Play The Fourth Protocol online

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The Fourth Protocol is a 1985 interactive fiction video game inspired by Frederick Forsyth's 1984 Cold War spy novel of the same name. Developed by the Electronic Pencil Company and published by Hutchinson Computer Publishing, the game was released on platforms such as the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, and IBM PC (in 1997). Designed as a text-and-icon-based spy adventure, the game allows players to take on the role of John Preston, an MI5 agent working to thwart a Soviet plot to deploy a nuclear device in the UK.

How to play The Fourth Protocol

Input: keyboard
Game modes: single-player

Tips and how to play

The NATO Documents: You’re tasked with uncovering a leak in NATO’s intelligence. Use the game’s “Cencom” to store information, and monitor the “Assessment” icon to track your progress.
Assign “watchers” (agents) to surveillance and carefully examine each report or memo that comes in.
Tip: Take notes on suspect activity and connections, as the clues here are crucial for later sections

The Bomb: Now in the field, you’ll follow leads from the previous section to track a nuclear device. This phase introduces new icons for movement and object manipulation.
Use the “Communicate” icon to talk to NPCs or make phone calls. The “Manipulate” icon allows you to pick up, drop, and use objects—important for gathering evidence.
Tip: Prioritize gathering clues methodically, and examine each location thoroughly to avoid missing critical information

The SAS Assault: In this climactic section, you must locate and defuse the bomb. Rely on the intelligence you’ve gathered, as each piece plays a role in solving this final puzzle.
Tip: You’ll need to enter text commands in this phase, so make sure you’ve reviewed and memorized key details from the previous sections

To slow down the game emulation press CTRL+F11, to speed up the game press CTRL+F12. Press Escape (ESC) to exit fullscreen mode.

The Fourth Protocol runs in your browser thanks to the Emularity library.

More about The Fourth Protocol

Status: abandonware

Genre: adventure

Released in: 1987

Publisher: Ariolasoft

Developer: The Electronic Pencil Co.

Download The Fourth Protocol and play it on your computer. An emulator is needed in order to play older games.