System: Commodore 64
Title: Law of the West
Publisher: Accolade
Circa: 1985
Overall Rating:
 



Intro

It's tough being the Sheriff of Gold Gulch. Especially when your only deputy is busy getting drunk, and when the town doctor will let you bleed to death if you are too happy on the trigger. Will you survive 'til sundown?

Story

You are the Sheriff of Gold Gulch, a wild west town like the wild west ones you see on those wild west movies. As Sheriff, it is up to you to maintain the order. Armed with your loyal six shooter and a pinch of wit, you patrol your town. On your rounds, you will run into colorful and very interesting fellas. Let's see here, we have Miss Rose, the Saloon Hostess, who is always trying to seduce you. Little Willy, the kid who has got a secret he ain't telling nobody. The doctor, who does not really understand why you should ever use your gun in this "peaceful" town. Miss April, the school teacher, who enjoys spreading rumors and gossip. The Mexicali kid, a fugitive who is wanted across the border. The Daltons, who are always lookin' for trouble. Belle, the tough, but lonely, cowgirl. The drunk deputy, whom you can never find around when you most need him. And some other gunslingers who are always looking to challenge your authority.

Gameplay

The beauty of this game lays in the interaction with these characters. You patrol from one location to another. The town has 4 main locations: The Saloon, The Wells Fargo stagecoach office, The train station, and the bank. The game consists of 11 scenarios, each in which you meet one of the characters, who greets you in his or her own special way. You are then presented with a choice of 4 replies, ranging from polite and pleasant to rude and aggressive. The dialog then continues with 4 new choices being presented to you. Each character you encounter in Gold Gulch has its own personality. Choose your replies wisely, or you may find yourself eating lead!

This is much a game of diplomacy as it is a game of fast draw. Talk to the townsfolk in the correct way, and perhaps they will help you with a tip about the next bank robbery. For example, how will you get little Willy to tell you his secret? Will you threaten to tell on him to his mom? Or maybe offer to give him some candy?

When diplomacy fails, you can always draw your six shooter. But who will draw faster? If you take a hit, you fall to the ground. The townsfolk will try to find the doctor. If you get shot too early in the game though, the doctor might still not be in town as he is scheduled to arrive by train only later in the day. Also, if the doctor feels you are too trigger-happy, he will not treat you. Otherwise, he cures your wounds and you are ready to go back to your duty. But careful not to get shot again, as the doc might not be able to save you the next time!

What kind of Sheriff will you be? Will you be admired and respected by all, or will you end up being notorious and feared by everybody? The game ends when you either die, or when the sun sets (after 11 scenarios). You are then presented with a screen evaluating your actions and giving you your final score. The score will be higher if you handled the people correctly without having to resort to too much violence, if you managed to shoot and hit the bank and train robbers before they shot you, and even if you talked to the ladies in the right way and got a date or two.

All the dialog combinations give you hours of  gameplay with many possible outcomes. It is fun exploring and experimenting with all the dialog choices. Of course, there is nothing preventing you from just shooting everybody. Doing so is very fun (...if you happen to be a 10 year old kid) and gives you the lowest possible score.

Still, sooner or later you will have exhausted all the dialog options and you'll know all the responses by heart. At this point the game will become repetitive repetitive.

Multiplayer

None.

Controls

Move the joystick up and down to choose from the dialog options. Or, draw your gun by moving the joystick up past the first dialog response. This puts a crosshair on the screen which you can use to aim your gun. Pretty straightforward, though sometimes I felt the crosshair moved too slow.

Graphics

Town is very picturesque. You can see (tiny) people and carriages moving about in the background. Graphics are very good considering the year this game was published in, and you can tell that Accolade worked hard in that department. I only wish there would have been more locations then just the 4 mentioned above.

Sound Effects & Music

Great wild west music. A different tune plays depending on the character you are speaking with, and this adds a lot to the mood and atmosphere of the game.

Obscurity

Many have heard of this game, so it is not that obscure.

Summary/Author’s Take

It is very fun patrolling Gold Gulch and talking to all of its townspeople. The dialog choices will engage you for hours as you explore different outcomes, though after a while the game might seem repetitive and you'll feel the urge to just shoot everybody. Still, game and atmosphere are great, and I highly recommend everybody step into the shoes of the brave Gold Gulch Sheriff and meet the colorful townsfolk.

 

Story		Colorful characters, witty dialog.
Gameplay		A nice combination of gunslinging and diplomacy.
Multiplayer	N/A	N/A
Controls		Straightforward, but Targetting is a bit slow.
Graphics		Very picturesque, but only four backdrops.
SFX and Music		Adds to the wild west atmosphere.
Obscurity		Many know of it.
Overall		Go do your rounds.