The Dagger of Amon Ra

The Dagger of Amon Ra (also known as Laura Bow II: The Dagger of Amon Ra or Roberta Williams' Laura Bow in The Dagger of Amon Ra) is a computer adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line in 1992. The game is the second and final installment in the Laura Bow Mystery series of adventure games, the first of which was The Colonel's Bequest. The sequel, unlike the first game, was not written or created by Roberta Williams. Using 8-bit color and a point-and-click interface, The Dagger of Amon Ra was developed using Sierra's Creative Interpreter (SCI1.1).

In 1993, Sierra released The Dagger of Amon Ra Multimedia, a CD-ROM version of the game that fixes some bugs, adds voice acting, shortens taxi rides, and removes the copy protection.

This game was released under the 1997 Kings Quest Collection Series.

The Dagger of Amon Ra can be purchased at Good Old Games.

Titles

 * The Dagger of Amon Ra
 * Laura Bow II
 * Laura Bow II: The Dagger of Amon Ra
 * Roberta Williams' Laura Bow in The Dagger of Amon Ra
 * Laura Bow in The Dagger of Amon Ra
 * The Dagger of Amon Ra: A Laura Bow Mystery

Story
The game is set primarily in a museum circa of 1926, and it reflects the Egyptology craze of the period. The protagonist is Laura Bow (a pun on Clara Bow), a Southern belle who has just graduated from Tulane University and moved to New York City, where she has landed a job at a prestigious newspaper. For her first assignment, she is asked to write a straightforward, lightweight story on a benefit held at a local museum to celebrate their new Egyptian exhibit. When a murder occurs during the party, however, she is locked inside with all of the other suspects. As other guests begin dying one by one, Laura must solve the numerous crimes occurring before the culprits escape or kill her.

The Laura Bow games were distinctive in that they required some actual logical detective work on the part of the player; for the most part, though, the puzzles were of the typical variety of inventory and environment interaction (and frequent, often unexpected, player character death) found in most Sierra adventures.

The identity of the murderer is not automatically revealed at the end of the game. Instead, the player is asked a series of a questions, ostensibly by the police, to prove that Laura had solved the crimes and discovered the secrets of the other suspects. If the questions are answered incorrectly, the coroner will give a hint to point the player towards the path that would have revealed the correct answer in subsequent playing of the games. The ending of the game can change depending on the answers given to the questions, most notably in that Laura can be killed if the player doesn't know the identity of the main murderer. Some have complained about this approach, since it can require replaying the game from nearly the beginning to reach the optimal ending.

Cast of Characters

 * Laura Bow: The main heroine of the game. She is a Super Sleuth Detective who solved the murder mystery in Laura Bow 1: A Colonel's Bequest. She travels in a train to New York to work at a new job in the New York Daily Register News Tribune as a reporter and detective. She goes to the Leyendecker Museum to look for the missing Dagger of Amon Ra and to find out who is murdering the people in the museum. Later on she falls in love with Steve Dorian.
 * John Bow: Laura Bow’s father, who gave his daughter advice on how to be a good detective. He has retired from being a police officer.
 * Sam Augustini: A New York Newspaper editor who gives Laura Bow a job to do on the missing Dagger of Amon Ra. He warns Laura to do well or get fired from her job.
 * Steve Dorian: A nice polite gentleman who works at the 12th Street Docks. He falls in love with Laura Bow, he is amateur artist who paints and sculptures with plaster.
 * Dr. Archibald Carrington III: A current president at the Leyendecker Museum who is from England.
 * Dr. Pippin Carter:  A rude, selfish man who is an archaeologist who found the Dagger of Amon Ra. He fights, feuds, and argues with Dr. Ptahsheptut "Tut" Smith over the dagger and tells him "It's none of your bloody business."
 * Dr. Ptahsheptut "Tut" Smith:  A polite man from Egypt who is a representative of Cairo Museum. He is doing everything he can to get the Dagger of Amon Ra back from Dr. Pippin Carter who he thinks stole the dagger.
 * Crodfoller T. Rhubarb: An employer who helps Laura Bow with her news story and gives advice to Laura Bow.
 * Rameses Najeer: An Egyptian accountant who is a nice man. He holds a secret meeting in the museum involving the worship of Amon Ra.
 * Detective Ryan Hanrahan O'Riley: An Irish American detective that works at the Police Station. He is a rude, selfish detective who isn't very helpful to Laura Bow and complains about the crime in New York giving him a headache.
 * Lawrence "Ziggy" Ziegfeld: A nervous man and a shady lowlife creep who owns the Speakeasy at the Flower Shop. As an underworld character he has connections everywhere. He isn't trusted by anyone. He can give Laura Bow valuable information if she tells him Crodfoller T. Rhubarb sent her.
 * Lo Fat: A nice Chinese man who owns Lo Fat's Chinese Laundry and who is rich. He gives Laura Bow a dress to wear at the Fundraising party after she gives him a laundry ticket.
 * Countess Lavinia Waldorf-Carlton: A rich high society duchess who is a widow. She wants to be admired by everyone and has an interest for paintings and is very protective over the Stopwatch. She is trying to inherit the money her dead husband (Sterling Waldorf-Carlton) left behind.
 * Dr. Olympia Myklos: A Greek Anthropologist and Paleontologist who is interested in dead bodies and enjoys being shocked and surprised by the unexpected. She has pets including snakes, a ferret and rodents. Later on she falls in love with Wolf Heimlich.
 * Wolf Heimlich:  A strict German security guard who works at the Leyendecker Museum. He obeys orders without question and keeps his eyes on intruders especially Laura Bow. Later on he falls in love with Dr. Olympia Myklos.
 * Ernie Leach: An African American worker who works at the Leyendecker Museum as a janitor to pay off his gambling debts. He falls in love with a young woman named Yvette Delacroix.
 * Yvette Delacroix: A sexy young woman who falls in love with many men including Detective O'Riley, Steve Dorian, Rameses Najeer and Ernie Leach. She tells her secret problems with Dr. Olympia Myklos. She is fond of many people.
 * Watney Little:  A dangerous criminal who strangled a man at the ship cabin and is involved with stealing artifacts. Watney is known for impersonating people.
 * Henri Le Mort: A police expert who will ask Laura Bow questions about the murders committed and the robbery at the Leyendecker Museum.
 * Rocco the Taxi Driver: He is the driver who gives Laura Bow a ride around New York City only if she presents her Press Pass to him.
 * Bob the Taxi Driver: He is the driver who gives Laura Bow a ride around New York City only if she presents her Press Pass to him.
 * Drunkard: He is a homeless man who reads newspaper and drinks alcohol and hangs out by the police station.
 * Dennis O'Flaherty: He works at the desk at the Police Station for Detective Ryan Hanrahan O'Riley, he likes eating sub sandwiches.
 * Luigi: He works outside selling sub sandwiches, he has free coupons which Laura trades for the sub sandwich.
 * Speakeasy Flapper: A flapper who spends her time at the Speakeasy.
 * Rex the Talking Dinosaur: Rex is a talking animatronic who resides in the Dinosaur Exhibit of the Leyendecker Museum.
 * Stinky: A kid who hangs out with Biff and Tubby outside Lo Fat's Chinese Laundry.
 * Biff: A kid who hangs out with Stinky and Tubby outside Lo Fat's Chinese Laundry.
 * Tubby: A kid who hangs out with Stinky and Biff outside Lo Fat's Chinese Laundry.

Locations

 * Train Station: A place where Laura Bow gets off the Train to New York City.
 * The Daily News Tribune: A place where Laura Bow works at to write a News story and Sam Augustini is the chief editor, Also Crodfoller T. "Rube" Rhubarb helps out Laura Bow.
 * Police Station: A New York Police Station where Detective O'Riley works at and is the place to find information on the theft of the Dagger of Amon Ra.
 * Lo Fat's Chinese Laundry: A Chinese Laundry shop where Lo Fat works at.
 * 12th Street Docks: An area where ships come to load and unload cargo and passengers. It is a place infested with rats and criminals.Dr. Smith and Dr. Carter first argue about the dagger of Amon Ra when they get off the ship. Steve Dorian works at the docks.
 * Leyendecker Museum:  A museum for artifacts like paintings, suit of armors, Egypt artifacts and dinosaur bones. It is a place Laura Bow goes to solve the crime of theft and murder.
 * Speakeasy: A dancing party place that secretly sells alcohol. Disguised as a Flower Shop during the Prohibition period. Ziggy owns the place and it is a place that Laura Bow goes into if she says the secret password. And is a place Laura goes in the restroom to change her clothes.
 * Dartmoor Prison: A prison for criminals that Watney Little escaped from.

Behind the scenes

 * This is the first game by Roberta Williams to feature blood and violence in the Leyendecker Museum including showing peoples bodies being murdered which was unusual during the time she made family friendly PC games including King's Quest series series and Mixed-up Mother Goose. Later on in 3 years Roberta Williams would go on to make a rated M horror mystery game "Phantasmagoria" and "Phantasmagoria" 2.
 * The visual style of the game is based on on the artwork of J. C. Leyendecker. In addition, the cover for the game is based on Leyendecker's cover for the 18 March 1905 issue of the Saturday Evening Post.
 * Pippin Carter, one of the characters of the game, is a parody of a real archaeologist named Howard Carter. Pippin, in the midst of dialogue, even references Howard's discovery as the Tutankhamen exhibit and noting that he would "hate to embarrass [his] relative by putting his Tutankhamen artifacts on display here."
 * The exterior of the 'Leyendecker Museum' of the game is based on the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
 * Roberta Williams, creator of Laura Bow, served as creative consultant, while Bruce Balfour wrote and designed the game.
 * The last reference to the series was in a nod in Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (1993), where an octogenarian Laura Dorian is scheduled to speak at a New Orleans university.
 * The game incorrectly portrays 20th-century Egyptians believing in ancient Egyptian gods, being sensitive about their "ancestors" and bearing names of gods ands pharaohs (like Rameses Najeer). In reality, modern Egyptians are not culturally or emotionally connected to ancient Egyptians but are part of the Arabic culture. Revivals of ancient Egyptian religion are much more recent.

Quotes
Narrator: "You pick it up and place it in your purse."

Staff Roll

 * Executive Producer: Ken Williams
 * Creative Director: Bill Davis
 * Producer / Director: Bruce J. Balfour
 * German Language Producer: Sabine Duvall
 * Game Designer: Bruce J. Balfour
 * Creative Consultant: Roberta Williams
 * Vice President, Product Development: Steve Joseph
 * Art Director: Cheryl Sweeney
 * Production Designer: Andy Hoyos
 * Art Designer: Bob Gleason
 * Lead Programmer: Brian K. Hughes
 * Composer: Christopher Braymen
 * Animators: Dana Moody, Terrence C. Falls, Gloria Garland, Jerry Jesserun, Eric Kasner, Deena Krutak, Dennis Lewis, Suzi Livengood, Barry T. Smith, Teresa D. Tidd, and Donald Waller
 * Background Artists: Terrence C. Falls, Dennis Lewis, Suzi Livengood, Maurice Morgan, Eric Apel, and Jenn Shontz
 * Programmers: Kimberly L. Bowdish, Steve Conrad, Cynthia L. Goff, and John Wentworth
 * Development System: Dan Foy, Brian K. Hughes, Ken Koch, Jack Magné, J. Mark Hood, Larry Scott, Christopher Smith, Jeff Stephenson, and Mark Wilden
 * Music Director: Mark Seibert
 * Additional Music and Sound Effects: Orpheus Hanley, Rudy Helm, Dan Kehler, and Susan Kehler (Vocalist for "The Archaeologist Song")
 * Music for  The Archeologist Song  : Christopher Braymen
 * Lyrics for  The Archeologist Song  : Bruce J. Balfour
 * Writer: Josh Mandel
 * Additional Written Material: Lorelei Shannon
 * Original Drawings and Storyboard: Jane Cardinal
 * Additional Art: Cheryl Loyd, Ruben Huante, and Tim Loucks
 * Quality Assurance: Judy Crites, Sharon Hoban-Smith, and Danny A. Woolard
 * Special Thanks: Tammy Dargan, Andrew Goff, Robert W. Lindsley, and Stuart Moulder
 * Spanish Translation: Randall Mage
 * Documentation Design: Nathan Gams and Mark Empey
 * Documentation Illustrations: Bob Gleason, Ruben Huante, Donald Waller, Tim Loucks, and Darlou Gams
 * German Translator: Jürg Baumann and Gaby Kohli
 * Cover Illustration: John Gamache

CD Conversion

 * CD Producer: Daniel Carver
 * CD Lead Programmer: Bob Andrews
 * Programmers: Bob Andrews and Scott Murphy
 * Supporting Artists: Donald Waller, Dana Moody, Darrin Fuller, Eric Kasner, Deanna Yhalkee, Jeff Crowe, Max Deardorff, Rick Powell, Russell Truelove, Tim Loucks, and Bob Andrews
 * Lip Sync: Donald Waller, Dana Moody, Deanna Yhalkee, Eric Kasner, Richard Powell, Maria Fruhe, Tony Margioni, and Max Deardorff
 * Audio Administrative Coordinators: Veronica Oldfield and Dana Moody
 * Audio Engineers: Richard Spurgeon and Orpheus S.M.
 * Configuration: Keri Cooper, Dave Clingman, Diana Mulligan, Douglas Wheeler, Jon Meek, Tina Deardorff, Michael Brosius, Lynne S. Dayton, Michael D. Jones, Roger Clendenning, and Sharon Simmons
 * Quality Assurance: Sharon Hoban-Smith, Matthew Genesi, Bill Hilton, and Tina Deardorff
 * Special Thanks: Max Deardorff, Neil Matz, Scott Murphy, and Bryan McFarland

Voice Cast

 * Laura Bow / Yvette Delacroix / Narrator: Leslie Wilson
 * Dr. Pippin Carter / Wolf Heimlich / Lawrence 'Ziggy' Ziegfeld: Bruce Balfour
 * Dr. Olympia Myklos: Kelli Spurgeon
 * Detective Ryan O'Riley: John Smoot
 * Rameses Najeer / John Bow: Richard Aronson
 * Countess Lavinia Waldorf-Carlton: Cynthia L. Swafford
 * Ernie Leech: Dennis Lewis
 * Steve Dorian / Crodfoller T. Rhubarb / Henri Le Mort / Rocco The Taxi Driver / Rex The Talking Dinosaur: Josh Mandel
 * Bob the Taxi Driver: Dan Carver (as Daniel Carver)
 * Sam Augustini: Neal Grandstaf
 * Lo Fat: Robert W. Lindsley
 * Bartender / Bouncer: Brian Hughes
 * Biff / Desk Sergeant: Barry T. Smith
 * Blue Person: Stuart Moulder
 * Drunkard: J. Mark Hood
 * Speakeasy Flapper: Jane Jensen
 * Luigi: James O'Keefe
 * Writing Man: Robert Holmes
 * Stinky: Lorelei Shannon
 * Additional Voices: Scott Murphy
 * Screams and Moans: Pat Murphy
 * Dr. Ptahsheptut 'Tut' Smith: Michael Eppley
 * The voice actor for Watney Little is unknown.

Patches

 * Laura Bow 2 Updated SoundBlaster Driver (SB16DRV): This updated AUDBLAST.DRV corrects a problem with some SoundBlaster 16 ASP sound cards in which only the first digitized sound effect is heard.
 * Shaklin, Laura Bow 2 - The Dagger of Amon Ra Translations: Includes translation patches for German, French, and Spanish.