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The British Academy of Film and Television Arts just gave an award to the Flash game Bow Street Runner. It reminded me to post something about one of the most enjoyable browser games I played this year.

Bow Street Runner is a gritty history lesson. It's an atmospheric whodunnit. And it's an old school point-and-click adventure with loads of video sequences that somehow manages to feel fresh.

The game was conceived as a promo for some BBC TV Channel 4 series I've never seen, a period piece about London's first police force in the mid-18th century. But you don't have to see the show to enjoy the game, which plays out like a darker, more adult version of Phoenix Wright.

The game has you interrogating prostitutes, roughing up gin heads and cutpurses for tips, and – my favorite part – slicing open a murder victim and rooting around in their stomach for evidence. There are also lots of real historical documents and artwork from the period, and some solid acting from performers swaddled in period garb.

Award Winners [BAFTA]




