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Release Date: November 1989.
Developer: Sierra On-Line.
Publisher: Sierra On-Line.
Designer: Jim Walls.
Composer: Mark Seibert.
Engine: SCI.
Platforms: MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari ST.
Genres: Adventure Game, Partially Submarine Simulator.
Mode: Single player.
Code-Name ICEMAN is an EGA adventure game created by Jim Walls, and it was developed and published by Sierra On-Line on
December 1989. The game was made using the SCI0 engine. The game features a story of espionage, inventory-based puzzles, secret agent and military
procedures, and a sense of humor. They also include pop cultural references. The game is currently owned by Activision.
Codename: PHOENIX was mentioned in Sierra promotional material, suggesting that ICEMAN was meant to be the first part of
a Codename series. However, disappointing sales ended the would-be franchise after one game.
Description: It's the beginning of the 21st century and the world is experiencing a global oil shortage, with Tunisia being
one of the few countries that still possesses a large supply of it. Attracting the attention of the United States and the Soviet Union as potential
buyers for the oil, Soviets kidnap the US ambassador to provoke an international incident. Returning from his beach vacation after a one-night stand
with an mysterious woman, Lt. Commander Johnny Westland, a US Naval Officer, is sent to Tunisia with the order of rescuing the ambassador and preventing
further escalation of the conflict.
Gameplay: Code-Name ICEMAN plays just like Sierra's other adventure games in which the player can navigate the protagonist
in eight different directions from third-person view while typing text commands to interact with characters and the environment. ICEMAN is similar to
the Police Quest series in that it relies on realistic procedures outlined in the game's manual. This includes providing first aid, following military
instructions, and engaging in bureaucracy. A large portion of the game takes place in a submarine, requiring the player to navigate it.
Reception: Computer Gaming World in 1990 liked the simulation sequences, improved parser, art, difficult puzzles, and sound
card support, but said that the iceberg sequence became boring. It concluded that fans of Sierra adventures or James Bond would enjoy the game. In a
2007 review, Dante Kleinberg of Adventure Gamers gave ICEMAN 1.5 stars out of 5, citing dead end situations and frustrating simulator sequences.
Kleinberg however praised the game's "classic Sierra look and feel."
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