''Grumpy Gumphrey Supersleuth'', often known simply as ''Super Sleuth'',The game was packaged as ''Grumpy Gumphrey Supersleuth'', but the in-game title screen used 'Super Sleuth', as seen here in the video walkthrough. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfzLN9fTz4g is a

computer game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual feedback from a display device, mo ...

for the

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. One of the most influential computers ever made and one of the all-time bestselling British computers, over five million units were sold. ...

Gremlin Graphics Gremlin Graphics Software Limited, later Gremlin Interactive Limited and ultimately Infogrames Studios Limited, was a British software house based in Sheffield, working mostly in the home computer market. Like many software houses established i ...

, a software developer based in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

.Review of Grumpy Gumphrey Supersleuth by Crispin Driver at Retro Gamer, 6 December 2008. https://www.retrogamer.net/retro_games80/grumpy-gumphrey-supersleuth/ It is an

action-adventure game An action-adventure game is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Definition An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements from an action ...

: the player controls Grumpy, a store detective and general dogsbody working in a large department store. The game was developed by Shaun Hollingworth with loading-screen graphics by Marco Duroe.

Gameplay

The player takes the role of an ageing store detective, 'Grumpy' Gumphrey, and the aim is for Gumphrey to keep his job.Original cassette inlay at World of Spectrum https://worldofspectrum.org//pub/sinclair/games-inlays/g/GrumpyGumphreySupersleuth.jpg In order to do so, he must fulfil various tasks assigned to him by various shoppers, and by the boss of the store, known only as 'Sir'. Although Gumphrey is described as a 'store detective', he has to complete a number of tasks more associated with a cleaner or engineer, such as spraying bugs in the cafe, repairing the lift, and tidying the storeroom. Some of the tasks verge on the surreal, such as shooting

ducks Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

that have entered the store, and caging a

gorilla Gorillas are primarily herbivorous, terrestrial great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five su ...

on the loose.Game summary by rstuart@ukonline.co.uk for World of Spectrum at https://worldofspectrum.org//pub/sinclair/games-info/g/GrumpyGumphreySupersleuth.txt, created 7 May 2000 The game is set in a large, traditional department store named 'Mole Bros'; the name is a nod to '' Wanted: Monty Mole'', a 1984 Gremlin Graphics game that had proved a hit as well as a popular Sheffield Department Store "

Cole Brothers Cole Brothers was a department store located in Sheffield in South Yorkshire, United Kingdom. Early history The Cole brothers John and Thomas opened a silk mercer and hosier at 4 Fargate, Sheffield in 1847. Their brother Skelton almost immediat ...

". The player character in ''Grumpy Gumphrey Supersleuth'' can visit 39 screens, designed to look like the different areas in a department store, with different kinds of merchandise, as well as a cafe, a kitchen, a store room, a boiler room, and the manager's office. The tasks generally involve puzzles that require Grumpy to acquire certain items and use them in a particular way in certain screens. They may also require dexterous manipulation of the player character. For example, the first task requires Grumpy to steal the handgun from under his boss's chair – a feat that requires careful keyboard or joystick work – in order to shoot the ducks. Grumpy is hampered by other shoppers (non player characters) in the store, and must work against the clock to complete the tasks on time. Failure to do so will result in a warning letter from the boss; four warning letters lead to game over.

Reception

''Grumpy Gumphrey Supersleuth'' was well-received when published. ''

Sinclair User The ''Sinclair User'' was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum (while also occasionally covering arcade games). Initially published by ECC Publications, and later EMAP, it was pub ...

'' gave the game 5/5 stars,Review of ''Grumpy Gumphrey Supersleuth'' in ''Sinclair User'' #43, December 1985, p. 32, https://www.everygamegoing.com/mag_pages/sinclair_user/045/lc-p032.jpg while ''Crash'' awarded an 86% rating.''Crash'' review of ''Grumpy Gumphrey Supersleuth'' in ''Crash'' #23, 1 December 1985, https://www.everygamegoing.com/larticle/Grumpy-Gumphrey-Super-Sleuth-000/20094/ Both magazines highlighted the originality of the game, with ''Sinclair User'' praising the 'novel plot', and ''Crash'' calling Grumpy the 'first geriatric hero to star in a computer game'. Both magazines also praised the game's graphics, animation, and its polish.

References

{{reflist

External links

Review of ''Grumpy Gumphrey Supersleuth'' by Crispin Driver at Retro Gamer, 6 December 2008.

Video walkthrough of ''Grumpy Gumphrey Supersleuth'' on YouTube by RZX Archive, 15 December 2012.
''Grumpy Gumphrey Supersleuth''
at

World of Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. One of the most influential computers ever made and one of the all-time bestselling British computers, over five million units were sold. ...

1985 video games Action-adventure games Detective video games Gremlin Interactive games Single-player video games Video games about birds Video games about primates Video games developed in the United Kingdom ZX Spectrum games ZX Spectrum-only games