Remember how I said (in this post) that I was going to buy copies of J.B. Harold Murder Club and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego at some point? Well, I did–shortly after publishing that post, in fact–and both games arrived on my doorstep a few days ago.
My favorite part of this two-piece package: The embossed, leather(ish)-bound “Investigate Note” book that came with the copy of J.B. Harold Murder Club.
Here’s the front cover of said book:
And here’s the back:
As is usually the case with such things, I can’t understand a word of what’s written in this more-than-a-manual. That’s OK, though, because the game itself is completely understandable (thanks to its English language option).
i was a teenage pc engine fan 
When I was a kid playing through JB for the first time, I wrote down notes in the booklet that came with the US version (which doesn’t have the “leather” binding, incidentally). It wasn’t at all necessary, but it added to the fun. My best friend and I loved the plot and characters and really got into the game. Good times. 🙂
That’s a nice story! I never wrote in the back of any of my manuals as a kid. I’ve always been anal like that — everything had to be spotless! I like the idea of buying games with manuals that have been written in, though…
Anyway, I’m going to try this game soon, maybe even this weekend. I’ve waited a long time to play it!
There were some awesome game manuals back in the NES days, particularly Nintendo ones (Zelda, Metroid, Kid Icarus) but other companies had their moments as well (Tengen with Gauntlet). I used to look through them (especially the “Enemies” sections) all the time and go around showing them to friends. A coverless, tattered state was a sign of a fantastic manual in my abode. 🙂
I hope you enjoy JB!
Don’t get me wrong, IvaNEC, I read the *hell* out of my instruction manuals back in the days of the NES, SNES, Genesis and Turbo. I especially loved the ones from the NES era. Like you said, Kid Icarus, Metroid and Zelda all had *wonderful* manuals, which I flipped through regularly. I also remember using them as guides for drawings — especially the Kid Icarus manual. Sigh, those were the days 🙂