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Dear old Dad's been banged up for a murder he didn't commit. Or did he? Well, actually that's the crux of the game. With Daddy in jail, it's up to you to clear his name by finding the real murderer of his best friend.

You begin in your Dad's office with piles of letters, a computer and a Filofax at hand. When you've sorted through this lot you realise it might be a good idea to leave the office and have a look around the eponymous city. At first you can only visit the pub, the police station, the hospital and a few other places, but as you progress - or not! - more places become available.

In most locations you're presented with a full screen graphic and can click the cursor over anything of interest, usually to be greeted with a puerile and pathetic response. If there are characters present, you can ask them one of a number of equally puerile questions, in the hope of getting some clues. In this way you trek around the town, clicking away and asking like mad, gaining clues and eventually getting enough information to get Dad out of jail.

Brownie points all round to IF for trying something a little different. Crime City's not an adventure in the normal sence, rather a huge lump of information that you have to sift and investigate in the right sequence to get anywhere. The graphics are primitive and the text responses are even worse - in fact, the manual contains a scene-setting story of such incredible adolescent and amateurish banality you'll want to puke. If you like games where you need to think, observe and have fun, Crime City will have to do until such a game comes along.

1. Story unfolds very much like Electronic Arts' oldie Hound Of Shadow, but unfortunately it doesn't have the same style and atmosphere.