

    0/10

    Suspects follow scripts, never model the player

  3. Variance

    cheat: See what's hidden / map the RNG

    6/10

    Hidden clock-driven events and clues you must discover blind

  4. Optimization

    cheat: A perfect solver / coach

    6/10

    Once event timetable is mapped, perfect playthroughs are routable

How to read this

Each axis is named by the cheat that would break the game along it. Execution is the hands. Reads is out-thinking an adaptive opponent. Variance is hidden information & RNG. Optimization is the solvable systems layer. A game's region is the top one or two axes.

These four aren't one rating split four ways - they're independent 0-10 questions. A 9 on one axis takes nothing from the others, and a game low on all four isn't missing data: it's telling you there's no skill here to cheat.

The basis is how the majority actually plays this game - not a niche mode or a personal run. For a game with very different modes (a story campaign versus ranked multiplayer), that's the version most people mean.

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Game details

Released
1989
Developer
Sierra On-Line
Platforms
Atari-ST, PC, DOS, Amiga
Modes
Single player
IGDB users
80/100
Point-and-clickAdventureThrillerMystery