Police Quest II: The Vengeance

Police Quest II: The Vengeance (aka Police Quest 2: The Vengeance) is an adventure game produced by Jim Walls for Sierra On-Line, and released in 1988. It is the sequel to Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel (EGA) and is part of the Police Quest series.

Gameplay
A typed command driver interface is used to control the player character in Police Quest II. Commands are given in a verb/noun combination (eg. "Unlock Door" at the beginning of the game.) The player is required to follow correct police procedures to effectively complete the game.

The player also uses typed commands to drive to locations throughout the game, which the game will automatically drive you to.

Sonny Bonds has access to a firearm for use in his work as a detective. The player is required to use the gun at times throughout the game and will need to make sure the gun is sighted properly, as well as loaded with ammunition.

Back of Box
Wanted

A cold-blooded murderer is on the loose. He has killed once, and he's not afraid to kill gain. In fact, he's stalking someone this very moment...and that someone is you!!

Fast and furious, Police Quest II is a police drama on the razor's edge as you race against time in pursuit of a ruthless cop killer bent on revenge. Face the tension of split-second decisions as you call the shots...you make the moves. Take plenty of target practice...because every shot counts when you hit the streets to face the most violent criminal this city has witnessed--Jessie Baines, "The Death Angel!"

Armed and Dangerous!

A prison break...a dead jailer...and now the Death Angel is back, and he's got your number. Use authentic homicide procedures as you become detective Sonny Bonds. Master weapons, disarm explosive devices, and explore the mysteries of the deep as your mission requires successful performance on land and in water. Work with forensic experts, crime labs and outside police agencies as you discover vital evidence that will put Bains behind bars--permanently.

All Points Bulletin


 * Features Sierra's new development system, with double the graphics resolution, advanced animation, and pop-up windows for case of use.
 * Includes an original musical score (over 12 major themes) which plays in stereo with computer machines.
 * Authentic homicide investigation procedures, as provided in your Homicide Officer's Guide, provide the key to successful completion of your assignment.

Based on accounts of actual homicide cases. Police Quest II is a realistic police adventure as told by retired police officer Jim Wall. With 15 years on the police force, Walls brings first-hand experience to computer gaming with his true-to-life tales of high-tension police adventure.

Setting and characters
Police Quest II: The Vengeance is based in the fictional town of Lytton California in 1988, as well as in the town of Steelton. Players can visit various locations in the city of Lytton including the Detective Division of the police department (where Sonny Bonds is stationed), the Jail and Cotton Cove, a picnic area running along the Clear Water River.

The player character is Sonny Bonds, a detective with the Lytton Police Department. The other main characters are Bonds' partner Keith Robinson, Bonds' girlfriend Marie Wilkans, and Jessie Bains, an escaped convict whom Bonds arrested in Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel (EGA).

Plot
After arresting Jessie Bains in Police Quest 1, Bonds is permanently promoted to the homicide division. He begins dating Marie Wilkans, who helped him in his undercover work in exchange for the dismissal of prostitution charges against her. Pretty soon, a dark shadow is cast over his happy life once more: When Bains is returned to Lytton for retrial, he manages to escape from prison, taking one of the guards as hostage using a makeshift knife.

Bonds and his partner Keith Robinson gather evidence at the jailhouse and locate the kidnapped jailer's car, when they are called to the riverside where Bains has apparently been spotted. Following a shootout with Bains, after which he escapes, Sonny finds evidence which leads him to believe the hostage has been murdered and dumped in the lake. Bonds dives in the river alongside a professional police diver to discover the jailer's body. Locating Bains' getaway vehicle near the Airport, Sonny investigates but cannot determine Bains' next move. After going off-duty that evening, Bonds dates with Marie, and they discuss the unfolding menace.

The following day, the body of Woody Roberts, a witness in Bains' trial (formerly the Bartender at Hotel Delphoria in Police Quest 1) is discovered near the city's warehouse district. Evidence at the site directs Bonds and his partner to a motel in town, where the two storm Bains' room assisted by the local SWAT unit. While Bains himself is not present, Bonds finds several items which indicate that Bains intends to take revenge on all who testified against him, including Bonds, Marie Wilkans, the murdered Woody Roberts, and Don Colby, a small time drug dealer now under the witness protection program. Hurrying to Marie's house, Bonds finds signs of struggle and clear an indication that Marie has been abducted by Bains.

Bonds' detective work and the accumulated evidence lead him to believe that Bains has flown to Steelton where he intends to hit Don Colby. Alerting local police, Bonds and his partner take a flight there as well. On the way, they avert an attempted terrorist bombing of their plane. Arriving at Steelton, Bonds learns that Bains has already murdered Colby before the local police could react. A phone call to Colby's office is traced to a local park, and Bonds heads there to investigate, quickly tracking Bains into the sewer system below the park. After navigating the dangerous sewers, Bonds finally confronts Bains in a shootout, during which Bains is shot dead.

Development
The 1988 sequel, developed with Sierra's new SCI engine, focused more on detective and forensics work than the traffic-cop beginning of the original, while keeping the same realistic setting. The proper procedures for collecting and handling evidence are the main focus of many of PQ2's puzzles. It was released for the IBM PC, Amiga and Atari ST.

Continuity Error
Throughout the game, the computer archives include dates including 1983-1984 and 1987-1988. This follows similar inconsistent dating issues in the original PQ that had dates ranging from 1983-1986.

Reception
In its June 1989 issue, British magazine Atari ST User called the ST version "excellent in every respect &mdash; the graphics, plot, detail, humour and story telling are of first rate quality", awarding it 9 out of 10.

Staff Roll

 * Writing and Design: Jim Walls
 * Executive Producer: Ken Williams
 * Project Coordinator: Mark Crowe
 * Programming: Robert Fischbach, Robert Eric Heitman, Chris Hoyt, Mickie Lee, Jerry Shaw, and David Slayback
 * Amiga Version: Robert W. Lindsley, John Rettig, and Steven Coallier
 * Atari ST Version: Corey Cole
 * Animated & Background Scenes: Cheryl Loyd and Vu Nguyen
 * Music Composed & Performed: Mark Seibert
 * Game Development System: Pablo Ghenis, Stuart Goldstein, Robert Eric Heitman, and Jeff Stephenson
 * Quality Assurance: Jennifer Cobb, Dennis Jonathan, Bridget Wight, Randy MacNeill, Kathy Sands, Jodi Shirk, Kim Woods, Chad Bye, Eddie Pearman, and Robin Bradley
 * Documentation: Jerry Albright

PC-98 Staff

 * PC-9801 Conversion: Eiji Nagano, Pablo Ghenis, Stuart Goldstein, Akiko Skjellerup (Akiko Maeda Skjellerup), Kenn Nishiuye, and Mickie Lee
 * Japanese Executive Producer: Eiji Nagano
 * Japanese Development System: Pablo Ghenis, Stuart Goldstein, and Mickie Lee
 * Japanese Translation: Akiko Skjellerup
 * Quality Assurance: Mike Harian, Dave Weiss, Sharon Simmons, and Dennis Jonathan
 * Special Thanks to: Katsuhiko Niratsuka and Satomi Suzuki
 * Documentation: Jerry Albright and Eiji Nagano

Patches

 * Police Quest II Patch (PQ2_NRS): This non-Sierra update is one of NewRisingSun's script level timer bugs patches. Note: This fix is ONLY for Version 1.002.011. The earlier version, 1.001.000, does NOT need fixing. Do not use this fix with any version other than 1.002.011! To find out which version you have, select "About PQ2" from the Sierra menu. Fixes:
 * Introduction sequence
 * NOTE: Previous saved games will work only if they were saved in an area whose script code is not affected by the patch.
 * Police Quest Collection (2006) DOSBox Update (PQCollectionDBUpdate): This patch will allow the use of the latest version of DOSBox over the version 0.63 that shipped with the Collection. Also includes the NewRisingSun patches for PQ1VGA, PQ2 and PQ3. The patch also restores the missing install files to configure the games' settings. Also, if you own the original version of Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel (AGI) (1986), you can copy the game files to a folder on your harddrive and run the patcher from there to setup the original game with the collection. After running the update, you will find new shortcuts in the "Sierra\Police Quest Collection" folder in the Start Menu. The launcher will no longer be needed.