Nerds That Geek Gaming Flashback: The 'Police Quest' Series

Written by John Edward Betancourt

I've made it no secret that PC games were a staple of my childhood. They inspired me in so many ways, and today I'd like to talk about a series of games from the incredible Sierra On-line that quite frankly, managed to captivate me by surprise, Police Quest. 

This is a game series that I flat out stumbled upon. During a weekend trip to the mall I just happened to see the first game in this series sitting in the sale bin at the computer game store and since the price was right, and the idea of donning a badge and the uniform in order to hunt down a ruthless drug dealer trying to disturb small town life seemed pretty darn intriguing so I picked it up with my lawn mowing money and well...never looked back.  

The series saw eight games in total released over the years and it was something of note because well...it was about as accurate an adventure as one could get when it came to police work. This was through and through a total immersion into the life of a peace officer. Every game came with a manual that outlined penal codes and procedure and to advance in the game or complete it, being a gun ho Dirty Harry was simply not the answer. Sure, gunfights happened, but only when there was no other recourse available, it was the investigation that was the key.

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Granted, some may not think the idea of giving out speeding tickets or doing paperwork is fun, but I certainly enjoyed it because it was a world I knew nothing about. Granted the later incarnations of the game that revolved around S.W.A.T. became far more action oriented, but the first four games were filled to the brim with sweeping adventures that showed you the seething underbelly of crime and it was a touch refreshing to see an honest everyday police detective as the hero of the story.

However, what still makes me think of this series fondly, is the fact that it held nothing back when it came to murder. Yes earlier versions of the game were quite cartoonish graphics wise, lessening some of the power and effect on the story, but by Police Quest III the graphics were quite advanced for the time and suddenly the gravity and horror of death, and the brutality of murder were front and center for the player and well, I truly appreciated the fact that a gaming company made it a point to not gloss over such matters and the many difficult things that police officers and detectives have to see on a regular basis.

Either way, this is another series that robbed my mornings or afternoons of anything productive simply because it was classic storytelling through and through and this is another series that has faded from the shelves and the technology does exist to still run it, but sadly not on every single platform that is available out there. So hopefully, there will come a day when the Police Quest series is available to the masses once again, but until then, I shall merely reminisce about these awesome games and maybe peruse the abridged L.A.P.D. manual that came with Police Quest IV​...

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