Roberta Williams' character Laura Bow appears in The Dagger of Amon Ra (also called Laura Bow II), a computer adventure game published by Sierra On-Line in 1992. This game follows The Colonel's Bequest, another game featuring Laura Bow. Unlike the first game, Roberta Williams was not the writer or designer of The Dagger of Amon Ra; she served as a creative advisor for the project. The game uses 8-bit color and a point-and-click interface. A CD-ROM version was released in 1993, which included voice acting. The game was developed using Sierra's Creative Interpreter (SCI1.1). It was released again in 2017 on GOG.com with updated support for modern Windows computers.

Gameplay

The Laura Bow games were different because they needed players to use logic to solve mysteries. However, most puzzles were similar to those in other Sierra games, such as using items and interacting with the environment. These games often included sudden, unexpected deaths of the player's character.

The gameplay uses a point-and-click system with icons for actions, like other Sierra games from that time. One special icon lets players ask characters questions about topics listed in Laura's notebook. The notebook automatically fills in names, places, and other subjects Laura has previously seen or heard.

The identity of the murderer is not shown at the end of the game. Instead, players answer a series of questions, as if by the police, to determine if Laura solved the crimes and uncovered secrets about other suspects. If answers are wrong, a coroner gives a hint about the correct path for future play. The game's ending changes based on how questions are answered, including the possibility of Laura being killed if the main murderer is not identified.

The game includes "The Official Guide to the Leyendecker Museum," which also acts as the game's manual. It shows a map of the museum's main level and a rough sketch of the lower level.

The game's creative director, Bill Davis, designed the visual style and named the game's central setting after artist J. C. Leyendecker.

Plot

The game takes place in 1926, mainly in a museum, and shows the popularity of Egyptology during that time. The main character is Laura Bow, named after Clara Bow, a Southern woman who recently graduated from Tulane University and moved to New York City. She starts a job at a well-known newspaper called The New York Daily Register News Tribune. For her first task, she looks into the theft of the Dagger of Amon Ra from the Leyendecker Museum's Egyptian display.

Laura begins her investigation by talking to people in the city before going to the museum's fundraising party that night. During the event, a murder happens, and she is locked inside the museum with other people who might be involved. Stuck overnight, Laura faces more dangers as other crimes happen in different parts of the museum, including hidden areas.

The investigation finds several connected problems, such as fake art, stolen identities, and a secret Egyptian group working in the museum's basement. Laura learns that the museum's Egyptian collection contains both ancient secrets and modern tricks. The case becomes more complicated as she finds romantic relationships among the staff, a criminal group outside the museum, and proof that the original theft was planned by someone inside the museum.

To survive, Laura must solve puzzles, avoid deadly traps, and collect clues from the museum's exhibits. She must determine which of the suspects are responsible for the murders that happen that night.

The game has four possible endings, depending on whether Laura gathers enough proof to reveal both the killer and the thief. These endings include different outcomes for the villains, Laura's romantic situation, her job, and what happens to the dagger.

Characters

• Laura Bow – After graduating from Tulane University, Laura Bow was hired as a reporter by an important newspaper in New York. Her first task is to investigate and report on the theft of the Dagger of Amon Ra, taking over from the reporter Crodfoller T. Rhubarb.
• Dr. Archibald Carrington III – A former curator of the British Museum, Carrington became the new president of the Leyendecker Museum after the death of the previous president, Sterling Waldorf-Carlton. At the start of the story, Carrington has worked at the museum for only a few weeks.
• Yvette Delacroix – The French secretary of the Leyendecker Museum president. She has worked as a secretary under both Dr. Archibald Carrington, the current president, and Sterling Waldorf-Carlton, Carrington's late predecessor. Years ago, Delacroix worked as a call girl at a speakeasy. She has a strong interest in romantic relationships with men and is involved with several men at the same time, including Ernie Leach and Detective Ryan O'Riley.
• Dr. Pippin Carter – An arrogant, self-important English archaeologist, Carter discovered the Dagger of Amon Ra inside a long-buried temple in Egypt. Before the story begins, he spent weeks preparing the new Egyptology section for the Leyendecker Museum. Carter is very careful about his personal hygiene and appearance. He sometimes talks about, and compares himself to, his cousin, who is implied to be archaeologist Howard Carter.
• Wolf Heimlich – The chief of security at the Leyendecker Museum, Wolf is obsessed with order and takes his duties with almost fanatical devotion. Dressed in a German military uniform, Wolf often patrols the museum grounds in a goosestep march. He also collects various weapons, keeping them in his office. Wolf is in a relationship with Dr. Olympia Myklos.
• Dr. Olympia Myklos – A native of Athens, Greece, Myklos is a curator at the Leyendecker Museum, specializing in paleontology. She has a strong interest in death and keeps exotic pet animals, including a ferret named Daisy and an Egyptian cobra named Barney.
• Ernie Leach – The custodian and handyman of the Leyendecker Museum. A hard-working, African American man, Ernie took a job at the museum to pay off his gambling debts to a loan shark.
• Ryan Hanrahan O'Riley – An Irish American detective in the NYPD, O'Riley is the detective assigned to investigate the theft of the Dagger of Amon Ra. He exercises daily and enjoys eating grapes.
• Steve Dorian – An art student, Steve Dorian works as a part-time dockworker to meet his financial needs. His name is a play on the word "stevedore."
• Dr. Ptahsheptut "Tut" Smith – A curator from the Egyptian Museum who strongly disagrees with Dr. Carter's claim over the Dagger of Amon Ra. His arguments with Carter about the Dagger have almost led to physical fights on several occasions.
• Lawrence "Ziggy" Ziegfeld – A small-time local criminal who sometimes works for the NYPD as an informant in exchange for leniency. He has many connections in the criminal underworld and is often found in one of New York's speakeasies. Because of his role as an informant, he is distrusted by both criminals and police. He is extremely paranoid, and his face often twitches nervously.
• Rameses Najeer – An Egyptian accountant for the museum who opposes Dr. Carter's claim over the Dagger of Amon Ra. Najeer is a successful man who is married with one child and expecting another. He is proud of his Egyptian heritage, even though he has lived in the United States for many years. Others describe him as a hard worker and a good family man, but he can be intense and passionate at times.
• Countess Lavinia Waldorf-Carlton – The widow of the previous museum president, Sterling Waldorf-Carlton. She is currently involved in a legal battle over Sterling's will and her rights as his wife. Sterling and Lavinia met during a trip on an ocean liner about a year ago and married only a month or two later.
• Sam Augustini – The editor-in-chief of The New York Daily Register News Tribune, he is Laura's boss and hired her to write a story about the museum's benefit party. He is close friends with Laura's father, John Bow, who once saved the editor's life.
• Crodfoller T. "Rhub" Rhubarb – Laura's co-worker, he tries to help Laura whenever possible but is hesitant about Augustini's decision to send Laura to investigate the dagger's theft, as she is still a new reporter. If Laura fails to solve the murder mysteries and the dagger theft, he would take over the case and solve it himself.
• Lo Fat – The friendly, Chinese American owner of Lo Fat's Laundry, a Chinese laundry in New York City. Originally from Newark, New Jersey, Fat is a loyal supporter of the Leyendecker Museum. Through his business, he has met many major contributors to the museum. Laura learns the names of many supporting characters through Fat's connections. Fat also gave Laura her evening dress for the museum party.
• Watney Little – An English fugitive and con artist wanted by Scotland Yard. Little recently escaped from Dartmoor Prison, and police are still investigating how he escaped.
• Henri Le Mort – A coroner who leads the inquest into the murders at the Leyendecker Museum and the theft of the Dagger of Amon Ra. He asks Laura many questions about the murders, the theft, and other details that may be important to the case.
• Rocco – A taxi driver who shares interesting facts about history, such as the first Transatlantic radiotelephone call, while transporting Laura to different locations in the story.

Reception

Computer Gaming World reported that Amon Ra was "much better than" The Colonel's Bequest. The magazine pointed out that the first two acts had "slow and repetitive" gameplay and the risk of situations that could not be completed, but noted that starting in Act 3, "the game is hard to put down." It described Amon Ra as a "visual and aural treat," saying its creators "deserve to be proud" of the game's serious and realistic tone with "a touch of humor." The magazine also praised the use of a female main character as "refreshing." It concluded that the game was "another good adventure from Sierra's creative team." In April 1994, the magazine said Amon Ra had a "more believable 1920s setting" than its predecessor and required players to use "attention to detail and deductive reasoning." The game received 4 out of 5 stars in Dragon magazine. Cynthia E. Field of PC Games called Amon Ra "a captivating mystery" and praised the game's "near-perfect mix of sound effects, music, and graphics." In April 1994, Computer Gaming World said the CD version's "hand-painted art, emotional music, challenging puzzles, and complex story all work together to make the game successful."