Strap on the Kevlar.

Posted on 2011-01-18 10:22:20 by Cy-Fox:

Police Quest was a well-lauded adventure/simulation series created as a joint effort between Sierra and retired California Highway Patrol officer Jim Walls, who was recovering from an injury sustained while on duty. The first three games place you in the shoes of officer Sonny Bonds in the city of Lytton, California.
Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel starts you off asread more a traffic/general enforcement officer that moves up into narcotics investigation and ends up putting down big time drug lord Jessie Bains. You face off against Bains again, this time working Homicide in Police Quest 2, which is where you stay in Police Quest 3, though for a time you'll start off as a sergeant in charge of the traffic unit.
Police Quest 4: Open Season, departs from the Lytton setting and Walls' design (who went off to work with Tsunami to create Blue Force) and this time enters Los Angeles and the designs of former LAPD Chief Daryl F. Gates (who regrettably passed away last year). While the first three games used painted backgrounds, sprites and the like, Police Quest 4 strove for a more photorealistic view.
All four games stress proper police procedure. It took me several tries and the advice of my dad (a retired Ohio deputy sheriff and small-town police chief) to clear a felony stop in PQ1's enhanced remake. But if that doesn't convince you, consider the many law enforcement agencies that used the series as a training tool.
It's classic Sierra, and if you've always wanted to know what it feels to wear the blues, you can't go wrong with the Police Quest series.