In The First Degree

WE FIND THE DEFENDANT. . .

A Review of In The First Degree

by Kathleen Keating

Frustrated by the verdict in the trial of What’s His name? Think you can do a

better job than Marcia or Chris? Well maybe you can as you try your hand at

one of the most realistic games on the market today, IN THE FIRST DEGREE, by

Broderbund. As the prosecuting attorney in this real life courtroom

simulation, you are responsible for convicting a suspect of first degree

murder, which is anything but easy. In the first entertainment title since

the fantastic MYST, Broderbund unleashes courtroom drama equal to if not

better than what we’ve witnessed on television. What’s even better is that

now you have a chance to control the outcome using the persona of Sterling

Granger.

Incorporating blue screen processes with incredible graphics, you meet the

defendant, surly witnesses, exploit-for-ratings newspeople and of course, a

judge that can make you want to pull your hair out. As you interrogate the

multitude of witnesses in the case, you are given options of the kind of

questions you can ask. It helps to be shrewd in discerning which way to

handle any given witness. If you push them too hard, like good old Marcia

did, you don’t get the results needed for your “air-tight case” of murder

one.

Many of the witnesses are wily if not outright liars and it’s an

interesting task figuring out not only how to handle the individual

witnesses, but whether they are telling the truth. Once you get them on the

stand, anything and everything can happen. Because of the elaborate

mechanisms within the game, each question put to a witness alters the

available information ever so slightly. Not just the information changes

either. With multiple plays, the story and the verdict change, keeping you

from getting bored, while giving you crucial practice time in honing your

prosecuting skills.

In the early rounds of playing, IN THE FIRST, you won’t have the jury finding

a verdict to your liking, but after a lot of practice, you will ultimately

get closer to the verdict you need to put the sleazy defendant away.

Set in gorgeous San Francisco, professional actors, real life newscasters and

incredible sound escort you through the various stages of the game. Speaking

of those pesky reporters, they also dissect your courtroom performance on the

air. Ouch! With several outcomes, you’ll be putting in long hours trying to

unravel the evidence and witnesses as they appear as fluid-like images,

taking up the entire screen. Broderbund does away with the porthole concept

of video which only heightens the realistic qualities of the game, sucking

you into a phenomenal adventure.

Utilizing Emmy-award winning producers and an actual district attorney, IN

THE FIRST DEGREE, is as true-to-life as games can get, almost to the point

that you have to worry about paying off those nasty loans for law school.

Well, not really, but when some of the witnesses start pulling for the

Defense team, you’ll think Johnny Cochran, Jr. will start his “if it doesn’t

fit” shenanigans.

So if you haven’t had enough courtroom drama in the last year, run to your

software dealer and snatch up the best game around, IN THE FIRST DEGREE. Even

if you have become saturated with the legal profession, try the game and

enjoy a truly new experience. Guilty? You will be if you don’t try this one.

Gamer’s Zone Scorecard

Product:	In The First Degree
Company:	Broderbund Software Inc. 500 Redwood Blvd. P.O. Box 6121 Novato, CA, 94948-6121 Phone-415-382-4400 Fax-415-382-4582

Cost:

$45-$50

IBM-PC or compatible 486/25SX or faster,
4MB RAM, 8 MB recommended,16-bit sound card,
and a double speed CD-ROM drive or higher, mouse,
DOS 5.0 or higher, Windows 3.1 or Windows 95,
Super VGA (256 color mode, also supports thousands
of colors video mode if available to provide extremely
realistic video display.)