LA Law: The Computer Game

LA Law: The Computer Game is a video game in the adventure genre developed by Synergistic Software, Inc. and published by Capstone Software originally released in 1992. It is currently playable on DOS.

L. A. Law is a shallow courtroom game based on the hit TV series of the same name, with an ambitious design that ultimately fails due to logical inconsistencies and limited interaction. First, some background for those unfamiliar with the TV original: as an associate working at a large Los Angeles law firm, you must accept assignments from senior partners. Choose to play as Jonathan, Abby or Victor, all of whom are rising stars in the TV series. Each time you successfully defend a client in court, you will receive a new assignment and have the opportunity to move up. The game ends when you rise to the highest rank in the firm and get congratulations from the founding partners. The game is divided into several cases, starting with 'The Race of Wrath', in which you must prove your client's innocence in a car accident. You have a limited time to prepare each case before being taken to court, and each action takes time in the game, so you must carefully decide what to do. The problem is that sometimes that's not very logical. In the first case, for example, you must visit the opposing lawyer to get the coroner's report and the statements of several witnesses. I don't understand why you can't get them from your own boss. This extreme linearity also defeats the purpose of many of the game's actions. For example, you can use the library to research past cases, hoping to find legal techniques and information that relates to your own case. The problem is that the designers arbitrarily determine whether you find something useful or not. In some cases, you can search all you want and find no clues, while in others, researching is the only way to proceed.

The bottom line is that you investigate only when you think you are stuck, not because you think it makes sense. . . something a real lawyer would probably never do:-) You can also ask several senior partners in the firm for advice, they are often invaluable and tell you exactly what to do next. However, this takes time, so you should use this 'hint' feature sparingly. When you feel you are ready to go to trial, you can go to court whenever you want. The courtroom sequence is much better than pre-trial, as there are several actions you can take, and the final judgment may vary depending on how good your arguments or your pre-trial preparation are. You can, for example, raise objections to the opposing counsel's questions, request a mistrial, or even ask the judge for a continuance if you think you need more preparation (this is hardly ever granted). Even though your questions to witnesses and their answers are 'canned', it is still fun to see their reaction and its effect on opposing counsel.

All in all, L. A. Law is a decent game that could be so much more if the designers had spent more time giving the player more freedom of action and making the cases more logical. As it stands, L. A. Law may appeal to fans of the series, but it's mildly entertaining for everyone else.

It is possible that we have multiple downloads available when different versions exist.