Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho. The game's unusual title can be attributed to Sierra's long-standing tradition of including "Quest" in the title of nearly every graphical adventure they published. A bequest is a legacy or gift handed down to someone in a will. Plot The Colonel's Bequest is set in 1925. The game's main character is Laura Bow, a Tulane University student, daughter of a detective, and an aspiring journalist. Laura is invited by her flapper friend, Lillian, to spend a weekend at the decaying sugar plantation of Colonel Dijon. When the reclusive and childless Colonel gathers his quarrelsome relatives for a reading of his will, tensions explode and the bickering leads to murder. Throughout the game, Laura remains stranded on the island, surrounded by suspects and potential victims in a classical Agatha Christie manner. Laura's task is to learn the family secrets and ultimately, the identity of the murderer. There is also an optional subplot concerning a hidden treasure. The storyline advances by a quarter-hour when new plot elements are witnessed, with a new act beginning every hour. Sometimes a quarter-hour can advance in a few real-time seconds, if Laura happens to be at the proper place. In the final act, Laura finds a skeleton key on Lillian's body. She can use this to open the attic door and discover Colonel Dijon and Rudy struggling over a hypodermic syringe. The ending depends on Laura's final actions. If she shoots the Colonel or lets Rudy win the fight, the Colonel will die and Rudy will claim that his uncle was the sole murderer. Laura returns home but questions whether that was the full story. If Laura instead shoots and wounds Rudy, the Colonel will reveal that Lillian was the primary murderer, but was killed by Rudy. Colonel Dijon then changes his will to leave everything to Celie, and will let Laura keep the hidden treasure if it was discovered. Characters As with classic murder stories, the plot revolves around the characters, most of whom are either potential victims, or potential murderers. Most of the game characters are named after prominent figures of the time, such as Rudolph Valentino, W. C. Fields, Gloria Swanson, Clara Bow, and Clarence Darrow. Most are heavily based on well-used archetypes. Laura Bow – Player character, Tulane University journalism student, and daughter of detective John Bow. Lillian Prune – Laura's friend from Tulane. Her father committed suicide