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I was feeling very disgruntled when I completed Deja Vu II. So much so that I thought it best to take a couple of days off before writing up the Final Rating post in case the last few unhappy hours discoloured the entire gaming experience. Now that the crankiness has subsided (a bit), I still don’t think it’s going to rate very highly, but I’m interested to know where it rates in comparison to the other MacVenture games. Let’s find out!

Puzzles and Solvability
I really was enjoying the puzzle aspect of Deja Vu II until about three quarters through. Prior to that I’d had to work hard to make progress, but the solutions were found through logic and thoroughness, rather than any sort of blind luck (or assistance). I did miss the envelope hidden within the vacuum cleaner bag due to what I consider to be unfair misdirection, and applying the magnet as a fifth floor elevator button is certainly difficult, but neither of these puzzles was unsolvable. Unfortunately, things went pear shaped towards the end, with absolutely no guidance as to what’s required of the player. Even though I was on the right track myself, I was continually put off the scent after receiving no responses to my attempts at getting the mob bosses to take each other out. Even when I’d read all of Zenic’s hints and spoilers, I still found it extremely difficult to finish the game, to the point where I could almost call it unsolvable. I say almost, because I imagine someone with a lot of time on their hands and a penchant for self-harm might find success eventually unassisted. It wouldn’t be much fun though! I would have given the game at least 4 (probably 5) for the first three quarters, but the horrible conclusion means I can’t go higher than 3.
Rating: 3


Interface and Inventory
I’ve never liked the interface used in the MacVenture titles. If I didn’t complain about it much while playing, I guess that has more to do with me simply being used to it than any improvements. The small area at the bottom of the screen for dialogue means the player forever has to expand the window to read conversations in full. The exits system works well enough, but is only there due to the inadequacies of the graphical interface. The action interface is also clunky, particularly when every click counts (literally), making the player click multiple times to do simple tasks. Finally, there’s the inventory. Man, do I hate the inventory system in these games! The idea isn’t actually a bad one, allowing the player to drag items into the inventory and organise things as they see fit. Yet the small amount of space available (without overlaying the critical parts of the screen) and the necessity to keep items within other items makes for a really frustrating and at times game ending experience. It would all be more bearable if the player was given time to actually organise things, but taking time out to do that generally results in the time limit coming to get them. I gave the interface a 3 for the first game, but its five years later now, so it gets a 2.
Rating: 2


Story and Setting
Any game that starts in exactly the same way as its predecessor better have some decent surprises up its sleeve! Deja Vu II feels like a rehash, with the player waking up after being knocked out, then catching a cab around Chicago collecting items for no apparent reason, before finally trying to put it all together towards the end. Sure, there’s Las Vegas to explore too, but that’s made up of only three locations. Letting the player gamble in the casino there was an obvious yet nice touch I guess. As for the story itself, maybe it’s my lack of crime story experience that made putting things together so difficult, but I still don’t understand how I was supposed to gain a clear idea of the correct path towards the game’s conclusion. I read all the ledgers and letters multiple times, but just couldn’t make much sense of it. As mentioned above, even if I had of figured out with any certainty what I was supposed to do, there was no indication while playing that the time had come to plant evidence rather than to look for more, nor was there any indication of where stuff should be planted. I’ve already punished the puzzles category for this, but the story category also has to be held accountable. As a final note, I think the first game benefited from the main character gradually regaining their memory. The sequel has no such device to forgive the confusion generated throughout.
Rating: 3


Sound and Graphics
There is very little sound to speak of in Deja Vu II, which is really disappointing. Sure, the small amount of effects there are have of a much higher quality than they had in the original, but given everything previously sounded like a dying animal behind a wall of white noise, that’s not saying much. We’re in 1990 now, so I’ll have to punish games that make no effort when it comes to music and sound effects. The graphics however are ok. One of the things that made all the other MacVenture games so daunting was the low quality CGA graphics, which made the required pixel hunting all but impossible at times. I never had that problem this time due to the superior VGA graphics, and while I always wished that the main window would have filled more of the interface, each item is attractive and detailed enough not to draw much criticism. There’s next to no animation though, so Deja Vu II didn’t really push the envelope on the technology front. I gave the first game a 2, but pixel hunting through entirely blue and pink screens was like scratching my own eyes out. I’ll say 4 for this one, but that’s very generous.
Rating: 4

Environment and Atmosphere
The environment in Deja Vu II is so similar to the one found in the first game, that it often just feels like a graphical upgrade. It doesn’t help that the game starts in exactly the same way as the first one, and that a fair portion of it occurs in and around Joe’s Bar, with exactly the same locations and angles. I’d been looking forward to seeing St. Louis, New York and Los Angeles, but as the game went on, I realised I was going to be limited to very few locations across only Chicago and Las Vegas. Given the game involves trying to get out of a very sticky situation within a harsh time limit, with goons constantly on the watch, there should be heaps of atmosphere. I felt very little, which I can only put down to the constant restores, the sound deficiencies, and the lack of clarity around what I was supposed to be doing at any particular point. The laundry is a good example of a scene that should have been exciting, with the player having to escape from captivity and then probe the area without being recaptured, but the huge amount of trial and error involved just made it a chore to get through, with no easily-discernible payoff.
Rating: 4


Dialogue and Acting
One positive thing I can say about Deja Vu II is that the language used is fitting for the time and genre. There’s plenty of gangster talk, with threats and slang all over the place. This use of slang at times made it hard for me to figure out exactly what authors of certain documents were getting at, but a quick search on Google confirmed my opinion on each occasion. The downside to all this is that pretty much every character comes across as thicker than Glottis. “Wow, lookit that, Moose. A letter to the Big Boss, and a pitchuh of him too!” Oh well, who wants smart goons anyway! The room and item descriptions are fairly well done, with a nice mix of relevant info and humour, although nothing stood out as particularly funny throughout. I gave the first game a 6, but there’s no doubt it was a step up from the likes of King’s Quest at the time. In 1990, it’s not so impressive, and is treading the same ground the first game did five years earlier.
Rating: 4

• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For announcing a new adventure game release on GOG
• True Companion Award – 20 CAPs – For playing along and finishing
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For announcing a new adventure game sale on GOG
• Request for Assistance Award – 20 CAPs – For giving me no less than nine hints that I needed!
• Technical Assistance Award – 10 CAPs – For informing me of the patch for Deja Vu II
• Shining Award – 10 CAPs – For finding my Shining reference
• True Companion Award – 20 CAPs – For playing along and finishing (or near enough)
• Kickstarter Award – 10 CAPs – For announcing a new adventure Kickstarter campaign
• Play List Correction Award – 5 CAPs – For informing me that the game order was incorrect
• Future Prediction Award – 5 CAPs – For telling it how it will be in the year 3245 AD
• Iron Maiden Award – 5 CAPs – For figuring out the band that played Deja Vu
• SCUMMVM Version Award – 10 CAPs – For telling me again (and being right) that I have an old version
• Reader’s Choice Award...um...Award – 10 CAPs – For coming up with a great new category
• Atlantis Award – 20 CAPs – For solving my Atlantis riddle
• Chambermaid of Sci-Mutant Dada Award – 5 CAPs – For drinking while surfing
• Sponsor Award - 20 CAPs - For sponsoring the blog with free games
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For announcing a new adventure game release on Steam
• Game Giveaway Award – 10 CAPs – For giving a game away, even if no-one wanted it
• Kickstarter Award – 10 CAPs – For announcing a new adventure Kickstarter campaign
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For announcing a new adventure game sale on GOG
• Thieves Guild Membership Award – 5 CAPs – He knows why
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For announcing a new adventure game release on Steam
• President of the Theodore Defence Club – 5 CAPs – For sticking up for Theodore’s everywhere
• Fur Balls Unite Award – 5 CAPs – For taking on one of the greatest battle-cries known to man
• Myotonic Kitten Award – 5 CAPs – I shouldn’t laugh, but I did!
• Cash Collection Award – 20 CAPs – For explaining how I could pick up all the chips in the casino
• TAG Trooper Award – 10 CAPs – For reading through all 250+ posts on the blog to get up to speed
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For announcing a new adventure game sale on Steam
• The Golden Question Award – 10 CAPs – Finally someone asked me!
• The Longest Journey Award...um...Award – 10 CAPs – For coming up with a great new category name
• Psychic Prediction Award – 10 CAPs – For predicting the score I would give Deja Vu II (closest)
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For announcing a new adventure game release on Steam
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For announcing a new adventure game release on Steam
• Feels Like I’ve Been Here Before Award – 5 CAPs - For figuring out which Iron Maiden song I referenced
• Typo Pickup Award – 5 CAPs – For picking up an important typo in my Year That Was post

Tricksters Note: The below post (and indeed all posts for Circuits Edge) was written by guest blogger Zenic Reverie.

Night... Ive lost track: "Im out. Thats it. No more leads. I ran around searching for Abdul-Hassan the past few nights. Now my final bit of information lies with Tamara Carter, and a single bullet found in the Herrera apartment where Marco was found dead. Will I ever unravel this web of connections?"



Truly sorry about the delay. Ive been procrastinating on this game for a few reasons. Mostly Im not having fun with it, and thats partially due to the games asinine way of presenting itself. In fact its gotten to the point where Im stuck. Well get to that and the official request for assistance soon enough. So, on to the game. While exploring I accidentally left the game running for a number of hours. Im not sure how long, but I discovered two things. I cant die from starvation or exhaustion, and the task to recover Abdul-Hassan has a time limit. A hidden one. Oh how I detest timers in my games, especially hidden ones. I restored my save (did I mention theres only one save), and set out to solve what I originally assumed was a side quest.



I wandered through the night, reviewed my notes, and decided the best place to look for a lead on that bullet was Crazy Abduls. Before I got to that though I found I needed to solve the case of the other Abdul. The ransom note didnt mention a date or place to drop off the money. I started down my list of usual suspects and hit upon Saied. When I showed him the note he broke down crying. This exchange reminded me that the manual mentioned them being involved... maybe I should read it over again. Still, it wasnt all that helpful on the surface; however, at the mention of cologne I realized I might have a lead. There is a fragrance shop; maybe they could identify the scent.



The shopkeeper identified the flowery aroma as that from tiger orchids. Theyre in short supply at the moment, but theres only a single "odd woman" that purchases the cologne made from these flowers. Next stop, the flower shop. There I learned the tiger orchids are imported from Brazil, but are currently held up by customs at the docks. The docks are another area outside the Budayeen described as the type of place I would hang out in if I wanted to get jumped. A cab ride later I looked up the address the florist gave me for the warehouse; it was completely locked up, although the description helpfully pointed out a high window.



To bypass the security system I once again used the Phantom moddie (cat burglar skills). In a more traditional adventure game this would have required rope, a grappling hook, and clippers to disarm the security system. Instead Im asked to answer what skill chip should I use this time? The description of Alpine Jack when equipped is that he wishes he had something to climb, and was eager for colder climates. Fairly obvious I needed it to scale something. Inside the warehouse it was too dark to see what each package was, yet still light enough to make out two from Brazil. I grabbed both and made my escape. In the moonlight I identified one package as tiger orchids, and the other as Cuban cigars. I took the tiger orchids back to the fragrance lady, who would create a new batch of cologne and call me once the "odd woman" picked it up. With the down time I followed up on my other lead.



Well now I know the gun, and its obvious from the description theres only one in the whole Budayeen. Every street dealer Ive spoken to has only redirected me towards Abduls shop when asked about a magnum. Seems this lead is going nowhere for now. I tried to sleep off the nights events back at my apartment, but was rudely awakened by the fragrance shop owner. She told me the woman picked up the cologne, but didnt leave her name or address; however, there was a number on the order form. The number was to Muhammads Glass Shop, and the first place I was stumped. I called, left my name and number, and rested for the night... no call back. So, I paid him a visit instead. I asked him about the tiger orchid, "go see the florist." I asked him about Abdul-Hassan, "Hes behind the counter at Hassans store." I showed him the ransom note, "not interested". I asked about scent, aroma, flowery smell. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. With no other description and at my wits end I asked about "odd woman."



The odd woman was none other than Madame Mimi, the local fortune teller. Before I left Muhammads, I forked over 150 kiam for a finished crystal ball she was expecting. I figured she would feel better about talking with me if I did her this favor. Her building was just down the street. Her place was decorated in books on various occult subjects. She sat at a table with a crystal ball, which had a slight crack, and a pack of tarot cards. Showing her the new crystal ball elicited no reaction. I had to hand it to her to begin the exchange, which ended as quickly as it started. At least she repaid the 150 kiam. So I sat there staring into the new ball. Asked for my palm read, my fortune told, my tea leaves interpreted... nothing worked. I asked about tiger orchids, nothing. I asked about... I think you know where this is going. I searched through my notes for that one keyword that would allow me to continue. Aroma, no. Scent, no. Ransom, no. Abdul, Tamara, "odd woman;" no, no, no. Cologne! That was it.





"Very close to death" obviously meant the cemetery just outside the Budayeen on the opposite end of the street from Bills taxi. As soon as I arrived I saw a man. A man I had seen before. This time Marid recognized him immediately as the one who assaulted him at Kenjis place. A heated fist fight followed. With the help of my Kung Fu Master moddie and steelfists I beat him down until he ran away. Left behind in the aftermath was a radio direction finder. It was damaged beyond repair, but I took the frequency it was set to and entered it into my own. It lead me to a locked warehouse.



After all the different ways Ive picked locks, circumvented electronic locks, and bypassed unknown security alarms, I now needed to blow a door open with explosives. Seriously? Well, this line seems to have dried up at this point. I took stock of my possessions once more, and reviewed my potential leads. Tamara seems unrelated to finding Abdul at the moment, and the bullet doesnt seem to be much help either. Only thing left are these Cubans. Maybe they belong to the smoke shop just around the corner from Marids apartment.



Turns out I was carrying around plastic explosives. That takes care of that. Back to the warehouse! This should be simple: use plastic explosives on warehouse. Yeah, not that easy. The game helpfully informed me I didnt seem to have all the parts I needed. Well, how the heck should I know how to use this stuff? I looked through everything I had and noted a wire and a countdown timer. Seemed logical, but once again I was told I didnt have everything I needed. I stumbled back into the street trying to drum up a clue. I started asking everyone about the terrorist. Eventually the clue about the smoke shop owner reading about him hit me over the head as I entered the Maqallahs News stand.



Luigi Casolari, now theres something I could use. Maybe there are some designs at his apartment. I hopped on the cops computer terminal only to find they had no record of him. No record? Really? This game really hasnt covered all its bases. Its so constricting. Asking anyone about Luigi results in the same response as asking about "terrorist." That is anyone except the mortician. Luckily I kept the morgue pass around just in case I needed it. His only belonging was a moddie called the demolitionist. With that chipped in I instantly knew the missing item was a detonator. Crazy Abdul easily furnished one from off the menu. This game really makes very little sense. He got upset at me for inquiring about a .357 magnum, but happily sells me a detonator. The hypocrisy is outstanding.



Well, that took care of that door puzzle. Inside the warehouse I found my assailant from the cemetery. It turned out the man wasnt Tamara Carter after a sex change. It was Alejandro Herrera. I didnt get the chance to ask him about his brother or Tamara. He jumped me immediately. With nowhere to run this time he quickly fell. As he drew his last few breaths, he admitted to the kidnapping, but it was his boss idea. He then claimed to have killed Madame Mimi, although I wasnt aware of that at all. At the end, he half-warned half-threatened that his boss would get me.



After a full night I returned to my apartment and found Papas muscle men hanging out. They passed me a note and money. The note congratulated me on the good work finding the boy, and encouraged me to continue my investigation. Mahmoud Hassan was equally pleased, and rewarded me with a portable holodisk viewer and a static pistol (an electrical weapon). A holodisk viewer, what use could that be? Hmmm, maybe there was something more to the message Tamara had left. It turned out no, but the game surprised me in a completely new way. In such a way I didnt expect. I mean, for all its faults in strict linear progression with no outside the box thinking possible, this one response blew me away.







Okay, obviously I skipped over something. It seems the code for this item wasnt programmed correctly, and doesnt check my location. Based on the conversation I figured the person I must be "speaking" with in the above screenshots was the nurse from the medical clinic. I confirmed this by visiting the clinic and asking about Tamara Carter, and received the response that the nurse was terrible with names, but might recall if I had a picture. In any case, I followed the trail of emerald earrings from the jeweler to a street dealer, to a dancer named Lily. The street dealer described her as a blonde, maybe. A couple of other dancers claimed Lily had some new emerald earrings. Asking anyone about Lily seems to produce only an unhelpful "seems familiar" phrase. I thought this was definitely the next step. But, when I finally found Lily, something must have been lost in translation because she didnt know anything about any earrings.



I wonder if accessing the conversation with the holoviewer at my apartment messed up my game. I wonder if theres a completely different Lily I should be stalking. I wonder why the hell am I still playing this game? Well, at least it isnt Les Manly. In any case, Im officially requesting assistance. If I cant make heads or tails of what I need to accomplish next, then Ill use said assistance, but I have a feeling Id be stuck here for quite some time without it. My only leads are Tamara and a mystery magnum. Lily sure isnt providing any assistance. Specifically, Id like to know if Im doing something out of order, if theres a different Lily, or if I should be tracking down that magnum. I feel like Im all out of options though and Tamara seems the best lead for explaining whats been going on.

Session Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 12 hours 30 minutes

Note Regarding Spoilers and Companion Assist Points: Ive written a set of rules regarding spoilers and companion assist points. Please read it here before making any comments that could be considered a spoiler in any way. The short of it is that no points will be given for hints or spoilers given in advance of Zenic requiring one. Please...try not to spoil any part of the game for him...unless he really obviously needs the help...or he specifically requests assistance. In this instance, he has made a request for assistance! Thanks!

Mystery House was a huge success, selling over 10,000 copies (making the company around $167,000), and convincing Ken that producing games would be much more profitable than developing programming languages. The couple immediately began work on more similar titles, including Mission Asteroid, The Dark Crystal (based on Jim Henson’s fantasy film) and Time Zone. But it was the second game they produced together that is most worthy of discussion when talking about the development of King’s Quest. Wizard and the Princess was not only the first adventure game to have colour graphics (Mystery House was monochrome), it’s also officially considered a prequel to the King’s Quest series itself. Taking place in the land of Serenia, which would be revisited in King’s Quest V, the player must attempt to rescue Princess Priscilla from an evil wizard named Harlin, with the reward being half of King George’s kingdom. Roberta drew on her love of fairy tales, which she’d read a lot of while growing up, to come up with the plot and visuals for the game.


Around 1982, On-Line Systems was renamed to Sierra On-Line and the company moved to California. A year later they were contacted by IBM with a proposition too good to refuse. The powerhouse company wanted a new game that would show off the capabilities of their new PCjr machine, and in return would fund the entire development, royalties and advertising. Returning to the fairy tale theme, Roberta set about designing the new game, but this time her concept included animated colour graphics, a pseudo 3D-perspective where the main character was visible on screen, a new and improved text parser, and music that would make use of the PCjr’s capabilities. To achieve all of this, Sierra developed a new game engine called the Adventure Gamer Interpreter, which they would port to multiple platforms and continue to use for years to come. As it turned out, the PCjr was a total flop, but the game, titled King’s Quest, was a massive success on other operating systems. It eventually sold more than half a million copies, and would kick-start a golden age of Sierra adventure games!


But I’m getting way ahead of myself here! I’m here to take a trip back to Daventry, which is something I haven’t done in many years, and to see just how playable and enjoyable this undeniable classic is today. It’s worth mentioning before beginning my journey that a few aspects of the game have evolved over the years, and a couple of different versions exist also. There was a complete remake developed in 1990, as was the case with many of the early Sierra games. Just to be clear, I’ll be playing the original, albeit the slightly improved 1987 release, not the remake. The original title of the game was just King’s Quest, with the subtitle Quest For the Crown only added in 1987 after the first couple of successful sequels had similar title formats. Finally, the back-story of the game was dramatically expanded on for later releases. The original read like this:  “Daventry is suffering from recent disasters and hardship. King Edward calls his bravest knight, Sir Graham, to his throne, and tells him he has heard of three legendary treasures hidden throughout the land that would end Daventrys troubles. If Graham succeeds he will become king.” That’s all I need to know to get going. See you in Daventry!