Game Review: Inspector Parker

It's not a new game, I know. Still, I'm aware not everyone got exposed to this Sherlock Holmes-inspired digital board game when it first came out in 2003.

Inspector Parker is one of those games that you'll never get tired of, if you're a fan of whodunit stories. What's great is that every board is randomly generated, so every time you complete the whole game and decide to replay it, the gameplay will be different.

Here's the blurb for the game by Big Fish:

Help solve the mystery of Misanthrope Manor in the whodunit puzzler, Inspector Parker 

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Sort through suspects, weapons, motives, victims, evidence, and body-disposal methods as you aide Inspector Parker in solving the crime. Choose from 10 levels of play in Career Mode, select Puzzle Mode for a game of thoughtful deduction, or move quickly as you race the clock in Timed Mode. 

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A download-must for all fans of board game puzzles and mysteries alike!

• Solve the mystery of Misanthrope Manor.

• Choose from 3 levels of play.

• Choose from three difficulty settings.

Actual in-game shots from my gameplay:

This board is from a higher level of gameplay. To start, the player is given around 4-6 rooms.

Starting screen for each level, and in this case, for the Chief Inspector level of difficulty.

The four ranks you can climb up, from easy boards to complicated ones. 

Given that the game was released in 2003, system requirements are low for what we use now. You may download the free trial here or have a quick game online to see if it's something you'd like to purchase.

Aside from the game itself, there are extras to help you explore the Inspector Parker world further.

The game has a gallery section to let you have a closer look at the characters and the rooms.

Now this is a PC game, but I use a Macbook Pro. It's been a while since I played the game and I was at a point where I really, really wanted to do so no matter what.

I then sought the help of Wine or Winebottler, an application that helps you run .exe files on your Mac or package them as .dmg files to run natively on the system. In less than 10 minutes, I was able to get the PC game running on my Mac.

I suggest you give this game a try and bring out the detective in you. It makes use of deductive reasoning, and gives you clues through the visual cues on the upper right board, as well as testimonies from the interviewees (bottom right), though you won't really use them much. I've had endless fun with Inspector Parker over the years, and I'm extremely happy to be able to share this game with you.

Let me know if you decide (or will decide) to play this game yourself! I'd love to hear your impressions.