Thomas Brezina's Knickerbocker gang appears on CD-ROM High-tech detectives.
Cracking passwords on PCs, communicating by mobile phones, using night vision equipment, and carrying out chemical analyses.
With these high-tech tricks, the "Knickerbocker" gang, created by best-selling author Thomas Brezina combats the Mafia and other unsavoury characters in their first CD-ROM adventure "The Phantom of the Underground". But they do have an ally: the PC user. He or she has to solve four cases and one master case on the CD. Recognising that Brezina's young sleuths had achieved cult status even among less-than avid readers, Ravensburger Interactive secured the licence to transform them into a computer game. The first CD in the Knickerbocker series is due to be released in May, featuring lovingly detailed 3D background graphics and five inter-connected, modern crime stories developed by Brezina specifically for the CD-ROM.
"There are plenty of tame detective stories with simple graphics and uninspiring progress through the game already on the market", according to Ulla Behrendt-Roden, in charge of the children's software editing team at Ravensburger Interactive. "But the Knickerbocker series meets youngsters on their own terms - with graphics more like those they know from the 3D backgrounds in games for older players rather than the flat-looking two-dimensional images usually found in children's software. And this comes with fast-moving stories that could almost be called thrillers. They're also very much here and now, using modern techniques like hacking to solve the cases. Thomas Brezina is exactly the right author for this."
Dial K for Knickerbocker
Larry Hunt, an aging professional private eye, has retired from the job. He lets the Knickerbocker gang use his office as a meeting place, but when things get tricky, he gives them vital tips as their "Mastermind". The phone rings - it's the first job. A clever attempted murder and a robbery in a pharmacy. The title is "Invisible Poison". The solution to this case is simultaneously the key to the second, "The Kidnapping". A software developer who writes security codes disappears without trace. Is he being blackmailed? Not only the Knickerbocker gang, but also the Mafia and a mysterious dark figure are on his trail.
No sooner has the gang solved this case than the phone rings again. The next job goes under the title "The Ghost in the Abandoned Factory”. Weird lights are seen there at night and strange noises can be heard. Somebody ought to investigate. The Knickerbocker gang (and the player) solve the mystery of the fake ghost, but they also discover underground tunnels, a safe in the cellar and a prisoner. This is also useful information for the next case, "Dangerous Cargo". A freighter brings in live contraband from South America, but when the detectives examine the crates they find nothing but a few dead fleas that were infected with a plague virus. Then there's the final and most difficult case: the master case, "The Phantom of the Underground". The player and the Knickerbockers have to track him down using night vision equipment, and at the same time they uncover links between the Mafia and the mystery man.
Heroes of today
Just in time to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Knickerbocker gang, Thomas Brezina has created a CD-ROM adventure for his heroes. Not only are the detective story formats designed to appeal to young computer game players, but also the heroes are portrayed as kids from today. There's Lilo the creative go-getter, Axel the sporty, cool one, Dominik the bookworm who has travelled widely and animal expert Poppi - all between ten and 14 years old and dressed in hip clothes. Equally contemporary are the graphics - photo-realistic 3D surroundings which have been lovingly created with the software used by games developers. There's more to solving the cases than interviewing all the people involved. This CD demands criminological insight and sets real brain-teasers.
The Knickerbocker gang on CD-ROM represents a major licence. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland alone, the cult detectives have been responsible for four million book and audio cassette sales. And here's a warning to adults: watch out - you might find the CD-ROM more exciting than some TV crime dramas!
"There are plenty of tame detective stories with simple graphics and uninspiring progress through the game already on the market", according to Ulla Behrendt-Roden, in charge of the children's software editing team at Ravensburger Interactive. "But the Knickerbocker series meets youngsters on their own terms - with graphics more like those they know from the 3D backgrounds in games for older players rather than the flat-looking two-dimensional images usually found in children's software. And this comes with fast-moving stories that could almost be called thrillers. They're also very much here and now, using modern techniques like hacking to solve the cases. Thomas Brezina is exactly the right author for this."
Dial K for Knickerbocker
Larry Hunt, an aging professional private eye, has retired from the job. He lets the Knickerbocker gang use his office as a meeting place, but when things get tricky, he gives them vital tips as their "Mastermind". The phone rings - it's the first job. A clever attempted murder and a robbery in a pharmacy. The title is "Invisible Poison". The solution to this case is simultaneously the key to the second, "The Kidnapping". A software developer who writes security codes disappears without trace. Is he being blackmailed? Not only the Knickerbocker gang, but also the Mafia and a mysterious dark figure are on his trail.
No sooner has the gang solved this case than the phone rings again. The next job goes under the title "The Ghost in the Abandoned Factory”. Weird lights are seen there at night and strange noises can be heard. Somebody ought to investigate. The Knickerbocker gang (and the player) solve the mystery of the fake ghost, but they also discover underground tunnels, a safe in the cellar and a prisoner. This is also useful information for the next case, "Dangerous Cargo". A freighter brings in live contraband from South America, but when the detectives examine the crates they find nothing but a few dead fleas that were infected with a plague virus. Then there's the final and most difficult case: the master case, "The Phantom of the Underground". The player and the Knickerbockers have to track him down using night vision equipment, and at the same time they uncover links between the Mafia and the mystery man.
Heroes of today
Just in time to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Knickerbocker gang, Thomas Brezina has created a CD-ROM adventure for his heroes. Not only are the detective story formats designed to appeal to young computer game players, but also the heroes are portrayed as kids from today. There's Lilo the creative go-getter, Axel the sporty, cool one, Dominik the bookworm who has travelled widely and animal expert Poppi - all between ten and 14 years old and dressed in hip clothes. Equally contemporary are the graphics - photo-realistic 3D surroundings which have been lovingly created with the software used by games developers. There's more to solving the cases than interviewing all the people involved. This CD demands criminological insight and sets real brain-teasers.
The Knickerbocker gang on CD-ROM represents a major licence. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland alone, the cult detectives have been responsible for four million book and audio cassette sales. And here's a warning to adults: watch out - you might find the CD-ROM more exciting than some TV crime dramas!
Companies:
Ravensburger