Original Game Introduction
Help
Info
Internet Version
User Controls Explained
Display Box
Go Button
Command Box
Backup Button
New Game Button
Help Link
SAVE and RESTORE Game State
Credits
JavaScript version authored by James Larson
Somewhere nearby is Colossal Cave, where others have found fortunes in treasure and gold, though it is rumored that some who enter are never seen again. Magic is said to work in the cave. I will be your eyes and hands. Direct me with commands of 1 or 2 words. I should warn you that I look at only the first eight letters of each word. (Should you get stuck, type "HELP" for some general hints. For information on how to end your adventure, etc., type "INFO".)
This program was originally developed by Willie Crowther. Most of the features of the current program were added by Don Woods (DON @ SU-AI). The current version was done by Kent Blackett and Bob Supnik.
Bug reports and other correspondence should be sent to:
Digital Equipment Computer Users SocietyI know of places, actions, and things. Most of my vocabulary describes places and is used to move you there. To move, try words like "FOREST", "DOWNSTREAM", "ENTER", "EAST", "WEST", "NORTH", "SOUTH", "UP", or "DOWN". I know about a few special objects, like a black rod hidden in the cave. These objects can be manipulated using some of the action words that I know. Usually you will need to give both the object and action words (in either order), but sometimes I can infer the object from the verb alone. Some objects also imply verbs; in particular, "INVENTORY" implies "TAKE INVENTORY", which causes me to give you a list of what you're carrying. The objects have side effects; for instance, the rod scares the bird. Usually people having trouble moving just need to try a few more words. Usually people trying unsuccessfully to manipulate an object are attempting something beyond their (or my!) capabilities and should try a completely different tack. To speed the game you can sometimes move long distances with a single word. For example, "BUILDING" usually gets you to the building from anywhere above ground except when lost in the forest. Also, note that cave passages turn a lot, and that leaving a room to the north does not guarantee entering the next from the south. Good luck!
If you want to end your adventure early, say "QUIT". To suspend your adventure such that you can continue later, say "SUSPEND" (or "PAUSE" or "SAVE"). To see what hours the cave is normally open, say "HOURS". To see how well you're doing, say "SCORE". To get full credit for a treasure, you must leave it safely in the building, though you get partial credit just for locating it. You lose points for getting killed, or for quitting, though the former costs you more. There are also points based on how much (if any) of the cave you've managed to explore; in particular, there is a large bonus just for getting in (to distinguish the beginners from the rest of the pack), and there are other ways to determine whether you've been through some of the more harrowing sections. If you think you've found all the treasures, just keep exploring for a while. If nothing interesting happens, you haven't found them all yet. If something interesting DOES happen, it means you're getting a bonus and have an opportunity to garner many more points in the master's section. I may occasionally offer hints if you seem to be having trouble. If I do, I'll warn you in advance how much it will affect your score to accept the hints. Finally, to save paper, you may specify "BRIEF", which tells me never to repeat the full description of a place unless you explicitly ask me to.
This Internet version is taken from the FORTRAN-IV source V4.0A of Adventure. It is true to that implementation as much as possible, using the same game logic. The intent is to allow a new generation of youngsters to experience this classic text based fantasy game.
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| This button is disabled when the Command Box is empty. Type a one or two word command into the Command Box. | |
| Pressing this button when enabled causes Adventure to process the words entered into the Command Box, sending the response to the Display Box. | |
| This is where you type your commands. Commands are one or two simple words, no more than 8 letters each. Or type INFO or HELP for more information and tips. After entering your command, press the GO! button, click in this Command Box, or hit the ENTER key on your keyboard. | |
| Less than 16 lines have been sent to the Display Box. | |
| Adventure will save up to 500 lines of the output that shows in the Display Box. Press this button to backup 16 lines at a time for review. To go forward, use the scroll bar on the right. Finally, just enter your next command to continue the game. | |
| This button allows you to start over. | |
| Takes you to this help page. | |
Adventure takes some time to learn and play well. The SAVE and RESTORE commands allows you to play a game over multiple sessions. The original version of Adventure saved the game state to a disk file. This version saves it to a cookie. Depending on your O/S and Browser, cookies may well be user sensitive. If you try to restore a game state, and it isn't what you remember, try logging on under a different user name.
Original Digital Research development team members are: Willie Crowther, Don Woods, Kent Blackett and Bob Supnik.