Snooper Troops
Snooper Troops is a series of two 1982 adventure/educational video games developed by Spinnaker Software and published by Computer Learning Connection. They were released on Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, and DOS. The first case was entitled Snooper Troops: Case #1: The Granite Point Ghost and the second case entitled Snooper Troops: Case #2 - The Case of the Disappearing Dolphin was released later that year.
Production
The game was written for the home market, and targeted schools due to the application of school-taught skills such as case-solving.[1]
Plot
In the first case, players have to solve the mystery of "The Granite Point Ghost", which has been scaring the Kim family out of their house.[2][3]
Gameplay
In this "mystery simulation",[4] players use the SnoopNet computer to search for clues along the streets, and search in people's houses while they're not at home. If you are caught snooping too many times, the game is over. After gaining enough information, they can convict the criminal.
InfoWorld described the game as an electronic version of the board gamer Cluedo.[5]
Critical reception and legacy
According to the book Beyond Edutainment, the game became "one of the first examples of a successful educational adventure" [6] The book Disney Stories explained that it is an "early adventure game".[7]