Whodunit?

June 18, 2011 5:22 PM

Early web-based "detective" game based on logic puzzles.

In the early years of the web, there was a site that consisted of logic puzzles written in the form of detective fiction. It was mostly text-based, but had simple diagrams for street maps and the like. The puzzles, at their heart, were all of the "Mr. Brown is left-handed, the victim was stabbed by a right-handed assailant, therefore Mr. Brown is not the killer" type. The puzzles changed regularly, there were ongoing stories, and I think one could subscribe for more features, including upgrading one's skills and accessing different areas of the "city" where the game was set.

Does anyone remember what this website was called?

Alternatively, can anyone recommend a good site that features these sorts of logic puzzles, especially ones embedded in a larger story?

posted by BitterOldPunk to sports, hobbies, & recreation (5 answers total)

There were a bunch based on the works of P. G. Wodehouse on a site called woogly.com, which disappeared a while ago. This was a very early site; I think the first time I saw it was in the mid-90s. A recent search reveals, however, that someone has re-upped many of these puzzles over here, including the ability to solve them online.

The standard name of these is "logic problems" and you can use this term to search the archives of Games magazine. Another set can be found at http://www.allstarpuzzles.com/.
posted by tractorfeed at 5:49 PM on June 18, 2011

There are a lot of logic problems at Puzzlers Paradise.
posted by worldswalker at 7:39 PM on June 18, 2011

I think this was Sleuth Noir.
posted by lalex at 8:58 PM on June 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

(If it wasn't Sleuth Noir, then that's still pretty much exactly what you're looking for.)
posted by lalex at 9:00 PM on June 18, 2011

Sleuth Noir! That's the one! Thanks, lalex!

(And thanks also for the Wodehouse logic problems, those look like fun, too, tractorfeed.)
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:51 PM on June 18, 2011