13 min read

The Colonel’s Bequest

Last updated: January 20, 2026

Overview

The Colonel’s Bequest: A Laura Bow Mystery stands as one of Sierra On-Line’s most innovative and atmospheric adventure games, released in 1989 under the creative direction of Roberta Williams1. Set in 1925, this murder mystery adventure follows journalism student Laura Bow as she visits a remote Louisiana mansion where a family gathering turns deadly2. Unlike traditional Sierra adventures focused on puzzle-solving, The Colonel’s Bequest pioneered an “interactive story” approach where players observe unfolding events rather than actively solving them3.

The game was groundbreaking for its real-time progression system, where events occurred whether the player witnessed them or not4. As Williams explained in a contemporary interview, “There is no real goal - you’re an innocent thrust into a situation where suddenly all these people are dying and things are happening”5. This experimental design created what many consider the first successful computer adaptation of the classic Agatha Christie murder mystery format6.

Story Summary

The game opens in the spring of 1925 during “a dark and stormy night”9 as young Laura Bow, a journalism student at Tulane University in New Orleans10, accompanies her friend Lillian to visit Colonel Henri Dijon’s isolated plantation mansion deep in the Louisiana bayous11. The Colonel has mysteriously summoned his feuding relatives together to announce his intention to divide his fortune among them12. However, what begins as a family reunion quickly transforms into a deadly game as family members begin dying one by one under suspicious circumstances13.

Laura finds herself thrust into the role of reluctant detective, armed only with her notepad and keen observational skills14. The mansion’s inhabitants include a colorful cast of potential victims and suspects: the flapper Lillian, her mother Gertrude, the dapper Wilbur, the mysterious Jeeves the butler, and various other family members, each harboring dark secrets and murderous intentions15. As the night progresses, Laura must carefully observe the interactions between characters, eavesdrop on conversations, and piece together clues to understand the complex web of motives driving the killings16.

The story unfolds across eight acts, with each death triggering progression to the next chapter17. Players can discover multiple possible endings depending on how much of the mystery they uncover and whether they successfully identify the true culprit behind the murders18.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

The Colonel’s Bequest utilizes Sierra’s SCI (Sierra Creative Interpreter) engine with a text parser interface where players type verb-object command combinations such as “Look Garden” or “Talk Colonel”19. This represented an evolution from Sierra’s earlier AGI engine while maintaining the company’s traditional text-based interaction model20. The game supports various audio options, with MT-32 sound providing the most atmospheric experience, though early MT-32 modules contain bugs that cause incorrect sound effects on later devices21.

The visual presentation features 16-color EGA graphics that many players and critics praised for their atmospheric quality despite technical limitations22. Background artwork by Douglas Herring and Gerald Moore received particular acclaim for creating an authentic 1920s Southern Gothic atmosphere20. The game also included limited voice acting, which was considered a significant technical achievement at the time of release23.

Structure and Progression

Rather than following traditional adventure game structure, The Colonel’s Bequest operates as “a PLAY divided into 8 ‘acts’”17 with events progressing in real-time whether the player witnesses them or not24. This innovative approach meant that players could miss crucial story elements by being in the wrong location at the wrong time, significantly increasing replay value25. As developer Josh Mandel explained, “It gave the game a better sense of realism, that you could be in one place and miss something that was going on in another place”26.

The game abandons traditional adventure game scoring in favor of a unique “Sleuth-O-Meter” system that rates players’ detective abilities based on how many clues they discover and story elements they witness24. Players are evaluated at the game’s conclusion through a series of questions about the events they observed, with their answers determining their final rating from “Klutz” to “Super Sleuth”27. This system was experimental for Sierra, as company documentation noted: “We hope this product will help bridge the gap and take gamers away from the cushion of needing a score to see how well they do”24.

Puzzles and Mechanics

Unlike typical Sierra adventures heavy on inventory puzzles, The Colonel’s Bequest focuses primarily on observation and exploration28. Players must carefully examine crime scenes, eavesdrop on conversations, and piece together character motivations through careful detective work29. The few traditional puzzles in the game involve finding secret passages, locating hidden objects like a magnifying glass (or monocle from Wilbur’s body), and solving the occasional mechanical challenge17.

Death scenarios play a significant role in the gameplay, with Laura facing numerous sudden and often unexpected demises if players make poor choices22. These deaths range from environmental hazards like collapsing architecture to direct attacks from the murderer, including a notable Psycho-inspired shower scene30. However, most deaths can be avoided through careful observation and logical thinking rather than trial-and-error gameplay31.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

The Colonel’s Bequest received generally positive reviews from gaming publications, though scores varied significantly across different platforms and regions. The game achieved particularly strong reception in French gaming magazines, with Génération 4 awarding it an exceptional 95% score32. Other notable contemporary scores included 92% from Joystick magazine32, 89% from The Games Machine2, and 88% from AUI33.

PublicationScoreNotes
Génération 495%February 199032
Joystick92%March 199032
The Games Machine89%April 19902
AUI88%June 199133
Zero85%October 199032
CU Amiga84%September 199034
Computer + Video Games83%May 199032
The One80%March 19902
Zzap!6479%October 199034

Critics praised the game’s atmospheric presentation and innovative storytelling approach while noting some pacing issues. Computer Gaming World’s Johnny L. Wilson described it as a “forerunner of one style of future entertainment software” while acknowledging it might not appeal to “hard-core adventure gamers”2. Games International’s Theo Clarke gave it 8 out of 10, calling it “solid genre stuff” and noting “I have found all of the Sierra games quite obsessive but The Colonel’s Bequest has a charm all of its own”2.

Modern Assessment

Retrospective reviews have been consistently positive, with many critics recognizing the game’s historical significance and innovative design. Adventure Gamers awarded it 4 stars out of 5 in their 2003 retrospective, with Johann Walter calling it a “rather unique game [and] excellent game” and praising Williams as showing “that she was a master game designer, writing one of the very few good detective games in this mold”35. The game currently maintains strong user ratings across digital platforms, including 4.3/5 stars from GOG.com users36 and 4.55/5 from MyAbandonware community votes25.

Modern gaming analysts have highlighted the game’s influence on interactive storytelling. PC Gamer’s retrospective noted that “Laura Bow has never been as famous as King’s Quest, but these two games were genuinely groundbreaking”26. The game’s atmospheric qualities continue to resonate with players, with one GOG reviewer noting: “Between the Spanish moss and the secret passages and the crocodiles and the flapper dresses and the stranglings, I have a visceral memory of the game”36.

Development

Origins

The Colonel’s Bequest emerged from Roberta Williams’ desire to return to her mystery game roots while utilizing the advanced computer capabilities of the late 1980s9. Williams had previously created Mystery House in 1980, widely considered the first graphical adventure game, and felt ready to tackle another murder mystery with improved technology37. As she explained in a 1990 START Magazine interview, the game represented a deliberate departure from traditional adventure game design: “Colonel’s Bequest is very much an interactive story. One of the directions Ken and I see Sierra going is in interactive entertainment - stories”5.

The development team was deliberately kept small to maintain creative focus, with Williams serving as primary designer while Bruce Balfour contributed to puzzle design and story elements26. The game’s Southern Gothic atmosphere was carefully researched, with particular attention paid to 1920s period details and Louisiana bayou settings38. Williams drew inspiration from classic mystery novels, particularly the works of Agatha Christie, as well as horror films and Southern Gothic literature4.

Production

The game utilized Sierra’s newly developed SCI engine, representing one of the early showcases for the technology that would power most of Sierra’s subsequent adventure games20. Art direction by Douglas Herring and Gerald Moore focused on creating atmospheric 16-color backgrounds that maximized the visual impact within technical constraints20. Ken Allen composed the original music, including the memorable title theme that has since been covered by independent musicians39.

Voice acting was implemented selectively, featuring Sierra staff members including Jane Jensen (later designer of Gabriel Knight) as “a lewd flapper,” Josh Mandel in five different roles, and Scott Murphy in an unspecified part40. The limited voice work was considered cutting-edge for 1989, when “full speech in adventure games was a relatively rare occurrence at the time of its release, and was regarded as a big selling point”23.

Marketing materials included innovative packaging with a red-tinted “monocle” that players could use to decode hidden messages in the manual, reflecting the game’s detective theme25. Sierra’s promotional video catalogs of the late 1980s featured The Colonel’s Bequest prominently among their adventure game lineup41.

Technical Achievements

The real-time event system represented the game’s most significant technical innovation, requiring careful programming to ensure story events triggered properly regardless of player location42. The development team had to balance giving players freedom to explore while ensuring they could still experience the core narrative elements16. This system influenced later adventure games and helped establish conventions for non-linear storytelling in interactive media43.

The game also featured hidden content accessible only through script decompilation, including a rare easter egg with a 1-in-200 chance of triggering when entering specific locations44. Technical analysis has revealed unused graphics, including airplane sprites that were programmed but never displayed in normal gameplay44. These hidden elements demonstrate the experimental nature of the development process and the team’s attention to atmospheric detail45.

A 1993 reissue corrected various technical issues, including improved firefly effects in the opening boat sequence and better movement patterns for atmospheric elements46. The game has since been preserved through multiple digital distribution platforms and remains fully playable through modern emulation47.

Version History

VersionDatePlatformNotes
1.0September 1989DOSInitial release with SCI0.1 engine48
1.01989Amiga, Atari STConsole ports with similar features
1.11993DOSReissue with improved firefly effects46

The game supports multiple audio standards including AdLib, Sound Blaster, and Roland MT-3248. Modern players can access walkthroughs and detailed Act-by-Act guides4950 to fully experience the game’s complex narrative structure.

Legacy

The Colonel’s Bequest established the Laura Bow franchise and demonstrated the viability of story-driven adventure games focused on atmosphere over puzzle complexity3. Its influence can be seen in later detective games and interactive fiction that prioritize observation and narrative discovery51. The game’s success led to a direct sequel, The Dagger of Amon Ra, in 1992, with Bruce Balfour handling writing and puzzle design while Williams maintained creative oversight52.

The franchise has experienced renewed interest in recent years, with independent developer NineZyme Entertainment announcing Laura Bow and the Mechanical Codex, a direct sequel to the original games53. Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision (and therefore Sierra intellectual properties) has created new opportunities for franchise revival, with NineZyme reporting positive negotiations about licensing arrangements43. The upcoming game promises to maintain the classic point-and-click adventure formula while incorporating modern design sensibilities54.

Fan communities continue to create content inspired by The Colonel’s Bequest, including HD graphics patches and technical modifications55. Speedrunning communities maintain active leaderboards for optimal completion routes56, while preservation efforts ensure the game remains accessible through modern platforms12. The game’s influence on interactive storytelling continues to be recognized by modern developers creating similar atmospheric mystery games57.

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

Download / Preservation

References

Footnotes

  1. MobyGames - The Colonel’s Bequest – - Game database with comprehensive technical specifications and credits ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. Wikipedia - The Colonel’s Bequest – - Plot summary and historical context ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  3. Adventure Gamers – - Analysis of innovative gameplay approach ↩ ↩2

  4. Hardcore Gaming 101 – - Technical analysis of real-time progression system ↩ ↩2

  5. Atari Magazines - Roberta’s Bequest Interview – - Primary source interview with Roberta Williams from START Magazine ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. Lemon Amiga Review – - Comparison to Agatha Christie mysteries ↩

  7. MobyGames - Releases – - Platform release information ↩

  8. PC Gaming Wiki – - Technical engine details ↩

  9. Sierra Chest – - Opening setting description ↩ ↩2

  10. Play Classic Games – - Character background information ↩ ↩2

  11. Archive.org Description – - Plot setup details ↩

  12. Archive.org Manual – - Story background from game documentation ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  13. Adventure Classic Gaming Review – - Plot analysis and character descriptions ↩

  14. GameFAQs Walkthrough – - Gameplay mechanics explanation ↩

  15. Sierra Fandom Wiki – - Complete character descriptions ↩

  16. MoeGamer Analysis – - Detailed gameplay mechanics explanation ↩ ↩2

  17. Lemon Amiga Walkthrough – - Act structure explanation ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  18. Adventure Gaming Blog – - Multiple endings documentation ↩

  19. Strategy Wiki – - Interface mechanics description ↩

  20. DOS Days – - Technical engine comparison ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  21. ScummVM Documentation – - MT-32 audio bug information ↩

  22. Gaming After 40 Blog – - Graphics quality assessment ↩ ↩2

  23. Giant Bomb – - Voice acting technical achievement context ↩ ↩2

  24. Ben Shoof Analysis – - Real-time system technical analysis ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  25. My Abandonware Review – - Replay value discussion ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  26. PC Gamer Retrospective – - Developer interview about real-time design ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  27. Sierra Chest Walkthrough – - Scoring system details ↩

  28. Adventure Classic Gaming – - Gameplay mechanics comparison to other Sierra games ↩

  29. The Spoiler – - Detective gameplay walkthrough ↩

  30. Reddit Discussion – - Psycho shower scene reference ↩

  31. Choice Games Review – - Death avoidance strategy analysis ↩

  32. AMR Archive Reviews – - Génération 4 score and date ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  33. AMR Archive Database – - AUI magazine score ↩ ↩2

  34. Web Archive Amiga Reviews – - CU Amiga detailed score breakdown ↩ ↩2

  35. Web Archive Adventure Gamers – - Johann Walter retrospective review ↩

  36. GOG.com – - User review scores and store page ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  37. Grok Encyclopedia – - Mystery House connection and development history ↩

  38. Rock Paper Shotgun – - Atmospheric research and design ↩

  39. Bandcamp Music – - Ken Allen composer confirmation ↩

  40. MobyGames Credits – - Voice cast information ↩

  41. Sierra Gamers – - Promotional video catalog mention ↩

  42. TV Tropes – - Technical programming challenges ↩

  43. Adventure Game Hotspot – - Influence on later adventure games ↩ ↩2

  44. SCI Programming Community – - Easter egg discovery documentation ↩ ↩2

  45. The Cutting Room Floor – - Unused content documentation ↩

  46. Abandonware DOS – - 1993 reissue improvements ↩ ↩2

  47. PC Gaming Wiki – - Modern compatibility and preservation ↩

  48. VOGONS Technical Forum – - MT-32 audio fix discussion ↩ ↩2

  49. Walkthrough King – - Complete gameplay guide ↩

  50. Sierra Help – - Detailed walkthrough with Act structure ↩

  51. Virtual Moose Blog – - Influence on modern games like The Crimson Diamond ↩

  52. MobyGames Dagger – - Sequel development and creative oversight ↩

  53. Steam - Laura Bow and the Mechanical Codex – - Upcoming sequel announcement ↩

  54. NineZyme Website – - Modern sequel development approach ↩

  55. Abandonware Forums – - HD patch and fan modification discussion ↩

  56. Speedrun.com – - Active speedrunning community and leaderboards ↩

  57. Ars Technica – - Contemporary influence recognition ↩

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