When did S.C.I.: Special Criminal Investigation release?

S.C.I.: Special Criminal Investigation was first released on December 1, 1989.

S.C.I.: Special Criminal Investigation

Dec 1, 1989RacingArcadeCommodore C64/128/MAXZX SpectrumWii Sega Mega Drive/Genesis

S.C.I.: Special Criminal Investigation — frequently asked questions

What platforms is S.C.I.: Special Criminal Investigation on?: S.C.I.: Special Criminal Investigation was released on Arcade, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Wii, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Atari ST/STE, TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Sega Master System/Mark III, PC Engine, Sega Saturn.
When did S.C.I.: Special Criminal Investigation release?: S.C.I.: Special Criminal Investigation was first released on December 1, 1989.

About S.C.I.: Special Criminal Investigation

Chase H.Q. II- Special Criminal Investigation- continuing where Chase H.Q. left off. Your mission is to track down, chase and apprehend the dangerous criminals. It's faster- explosive power sends you bulleting through various terrains- hold the line or plough the field! It's tougher- the criminals wield some heavy hardware- but so do you! You can shoot but you must dodge their flak... heavy gunfire, trucks unloading their cargo onto your bonnet... it's the meanest pursuit game to hit the micro screen. The extra features will leave you gasping for extended play- weather changes, bodyguard squads, grenade lobbing bikers, gun-choppers... just play it!... we dare you to stop!

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Arcade, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Wii, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Atari ST/STE, TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Sega Master System/Mark III, PC Engine, Sega Saturn
Developer: Taito
Publisher: Taito
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Action

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

70/100

from 7 ratings

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Period reviews	Built by	Fake risk
Sega Master System	1992	$10	$30	$41	2 reviews	Natsume	Low (look-alike)

Also released on: Arcade · Commodore C64/128/MAX · ZX Spectrum · Wii · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · Atari ST/STE · TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine · Amiga · Amstrad CPC · Sega Master System/Mark III · PC Engine · Sega Saturn. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

Sega Master System · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-28

Loose

$10

Complete

$30

Sealed

$41

few sales

How often it sells

Loose: about once a month
Complete: about once a month
Sealed: about once a year

Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.

Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-28.

Price over time

Loose
Complete

A loose copy sold for about $6.01 in Jan 2010, $13.77 five years ago, and $9.65 as of Oct 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2010	$6.01	—
Jan 2011	$1.00	—
Jan 2012	$14.99	—
Jan 2013	$9.95	—
Jan 2014	$9.95	$9.95
Jan 2015	$20	$9.95
Jan 2016	$20	$9.95
Jan 2017	$20	$9.95
Jan 2018	$7.66	$18.55
Jan 2019	$11.68	$15.61
Jan 2020	$13.04	$19.27
Jan 2021	$8.09	$13.18
Jan 2022	$10.35	$19.90
Jan 2023	$11.24	$19.77
Jan 2024	$12.30	$19.50
Jan 2025	$11.24	$25
Jan 2026	$9.17	$28
Oct 2026	$9.65	$30

Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.

Release record

Territory	Date	Product number
Europe / PAL	15 October 1992	7079

Source: Product numbers: MAME's Master System software list and the No-Intro serial records in the libretro database, published only where both agree on the same cartridge dump; Japanese numbers also checked against Sega Japan's software list. Board and ROM numbers: MAME's software list

Region: EU
Released: 1992
Authenticity: Low

Modern re-releases, such as Sega Ages and Virtual Console, are not tracked hereLow look-alike risk

Sega Master System prices, all games & how to spot a fake

A cheap Taito conversion that is the sequel to Chase H.Q.

Special Criminal Investigation is a vehicular combat racing game, the sequel to Taito's Chase H.Q. and known as Chase HQ II in some home versions. Natsume developed the Master System version, which Sega published in Europe on 15 October 1992. Mean Machines had previewed it as a Taito coin-op conversion that should be pretty decent.

How it was made

Natsume developed the Master System version, and Sega published it.

What the press said at the time

Mean Machines Sega Issue 3	December 1992	OVERALL 26%
Sega Pro Issue 36	September 1994	54%

“Far too few levels. Most will complete it within a day … Similar to the arcade, but still too dated, SCI falls down mainly on the difficulty”
— Sega Force, October 1992

“Unfortunately, the Master System version of this game is a complete travesty, with hardly any illusion of speed, pathetic backdrops and dull gameplay. leave this game well alone.”
— Mean Machines Sega, December 1992

“This Chase HQ sequel has poor graphics and dodgy Controls. Full of action, but easy.”
— Sega Pro, September 1994

Also on other platforms

Arcade · Amiga · Atari ST · ZX Spectrum · Amstrad CPC · Commodore 64 · PC Engine · Sega Saturn

Master System	Natsume
Amiga	ICE Software
Commodore 64	ICE Software
ZX Spectrum	ICE Software

PC Engine. The PC Engine version was released only in Japan, by Taito, on January 25, 1991.
Sega Saturn. In 1996 Taito released an emulation of the arcade original for the Sega Saturn in Japan, bundled with Chase H.Q. on one disc.

Before you buy

This is a European cartridge only. Loose it sits a little below the middle of the European-only games, and a complete copy costs much more than a loose one. The look-alike risk is low. Check that the manual is there, since it is the part most often missing from a complete copy.