(What follows is a continuation of an article about audio cassettes included with computer games; if you would like to start at the beginning, start with Homeword.)

The President Is Missing

The unthinkable has happened: During a secret conference of national leaders in Switzerland, terrorists break in and capture several world leaders, including the President of the United States! It’s up to you to find out where he is by examining all of the evidence, including multiple audio cues and photographs. Along the way, you’ll uncover a diabolical conspiracy (of course) that may involve even those closest to the President himself.

The audio cues you need to play the game are numerous and vital to solving the game, so they were provided on the included audio tape. In addition to setting the mood for the game through some introductory audio clips, you have a multitude of “file tape” recordings that can help you locate the President and solve the case. Included are interviews with government officials, taped radio communications, recordings from tapped telephones, the terrorists’ spoken demands, and even some (very squelchy) morse code signals.

All in all, it makes for a good mystery. Cosmi titles were never high on quality, but The President Is Missing makes a great attempt at publishing a good game.

High Points: Wide variety of clues; slow realization that it’s not quite as important as what is being said as to how it is being said.

Low Points: Voice acting ranges from acceptable to poor; recording quality ranges from good to poor; too many audio clues lessens the impact of all of them (in other words, a few great clips would’ve been much better than tons of mediocre clips)

Highlight: Hearing an unlucky informant getting blown to smithereens over the phone. :-)

Audio: The President Is Missing Side 1 and Side 2 are available.