Deadline
Deadline is an interactive fiction computer game published by Infocom in 1982. It was written by Marc Blank and was one of the first interactive mystery games. Like most Infocom titles, Deadline was created using ZIL, which made it easy to port the game to the popular computer platforms of the time, such as the Apple II and the Commodore 64. It is Infocom's third game. The character in Deadline is a nameless police detective who is called to a sprawling Connecticut estate to investigate the apparent suicide of wealthy industrialist Marshall Robner. At first, the case seems straightforward: The body was discovered in the library, which was locked from the inside, and the cause of death was an overdose of prescribed antidepressants. But something doesn't feel right. Could someone have killed Robner for his money? Had he made an enemy through his business dealings? Or was there some other motive? With the help of level-headed Sergeant Duffy, the player has twelve hours to solve the case before it is closed forever.
Story
A wealthy industrialist, Mr. Marshall Robner, locked himself in the upstairs library of his colonial New England mansion one night and committed suicide by taking a fatal overdose of antidepressants. Or did he? You're the chief of detectives. You were asked by Robner's lawyer to investigate the case thoroughly to "dispel the suspicions that are inevitable" when a rich man dies a sudden and unnatural death. The coroner found nothing unusual, and interviews with family members and friends of the family indicate that Robner committed suicide. Everything fits together well - perhaps too well. You sense foul play and have 12 hours to solve the case. When you arrest someone, you better have the three classic ingredients for a solid case for the prosecution: The defendant must have had a motive, a method, and ample opportunity to commit the crime. There are many ways this case can end. Which ending you reach depends on your actions and the conclusions you draw from the evidence you gather. But one ending fits the facts better than any other and you will know it when you reach it.