The Tracer Sanction

The Tracer Sanction is an interactive fiction game developed by Interplay Productions and released by Activision in 1984 for Apple II, Commodore 64 and IBM PC computers. In the game, players take on the role of an agent in the Stellar Intelligence Agency with the goal of attempting to capture an interplanetary criminal known as "The Wing". No one has been able to find The Wing previously, and the clues he leaves behind are virtually non-existant. Players will need to carefully track him down by visiting several planets across the galaxy and solving puzzles along the way.

Gameplay in The Tracer Sanction is very similar to that of other interactive fiction games. The screen presents a graphical image of the current location occupying the top of the screen while text descriptions and a command line are at the bottom. Players interact by typing commands to perform actions, talk with characters, explore locations, and move around. The game features over 80 different screens, some of which also include some limited animations. To help out novice adventurers or players who may become stuck, an in-game help system is included which can be used up to three times during the game.