The manor of Mortevielle

the Manor of Mortevielle is a Video game of adventure developed and published by Lankhor in 1987. It functions on Atari ST, Amiga, DOS, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and APPLE II gs. It is the first play which offers a synthesis of voice monocorde, but comprehensible.

History

The history starts in the office of the famous private detective Jerome Lange (you). A letter slips under the door. It is a letter of Julia (a friend of childhood), it invites you to return to you to the manor of Mortevielle (but you are unaware of the reason of his request). Arrived at the manor, max the servant accommodates you, it explains you why Julia died, then it says to you which lives in the manor, which are the operating rules of the manor (hours of the meals, hour of the mass, etc) and explains you that because of the storm, it is necessary for you to remain with the manor.

You find yourselves in your room. The play makes it possible to return to you anywhere in the manor like outside (but not too far, if not it is assured death). You can excavate the places (but in a discrete way if possible, if not you either will be returned, or killed) and you can also question the characters and thus benefit from their voices.

Environments are particularly neat and the play bathes in an atmosphere in Agatha Christie. The exploration of the rooms, certain objects (photographs, poems, letters…) and the discussions with the involved characters, are enough to create the interest of the play and its poetry.

Development team

Author: Bernard Grelaud, Bruno Gourier
Programming: B. Bruno Gourier
Graphics: Maria Dolores, Dominique Fine sands, Bernard Grelaud
Sounds/Voice synthesis: Beatrice & Jean-Luc Langlois

Solution

The play can be supplemented in very little time if one has his solution. It is then possible to see of it the end without the same having included/understood some intrigue, nor the indices which would have led the player to carry out certain actions. This is why, after the publication of the solution by a French magazine, Lankhor left a new version the play to replace the old one. It is identical, if it is only at one exact moment of the play, the player is obliged to answer series of questions correctly to be authorized to continue the adventure.

To note

The adventures of Jerome Lange continue through a second play, Maupiti Island (1990), also published by Lankhor.

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