Pepper’s Adventures in Time

Last updated: January 9, 2026

Overview

Pepper’s Adventures in Time is an educational adventure game released by Sierra On-Line in 1993¹. Developed by Brightstar, a Seattle-based company acquired by Sierra, the game was designed as an edutainment title that teaches American colonial history through interactive gameplay². The game follows a young tomboy named Pepper Pumpernickel and her pit bull dog Lockjaw as they travel back in time to 1764 Philadelphia to correct historical anomalies³.

Part of Sierra’s Discovery Series, Pepper’s Adventures in Time employs a “learning by contrast technique in which an incomplete historical scenario is presented, which the player has to correct thereby realigning the historical facts”¹. The game was intended to be the first in an educational time travel game series that never materialized⁴, and has been praised as “one of Sierra’s most creative games” despite being largely ignored due to its association with other educational titles⁴.

Game Info

Developer: Brightstar⁵ Designer: Bill Davis (creative director), Lorelei Shannon, Josh Mandel⁶ Publisher: Sierra On-Line⁵ Platforms: DOS, Windows 3.x, Amiga, CD-ROM⁷ Release Year: 1993 Series: null Sierra Lineage: Core Sierra

Story Summary

The story begins when Pepper’s evil Uncle Fred creates a time machine with nefarious intentions⁸. After Lockjaw accidentally enters the device, both Pepper and her dog are transported back to colonial Philadelphia in 1764⁹. Uncle Fred’s plan involves dumping “essence of 1968” into his time machine, transforming Benjamin Franklin “into an incense-burning, headband-wearing jellyfish” and making “the American revolution all but impossible”².

As the game progresses, players witness Uncle Fred transform the Founding Father into a “blissed-out, spineless flower child” through his doctored essence¹⁰. Pepper must navigate colonial Philadelphia, interact with historical figures including Benjamin Franklin, and solve puzzles to restore the proper timeline³. The game switches perspective between Pepper and her dog Lockjaw, providing different gameplay experiences and viewpoints¹¹.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Pepper’s Adventures in Time uses Sierra’s SCI1.1 engine with a traditional point-and-click adventure interface⁵. The game features VGA graphics with a stylized cartoon-like appearance reminiscent of Day of the Tentacle⁷. Players control both Pepper and Lockjaw at different points, with the dog sections providing what one reviewer humorously called “psychodogical detail”¹¹.

Structure and Progression

The game is structured in acts, with players progressing through various locations in colonial Philadelphia¹². To successfully complete the game, players must demonstrate knowledge about colonial American life and Benjamin Franklin’s historical context². The educational component includes chapter quiz questions that players can answer for additional points¹³.

Puzzles and Mechanics

Puzzles combine historical knowledge with traditional adventure game logic¹⁴. Some reviewers noted challenging moments, including “pixel hunt” situations and sequences requiring “unclued trial and unprovoked error”¹¹. The game encourages exploration and interaction with historical figures, allowing players to learn through dialogue and environmental storytelling³.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Publication	Score	Notes
Critics (1993)	82%	Contemporary aggregate score5
Adventure Gamers	4.5/5	Retrospective review1
Abandonware DOS	4.04/5	User rating15
MyAbandonware	4.53/5	Community rating16
IMDb	6.2/10	User votes17

Modern Assessment

Modern retrospectives have been generally positive, with AdventureGamers.com calling it “not only a great educational game for children and young adults, it is a classic adventure game for all ages”¹⁸. The game received praise for being “gently amusing, and targeted towards more adult adventure game players”¹. However, some modern reviewers have been critical, with one noting “My final impression of this game is ‘I just don’t get it’. None of this was fun, and advancing the plot felt like work”¹⁴.

Development

Origins

The game originated from a concept by Sierra VP of Development/Creative Director Bill Davis, who also designed the main characters². The project was intended as the first in an educational time travel series that would teach history through interactive experiences⁴. Brightstar, the development company, was acquired by Sierra during the game’s production⁶.

Production

Mark Seibert served as producer, marking his first game in that role⁶. While Josh Mandel was credited as co-designer, he later clarified that Lorelei Shannon was the true creative force behind the game, stating: “It was generous of her to list me as a co-designer on the game, but I always felt that was greatly overstating my impact on the final product. PEPPER’S is a reflection of Lorelei’s spirit and talent far moreso than that of anyone else who touched it”⁶. The music was composed by Mark Seibert and Neal Grandstaff⁵.

Technical Achievements

The game was built using Sierra’s Creative Interpreter (SCI) engine, specifically SCI1.1⁷. It featured digitized faces of contest winners James and Nathan Grayson, who won a fan contest and appear as characters in Goody Gumdrops shop with their real faces on game character bodies¹¹. The game supported multiple graphics modes including VGA, EGA, and MCGA⁷.

Legacy

Despite positive reception, Pepper’s Adventures in Time never received a sequel, with one satirical reviewer noting “the lack of any sequel to this game historical records indicate the hateful wench remained trapped forever”¹⁹. The game has been praised by Sierra fans, with one calling it “one of the best educational adventure ever created” and noting “I learned more about the colonial era from this game than I did from an upper-division college history course”⁶. It remains available through various abandonware sites and has gained a cult following among adventure game enthusiasts¹⁶.

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• Currently unavailable on major digital platforms
• GOG Dreamlist - Community wishlist

Download / Preservation

• MyAbandonware
• Internet Archive

Series Continuity

• Previous: None (standalone game)
• Next: None (no sequel produced)

References

Footnotes

1. Wikipedia – - Release year and basic information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. Adventure Blog – - Development background and educational focus ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. Internet Archive – - Character and plot details ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. Hardcore Gaming 101 – - Intended franchise information ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. MobyGames – - Developer information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

6. Sierra Gamers Forum – - Design team details ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

7. PC Gaming Wiki – - Platform details ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

8. Classic Reload – - Plot synopsis ↩

9. Adventure Gamers Walkthrough – - Story details ↩

10. TV Tropes – - Plot description ↩

11. Adventure Blog – - Character switching mechanics ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

12. UHS Hints – - Game structure ↩

13. GameFAQs – - Quiz system details ↩

14. Alex Bevilacqua Blog – - Puzzle description ↩ ↩²

15. Abandonware DOS – - User rating ↩

16. MyAbandonware – - Community rating ↩ ↩²

17. IMDb – - User score ↩

18. Web Archive AdventureGamers – - Modern assessment ↩

19. PC Gamer – - No sequel confirmation ↩