Burglar!

You, a master thief, have just broken into a house owned by Jefferson Smith, the fifteenth wealthiest person in England. You have 2 hours to gather valuables and make your escape.

Despite being billed as a coding exercise, Burglar! is fairly enjoyable. Much like Hollywood Hijinx, Burglar! is a treasure hunt game that must be completed in a limited number of turns. However, unlike Hollywood Hijinx, Burglar! does not automatically end when you run out of turns. You can still complete the game, as long as you manage to avoid the homeowner while they search for you.

I found the gameplay to be moderately difficult. While some of the valuables are easy to find, others require the manipulation of hidden buttons and levers. The author also has a penchant for hiding objects inside other objects. To complicate matters, some objects exist only to serve as red herrings, a design choice that I have always had mixed feelings about. I was not able to get the full score without the help of a walkthrough.

I didn’t encounter any bugs, but some of the writing is awkward, with descriptions such as “an item of junk mail” and “there's a fridge is whirring away to itself in the corner.”

Burglar! does not excel in any one area, but the overall package is enjoyable enough. Fans of treasure hunt games might want to give it a try.