One year after the events described in The Colonel’s Bequest, Laura Bow, fresh out of college, is hired by a New York newspaper to write a story about the newest exhibit acquired by the local Leyendecker Museum, an ancient Egyptian dagger. However, during a party to celebrate the opening of the museum’s new section, someone is murdered, the dagger is stolen, and Laura, after asking to be allowed to investigate, is locked in with the rest of the guests. This sets the stage for a series of murders, and it is up to Laura to find the person responsible for them.
The Dagger of Amon Ra plays similarly to the The Colonel’s Bequest, focusing primarily on exploration and clue-gathering rather than on solving puzzles, although there are more instances of inventory item collection and usage in the sequel. With the exception of the introductory act, the entire game is set in the museum. The player navigates Laura through its rooms and interacts with characters to gather information and uncover their true motives. The game’s clock advances when it is triggered by certain actions or simply by moving from location to location. Some information and events may only be available in specific places and at specific times. Near the end of the game Laura will be asked to make a case to to the coroner, which involves answering a series of questions concerning the crimes. Depending on his playing style, clues discovered, and deductive skills, the player may or may not have the correct answers to all the questions.
Unlike its predecessor – and like most other contemporary Sierra adventures – the game utilizes an icon-based interface instead of typing verb-object commands to interact with the environments. Topics can also be chosen from a list when the player selects the “Ask” command. The CD version features full speech, including narration.
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