Murder on the Zinderneuf

The game is set in 1936. The player is a detective traveling across the Atlantic aboard the world's most luxurious dirigible, the Zinderneuf. The craft is full of high-profile personalities from all walks of life. A murder takes place aboard the Zinderneuf, and it is up to the player to identify the culprit before the ship lands.{{Cite magazine |date=February 1985 |title=Whodunnit? |url=https://archive.org/details/cvg-magazine-040/page/n67/mode/1up?view=theater |magazine=Computer and Video Games |page=68 |issue=40}}

File:Murder_on_the_Zinderneuf_Atari_8-bit_PAL_screenshot.png

The game presents a classic whodunit scenario where one of the 16 passengers has been killed, and the player's objective is to identify the murderer, the victim, and the motive.

At the beginning of each game, the victim and murderer are randomly selected, ensuring a unique mystery with every playthrough. Players have 12 in-game hours — equating to 36 minutes of real time — to investigate and make an accusation. Failure to solve the case within this time frame results in the murderer escaping justice.{{r|CGW}}{{cite web |author=Maher, Jimmy |date=2013-02-26 |title=Free Fall, Part 2: Murder on the Zinderneuf |url=http://www.filfre.net/2013/02/free-fall-part-2-murder-on-the-zinderneuf/ |accessdate=10 July 2014 |work=The Digital Antiquarian}}

The player is given a choice of eight detectives to play. Among detectives there is a former policeman turned private detective Harry Hacksaw (based on Dirty Harry), French police inspector Emile Klutzeau (based on Inspector Clouseau), amateur sleuth Agatha Marbles (based on Miss Marple), German-British detective Humbolt Hause (based on Sherlock Holmes), NYPD Lieutenant Cincinnato (based on Columbo), mysterious adventurer Charity Flaire (based on Modesty Blaise), Swiss detective Achille Merlot (based on Hercule Poirot), and gentleman thief Jethro Knight (based on Simon Templar).

The gameplay involves navigating a scrolling overhead plan of the airship using a joystick. The Zinderneuf is depicted as a large vessel with various locations, including passenger cabins, lounges, and dining areas. Players can enter cabins to search for physical clues and encounter other passengers who move independently throughout the ship. Engaging with suspects involves a menu system where players decide whether to ignore, accuse, or question individuals, and select the manner of questioning. Each detective possesses distinct interrogation style that influences interactions with suspects. For example, Agatha Marbles can use approaches such as being stern, sympathetic, helpless, or polite during questioning.

As the investigation unfolds, players uncover a complex web of relationships and motives among the passengers. Once they are satisfied that they have a culprit, the detective has the option of accusing them directly, or waiting until enough clues are found to prove their hunch. If they are wrong, the person they have accused will not speak to them for the remainder of the game. A denial does not always mean the detective is wrong, only that more proof is required for the murderer to confess.

If the detective is correct, the killer will explain the motives behind their crime, and the detective is given one of six ratings based on the effectiveness of their investigation.

The Commodore 64 release by Electronic Arts includes a booklet detailing the backgrounds of the detectives and passengers. This information provides context and aids players in their investigative strategies.

Designer Jon Freeman stated in the December 1980 BYTE that "a game like Adventure is really a puzzle that, once solved, is without further interest"; by contrast, he wrote, computer role-playing games like his Dunjonquest series offer unpredictable play and replay opportunities.{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-12/1980_12_BYTE_05-12_Adventure#page/n187/mode/2up | title=Character Variation in Role-Playing Games | work=BYTE | date=December 1980 | accessdate=10 July 2014 | author=Freeman, Jon | pages=186}} Freeman said that the game was a homage to Cluedo, but there are obvious influences from books and movies in the mystery genre, ranging from Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot books, to Sherlock Holmes and the films of Humphrey Bogart. A number of famous personalities from the 1930s may also have inspired the creation of the passengers aboard the Zinderneuf, such as Veronica Lake (Veronica Marlowe), Johnny Weissmuller (Buck Battle), and Hedda Hopper (Margaret Vandergilt).

The Atari 8-bit version of Murder on the Zinderneuf was reviewed by Video magazine in its "Arcade Alley" column. Reviewers called it, "as entertaining as it is innovative", and described it as "one of the most distinctive titles to be published [in 1983]". Specific praise was given the game's replay option which offers a different fact pattern for each playthrough.{{cite journal |last1= Kunkel |first1= Bill |author-link1= Bill Kunkel (gaming)|last2= Katz |first2= Arnie |author-link2= Arnie Katz|date= December 1983 |title= Arcade Alley: Super Gifts for Gamers |journal= Video|publisher= Reese Communications|volume= 7|issue= 9|pages= 28–29|issn= 0147-8907}}{{rp|29}} InfoWorld's Essential Guide to Atari Computers recommended the game as among the best adventure games for the Atari 8-bit, and predicted that others would emulate its "especially clever" joystick interface.{{Cite book |last=Mace |first=Scott |url=https://archive.org/details/InfoWorlds_Essential_Guide_to_Atari/page/n89/mode/2up?view=theater |title=InfoWorld's Essential Guide to Atari Computers |publisher=Harper & Row |year=1984 |isbn=978-0-06-669006-3 |pages=79-80}}

Allen Doum of Computer Gaming World stated that "Murder on the Zinderneuf is a mystery game for those people who don't have time for a twelve-hour deadline".{{cite magazine |last=Doum |first=Allen |title=Atari Arena |magazine=Computer Gaming World |date=October 1983 |volume=1 |issue=12 |pages=43}} The magazine's David and Diana Stone were impressed with Murder on the Zinderneuf{{'}}s 1930s characters, each with colorful, easily distinguished graphics. They liked the attention to particular details, such as the engine noise increasing as the player moves towards the back of the zeppelin. In addition to the game being fair and winnable, the reviewers reported playing it 20 times and only seeing two repeat "confessions".{{Cite magazine |last=Stone |first=David |title=They Call it Murder, Baby! |date=February 1984 |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_4.1/page/n11/mode/2up?view=theater |work=Computer Gaming World |pages=12–13 |access-date=2023-11-12 |last2=Stone |first2=Diana}}

Computer & Video Games review offered a positive assessment of Murder on the Zinderneuf for the Commodore 64, praising the colorful cast of passengers, whose intricate relationships provide ample motives and enhance the mystery, and the game's variability, likening it to Cluedo. Review found the game's interface to be effective and user-friendly. Technical performance is also noted positively. Additionally, the reviewer lauded the game's packaging, emphasizing the comprehensive booklet included.

Softline stated that Free Fall "came up with a game that's every bit as delightful as Archon".{{cite news | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1984&pub=6&id=15 | title=Murder on the Zinderneuf | work=Softline | date=Jan–Feb 1984 | accessdate=29 July 2014 | author=Yuen, Matt | pages=50}} Ahoy! called Murder on the Zinderneuf "the most intriguing mystery game I have ever played ... for a mystery fan it is a dream come true".{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/ahoy-magazine-13/Ahoy_13_January_1985#page/n43/mode/2up | title=Murder on the Zinderneuf | work=Ahoy! | date=January 1985 | accessdate=16 October 2013 | author=Herring, Richard | pages=43}} PC Magazine gave the game 15 points out of 18, noting the importance of acting in accordance with the chosen detective character's personality when questioning suspects.{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l9C7NnwCf1gC&pg=PA245 | title=The Plot Thickens | work=PC Magazine | date=1985-01-22 | accessdate=28 October 2013 | author=Wiswell, Phil | pages=245}}

• Casus Belli #24 (Feb 1985){{Cite web|url=https://rpggeek.com/rpgissuearticle/165638/ludotique|title = Ludotique | Article | RPGGeek}}
• Jeux & Stratégie #30{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/jeux-et-strategie-30/page/44/mode/2up | title=Jeux & stratégie 30 | date=December 1984}}
• Jeux & Stratégie HS #3{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/jeux-et-strategie-hs-3/page/68/mode/2up | title=Jeux & stratégie HS 3 | year=1986}}

{{reflist}}

• {{atarimania|id=3609}}
• {{lemon64 game|id=1754|name=Murder on the Zinderneuf}}
• {{Internet Archive game|id=msdos_Murder_on_the_Zinderneuf_1984}}
• [http://www.apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/Docs/MurderOnTheZinderneuf.txt A partial transcription of the booklet that came with the game]

Category:1983 video games

Category:Apple II games

Category:Ariolasoft games

Category:Atari 8-bit computer games

Category:Commodore 64 games

Category:Detective video games

Category:Electronic Arts games

Category:Fiction about airships

Category:Free Fall Associates games

Category:Puzzle video games

Category:Single-player video games

Category:Video games about police officers

Category:Video games developed in the United States

Category:Video games featuring female protagonists

Category:Video games set in 1936