''Stifflip & Co.'' is a
graphic adventure game
An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story, driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based ...
published by
Palace Software in 1987 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. ...
,
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...
and
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC (short for "Colour Personal Computer") is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the ZX Spec ...
computers. The game is set in the early 20th century, between the two World Wars, and affectionately parodies the character and attitudes of the later
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
.
Plot
From the
blurb
A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dust jacket of a book. With the development ...
on the game box:
Gameplay
Gameplay is in the form of a graphic adventure with the player controlling four different characters: Viscount Sebastian Stifflip, Miss Palmyra Primbottom, Professor Braindeath and Colonel R. G. Bargie. The characters and their environment are presented in a
comic
a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicat ...
strip format on-screen with the player controlling them via a mixture of icons and point-and-click options (albeit controlled by a keyboard and joystick rather than a mouse).
The four different characters all have different skills and so only certain characters can solve certain puzzles. For example, anything requiring scientific knowledge requires Professor Braindeath to deal with it.
Reception
References
External links
*
Review of the Spectrum version from
Your Sinclair
''Your Sinclair'', originally ''Your Spectrum'' or ''YS'', is a discontinued British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum. It was commercially published between 1984 and 1993.
History
The magazine was la ...
magazine.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stifflip and Co.
1987 video games
Adventure games
Amstrad CPC games
Commodore 64 games
Europe-exclusive video games
Palace Software games
Parody video games
Single-player video games
Video games developed in the United Kingdom
Video games scored by Richard Joseph
Video games set in the 20th century
ZX Spectrum games