Berlin 1948

Berlin 1948, also known as East vs. West: Berlin 1948, is an espionage adventure by Time Warp published by Rainbow Arts. This PC copy is in English. The presentation retains the 1989 copyright. The browser opens the adventure directly, with Sam on a street and a narrator welcoming him.

The story takes place during the Berlin blockade. Sam Porter, a CIA agent, must investigate a threat involving an atomic bomb. The mission requires traveling around the city and gathering information. The top-down perspective shows the sidewalks, buildings, pedestrians, and vehicles within a compact game window.

The first conversation

The narrator appears in a large panel over the street. His text is in English and addresses Sam with considerable familiarity. A left click continues the conversation. When it ends, the panel disappears and leaves room to start moving around the city.

The first messages are useful for getting to know how the game presents its dialogue. The character's face is attached to a speech balloon with an irregular border. The buildings and the rest of the scene remain visible behind it. It is a good idea to read each message before moving on, especially when the conversation gives details about the mission.

The browser adaptation uses captured mouse input. The first click activates pointer control. After that you can move it within the scene and use the left button to select. Esc releases the cursor so you can return to the player buttons or to the game page.

Walking around Berlin

To walk, choose a point on the street and press the left button. Sam heads toward that spot. In the tested session, after closing the initial dialogue, a point higher up the screen was selected and the character was observed moving to that area.

The street contains other pedestrians who move around and vehicles that drive by. The position of the pointer and the position of the character are different references. It is easier to learn the control with short trips within the first screen. You can stop to see where Sam has ended up before choosing the next destination.

On the right side, the street name appears, Berliner Chaussee in the opening scene shown. Below it are a numbering indicator and an analog clock. The advertising column completes that side and leaves most of the screen available for exploring the city.

The clock is part of the interface

If you point at the clock and select it, a panel opens with the date and a larger representation of the time. It includes graphical buttons and keeps the street scene visible. The gallery shows that panel as it appears in this PC version.

The time helps you keep your bearings during the investigation. The manual explains that the game lets you advance time to wait for an appointment. The check of this adaptation includes opening the panel. Before changing the time, it is a good idea to review the information you have received and be clear about what you are looking for in that area.

The side area gathers several elements that can be selected. It helps to move the pointer slowly and watch the icon that appears over each one. The clock and the advertising column sit next to the scene, so you can identify them without leaving the street.

The presentation and the audio tape

The original package included a presentation tied to an audio tape. The manual asks you to synchronize its images with the playback of that tape. The files in this copy preserve the presentation and the game, along with their graphics data.

The player on this page runs vgame.exe and goes straight into the adventure. The download keeps the berlin.bat launcher, which lets you choose VGA, CGA, Hercules, or Tandy through its arguments. The berlin V option uses the VGA executables for the presentation and the game.

The movie theater screen in the background is a real screenshot of that PC presentation. The conversation, walking, and clock images come from the adventure running in the browser. The cover art and the collection screenshot are also kept on this page.

The preserved PC copy

The ZIP contains nineteen files, including the executables for the different graphics modes and the data files stream0.ibm, stream1.ibm, stream2.ibm, and stream3.ibm. They are kept intact in the prepared package. The browser adds the DOS configuration and a launcher to open the adventure.

The test covers the start of the English version, advancing through the narrator's messages, walking around the first street, and opening the clock. It is a starting point for learning this adventure's interface. The guides use the labels and actions that can be recognized in the screenshots.