Sierra's Police Game History

"One thing we did during the game design was to stick strictly to sound police procedure. If you didn't use police procedure, you couldn't get through the game."

   - Jim Walls, designer of Police Quest 1-3 and former California Highway Patrolman

In 1987, Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel was a drastic departure from Sierra's traditional adventure game. Instead of playing a medieval hero in a fantasy locale, players stepped into the role of a police officer on the trail of burglars, drug traffickers, and a ruthless killer.

Praised for its authenticity to real life police procedures, several law enforcement departments in the United States began using Police Quest for procedures training. The game won over gamers too, leading Sierra and series creator Jim Walls to create two sequels, The Vengeance (1988) and The Kindred (1991), and a 256-color remake of the original Police Quest (1992).

Months after his retirement as LAPD Chief of Police in 1992, Daryl F. Gates was approached by Sierra founder and president Ken Williams to take a hand in the design of the next Police Quest game. This partnership would produce Police Quest: Open Season, an adventure-mystery game set in the streets of Los Angeles, and three games based on LAPD's SWAT, the elite special weapons and tactics team Gates pioneered.

Sierra's Police Game Catalog