And now, for something completely dissimilar... The (Other) TADS Game List -------------------------- Maintained by Paul David Doherty and Gerry Kevin Wilson Version 1.2 (August 20, 1996) -=-=-=- This is our attempt to list and describe all text adventures written with TADS (currently about forty). It was inspired by a similar list by Alan Mead, which unfortunately hasn't been updated for a couple of years. With Alan's permission we've made liberal use of comments and descriptions from his list. We would appreciate it if the reader e-mailed us about any mistakes or omissions, and if TADS authors sent us information about their upcoming releases. We'd also be glad if other players would send us comments or (very short) game reviews for incorporation in the list. All the games listed here (except the commercial ones of course) are available from the official Internet repository of all kinds and flavours of adventure games: the Interactive Fiction (IF) Archive, maintained by Volker Blasius and located at ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/. Check it out. For those unfamiliar with TADS, it is a text adventure design system (hence the name) written by Michael Roberts. It is now freeware and can be downloaded from the IF Archive. **NEWSFLASH** Since this was last posted on 28 March 1996, four new games have been released: "FooM," "Past Tense," "Urban Cleanup," and "Wormhole". Another game, though 5 years old, has only now found its way into the archives (Ski Adventure). Finally, there are updated versions of a number of games (Frustration, The Holy Grail, The Light: Shelby's Addendum, Lost, Lost New York, The Mission, Uncle Zebulon's Will). In a 20 June 1996 posting to rec.arts.int-fiction, Mike Roberts has announced that High Energy Software has been closed and TADS is no longer shareware. A freeware release (with the complete documentation) will be prepared and put into the IF Archive. We'll see whether that will take as long as the promised release of the Adventions games... (For those who don't remember the details: Adventions stopped shipping "Rylvania" and "UU0" in June 1995 and announced an upcoming freeware release in October 1995.) Nobody has sent in any short reviews, so I guess we'll have to continue pilfering quotes from SPAG and XYZZYnews. Thanks to the helpful few who have mailed in additions and corrections: David Allen, Ville Lavonius, and Wolvie. One function of this list is to give adventure players up-to-date information on how to reach the game authors by e-mail. We would appreciate it if TADS authors could let us know whenever their e-mail addresses change. **END OF NEWSFLASH** Index ----- Existing TADS Games (by genre) College Games: Ditch Day Drifter MacWesleyan/PC University Save Princeton Veritas Classics: Colossal Cave Revisited Dungeon Educational Games: The Pesach Adventure Fantasy: Curse of Vengeance The Four Symbols Frustration The Golden Fleece The Holy Grail John's Fire Witch Lethe Flow Phoenix The Mission Perdition's Flames Unnkulia Zero Unnkulia One-Half Unnkulian Unventure I Unnkulian Unventure II Horror: The Horror of Rylvania Programming Exercises: +=3 Alice in Wonderland Eliza Kitchen Encounters Shadowland The Underoos that ate New York! Science Fiction: Deep Space Drifter Enhanced High Tech Drifter The Legend Lives! The Light: Shelby's Addendum Lost Past Tense Urban Cleanup Waystation Wormhole: The Beginning Other (or no) Genre: The Broken String FooM Gerbil Riot of '67 GC The Great Archeological Race HERO, INC Volume 1 Lost New York Modernism Ski Adventure Tyler's Great Cube Game IF Competition Entries 1995: A Night at the Museum Forever The One That Got Away Toonesia Uncle Zebulon's Will Undertow UNDO Forthcoming TADS Games A Note About TADS High Energy Software Existing TADS games (by genre, sort of...) ------------------- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=COLLEGE GAMES: Ditch Day Drifter (DITCH.GAM) "You wake up to the sound of voices in the hall. You are confused for a moment; it's only 8 AM, far too early for anyone to be getting up. Then, it dawns on you: it's ditch day here at the fictitious California Institute of Technology in the mythical city of Pasadena, California. Ditch Day, that strange tradition wherein seniors bar their doors with various devices and underclassmen attempt to defeat these devices (for no other apparent reason than that the devices are there), has arrived." (authors blurb) "The game takes you into a realistic university atmosphere with just a small bit of overstatement to make you smile. ... The puzzles are fairly easy, but all logical and well-thought-out. This makes the game an excellent introduction to IF." (Lars Joedal, in SPAG #2) Author: Michael J. Roberts (c) 1990 Freeware (Source included with TADS distribution) Released: ca. September 1989 Latest Version: 1.0 (TADS 2.0.1, 7 Apr 1993) -=-=- MacWesleyan (a.k.a. PC University): An Everyday Nightmare (PCU.GAM) "Your goal is to obtain all the necessary signatures on your Student Identification Form and return it to the Registrar's office. This includes getting signatures from your faculty advisor, department chair, dean, the university president, and the U.S. president, not to mention getting your own signature (harder than it sounds). Based at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, the game also features speeding Domino's pizza trucks that hinder your safe passage, unusual psychology experiments, and a bus labeled 'House of God' that indeed houses the Famous One." (author's blurb) "It's lighthearted, charismatic, and just challenging enough to hold an experienced player's interest while at the same time catering to newcomers. And besides, the author is distributing it as freeware. You can't beat that." (C.E. Forman, in XYZZYnews #4) Author: Neil deMause (c) 1989-95 Freeware Released: March 1995 Latest Version: 1.0 (TADS 2.2.0, 6 Apr 1995) -=-=- Save Princeton (SAVEPTON.GAM) "Have you ever wanted to kill somebody by feeding them school food? To hobnob with F. Scott Fitzgerald? To be single-handedly responsible for the salvation or destruction of one of the oldest universities in the United States? Save Princeton offers you the chance to do all this and more. In the role of a visitor to the campus, you must save Princeton from a mysterious invasionary force. Saving Princeton doesn't require any familiarity with the place. In fact, all it requires is an off-beat sense of humor and a little bit of brains." (author's blurb) "The puzzles in this game are done fairly well, but some tend to be rather illogical or bizarre. ... The characters add to the humor of the game, although many of the characters could have been more developed. ... All in all, Save Princeton is a fun, enjoyable game." (Brian Reilly, in SPAG #8) Authors: Jacob Solomon Weinstein , Karine Schaefer (c) 1991-95 Shareware US$10 Released: Latest Version: 2.0 (TADS 2.2.0, 21 Mar 1995) -=-=- Veritas: A Harvard Game of Interactive Fiction (VERITAS.GAM) "Before you can graduate from Harvard in this game, you must complete a scavenger hunt that takes you through a labyrinth of food tunnels, the Harvard Lampoon headquarters, library stacks, and other noteworthy spots on campus." (author's blurb) Reminiscent of Zork, or other treasure gathering games. You can chose your gender at the beginning. "The puzzles [...] range from the mundane to the harder-than-average -- a couple I wouldn't classify as puzzles at all, since you can easily solve them without even trying. ... But this is nit-picking, because the true genius of 'Veritas' isn't in the puzzles, but in the details. ... If you hate red herrings, be forewarned: probably one-third of the items [...] are there for nothing but atmosphere, but they do a terrific job of providing that -- I feel like I came away from the game with a decent understanding of Harvard culture..." (Neil deMause, in XYZZYnews #1) Author: James T. Reese (c) 1995 Shareware US$10 Released: January 1995 Latest Version: 1.2 (TADS 2.0.1, 26 Dec 1994) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=CLASSICS: Colossal Cave Revisited (CCR.GAM) "CCR is a remake of the first major adventure game ever written: Colossal Cave, otherwise known as 'Adventure.' The original Adventure was written in FORTRAN by Willie Crowther and Don Woods, and had only a simple two word command parser. Its descriptions were so vivid, however, that it captivated a generation of computer enthusiasts and quickly became part of the 'hacker lore.'" (author's blurb) Porter: David M. Baggett (c) 1993 Freeware (Source available) Released: July 1993 Latest Version: 1.0 (TADS 2.0.1., 9 Jul 1993) -=-=- Dungeon (DUNGEON.GAM) The original 'Zork' as written in 1977-79 at the MIT by a group including Marc Blank and Dave Lebling. It was programmed in MDL but ported to Fortran (and renamed 'Dungeon') by Bob Supnik in 1979/80. This is a TADS port of the Fortran port (based on Dungeon v3.1). Porter: Darin Johnson (c) 1994 Freeware (Source available) Released: June 1994 Latest Version: 0.3beta (TADS 2.0.1, 15 Mar 1996) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=EDUCATIONAL GAMES: The Pesach Adventure (PESACH.GAM) "TPA is a simple game which is designed to provide a fun learning experience for children in about the ten-year-old range. It will be of interest mostly to Jewish children and to their religious school teachers. TPA has a decidedly Jewish theme, and the correct solution of the game requires a certain amount of Jewish knowledge." (author's blurb) Author: Bob Newell (c) 1993 tzedakah-ware Released: Latest Version: ? (TADS 2.0.1, 1 Jun 1994) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=FANTASY: Curse of Vengeance (CURSE.GAM) Fairly typical Dungeons & Dragons meets text adventure. Includes extremely simple combat system, armor and weapon classes, and a 'Save the princess' plot. "Unfortunately, the programmer considered combat to be more important than puzzles, and the general course of a game involves a lot of slogging through extremely boring battles." (Russ Bryan) Author: Scott C. McNab 3328 East Kimberly Road #322 Davenport, IA 52807, U.S.A. Shareware US$10-20 (Source available for US$20) Released: Latest Version: 1.3 (works with TADS 1.04 for Macintosh ONLY!) -=-=- The Four Symbols (SYMBOLS.GAM) "A seemingly simple quest, but with a sting in its tail! Can you prove yourself innocent of witchcraft? Will you curse the day you encountered the black cat? Will you survive? Only time will tell as your wits are challenged in this adventure." (author's blurb) "I'm sorry, I've played it and I still have no clue what the heck it's about." (GKW) Author: The Grue! (c) 1992-93 "Shareware" (Crippleware) UKP5 (Demo version available) Released: Latest Version: 1.1 (works with TADS 1.20 ONLY!) -=-=- Frustration (FRUST.GAM) Chasing after a wayward shopping list given to you by your Aunt Maud, you accidentally plummet down an open manhole. What adventures await you at the other end? Author: Jim MacBrayne (c) 1990,95 Freeware Released: January 1996 Latest Version: 1.02/960115 (TADS 2.2.0, 25 Feb 1996) -=-=- The Golden Fleece (FLEECE.GAM) "As he lifted the pawn and advanced it one square on the board, Zeus' voice thundered, causing the circle of watching Gods to wince. 'An interesting concept, my son, but one with which I cannot agree. Mortals are by their very nature worthless, serving merely as playthings for our amusement.' Hermes' face carried an almost mocking smile as he replied. 'Not so, my father. Indeed this very day have I witnessed such courage in battle as would have done credit to any God. I would wager that amongst all your 'playthings' I could find one mortal at least whom you would be proud to call Brother.'" (from intro) Return the Golden Fleece and prove your worthiness. Author: Jim MacBrayne (c) 1989,96 Freeware Released: February 1996 Latest Version: 1.00/960114 (TADS 2.2.0, 15 Feb 1996) -=-=- The Holy Grail (GRAIL.GAM) The consequences to be faced if you fail in your mission are dire indeed. Are you up to the challenge? Author: Jim MacBrayne (c) 1989,95 Freeware Released: January 1996 Latest Version: 1.01/960227 (TADS 2.2.0, 31 Mar 1996) -=-=- John's Fire Witch (FIRWITCH.GAM) A small, witty text adventure. Its clever puzzles received quite a bit of acclaim on rec.arts.int-fiction upon its release. You've come to visit your old friend John Baker, but he's missing, and a blizzard has rolled in outside while you were asleep waiting for him. "...a pleasantly engaging, unpretentious game that should appeal to a broad range of IF gameplayers." (Lauren Meckler, in XYZZYnews #2) "...one of the best -- perhaps _the_ best -- shareware games I've ever played; better, even, than most commercial games. ... 'John's Firewitch' is simply very good workmanship; those little irritating glitches and mannerisms that seem to be unavoidable in non-commercial works are absent; the game is eminently playable (much thanks to the excellent parser); the puzzles logical with satisfying solutions; the ending forms a satisfying climax; the writing excellent and free from mannerisms and bad jokes; everything just feels right. ... With authors like John Baker around, why should we mourn the passing of Infocom?" (Magnus Olsson, in SPAG #4) Author: John Baker (c) 1995 Shareware US$6 Released: January 1995 Latest Version: 1.01 (TADS 2.2.0, 4 Feb 1995) -=-=- Lethe Flow Phoenix: A Flight of Fantasy (LETHE.GAM) Camping out at night takes you into a strange otherworld peopled with, among other things, several biblical references, objects of a symbolic nature, and a talking tree. Started as an entry for the first IF Competition but grew too large. "The game's highly metaphorical plot and screensful of explanatory background material [...] made it difficult for me to get really drawn into the setting. ... While I was a little disappointed with the game's story development, I did enjoy the puzzles and the NPCs ... I'm looking forward to seeing future games from this author." (Stuart Beach, in XYZZYnews #7) "...ALL plot, characterisation and background is confined to the cut scenes, and the interactive portions are completely unrelated to the ostensible plot. The effect is unnerving and surreal. ... The most curious aspect of 'Lethe Flow Phoenix' is how well done the individual parts are! ... But the plot and the puzzles make a game bolted together like a Frankenstein monster: neither side supports the other, and the result is neither successful as a game, nor as a story." (Gareth Rees, in the rec.arts.int-fiction group) "...an ambitious attempt to deal with questions not normally addressed in IF, and an attempt to extend the traditional adventure game to be able to do so. ... It contains some pieces of excellent writing, as well as some good work in the invention of puzzles and intricate puzzle machinery. IF authors are advised to study it carefully." (Magnus Olsson, in SPAG #9) Author: Dan "The Grim Reaper" Shiovitz (c) 1995 Freeware Released: August 1995 Latest Version: 2 (TADS 2.2.0, 19 Sept 1995) -=-=- The Mission (MISSION.GAM) A quest for a shoelace? Well, there's a lot at stake here...and it's up to you whether or not you win the bet and succeed at your mission. Author: Jim MacBrayne (c) 1990,95 Freeware Released: January 1996 Latest Version: 1.02/960331 (TADS 2.2.0, 31 Mar 1996) -=-=- Perdition's Flames "You've died and gone to Hell! Explore a land that no living mortal has ever seen. This innovative game has all of the usual great TADS features, and it may be one of the friendliest text adventures ever written! Being dead has its advantages -- you don't have to eat or sleep, you can carry as much stuff as you want, and best of all, you can't die! Plus, this may be the first text adventure ever to be certified 100% MAZE FREE!" (author's blurb) Author: Michael J. Roberts [Commercial $25] -- The game is commercial but no longer available. A freeware release was announced in June 1996. Released: Latest Version: v1 -=-=- Unnkulia Zero: The Search for Amanda (UU0.GAM) "Will you, the Valley King's most trusted warrior, rescue his Lady Amanda from the gruesome clutches of the evil Unnkulians? Along the way to victory (or, , defeat!), you will: o Find out about the ancient days of the Valley, o Meet the King's faithful (but not so bright) Valley Patrol, o Explore *beautiful* Lake Draounheer, o Discover the ancient burial ground of your ancestors, o Become frustrated with the pesky Stoll and his Stoll Bridge, and, of course, o Meet that wondrously wacky Wowsa Willy!" (author's blurb) A fairly large text adventure. In it we learn about the early history of the Valley and the Unnkulians, and we get a glimpse of the future. "Unnkulia Zero is the latest in the Unnkulian series. It is fairly long and not as easy as the earlier games. The puzzles are logical and funny." (Audrey A. DeLisle, in SPAG #1) Author: David A. Leary (c) 1993 [Commercial US$25] (Demo Edition available) -- The game is commercial but no longer available. A freeware release is planned. Released: Latest Version: 1.0 -=-=- Unnkulia One-Half: The Salesman Triumphant (ONEHALF.GAM) "You play the role of a down-and-out Acme salesman, forced to work out of the Golden Dragon Inn, dangerously near Dread Unnkulia. Will you accumulate enough loot in this frightful backwater berg to turn your fortunes in your favor?" (author's blurb) Somewhat smaller than UU1 and UU2. Explores the trials and tribulations of a down-and-out Acme salesman. Easy, compared to UU0 or UU2. "Oddly enough, this short, humorous game is my favorite of the Unnkulian series. Probably something to do with my lack of patience or something. Or maybe I can only take the cheez jokes for so long before I begin to feel unhinged." (Gerry Kevin Wilson, in SPAG #1) Author: David A. Leary (c) 1993 Freeware Released: Latest Version: 1.0 (TADS 2.0.1, 20 Apr 1993) -=-=- Unnkulian Underworld: The Unknown Unventure (UU1.GAM) "You play the part of Kuulest's slave, and must recover the Orb of Studosity from the evil Unnkulians. Kuulest, the old geezebag, has died and left you with nothing to go on but a cryptic message about saving the planet. You'll encounter amazing Acme products, the infamous Guardian, those witty creatures known as Drolls, a giant beaver, and even the Dread Unnkulian Warrior. " (author's blurb) Irreverent parody of contemporary IF games. Has a maze. "I enjoyed the game, especially the first 200 points (out of 400). In this first part the puzzles are very logical and well designed. In the second part there are some puzzles in which I didn't find any logic at all. The writing is quite well done and gives the reader a good description of what is going on. ... Lastly, there is lots of humour in this game. It may get a bit repetitive, but humour is an important part of the game." (Toni Cortes, in SPAG #2) Author: David A. Leary (c) 1991-93 Shareware US$10 Released: Latest Version: 3.0.1 (TADS 2.0.1, 20 Apr 1993) -=-=- Unnkulian Unventure II: The Secret of Acme (UU2.GAM) "Your adventure continues as you try to create some good press for yourself -- wouldn't want to fade into anonymous obscurity, now would you? Along the way, you'll find the answers to these compelling questions, and more: o What happened to the Unnkulians? o Why are Acme products so bad? o What is this cheez stuff, really? Plus, you'll get to explore Dawg Rock, a Duhdist Retreat, Acme's clandestine prototypes laboratory, and even pay a visit to Acme HQ." (author's blurb) "Also has a maze, unfortunately. Seemed like a good idea at the time. (It wasn't.)" (David Baggett) "I would rate it higher, but the plot is a bit jerky. ... In general, it is still amusing, but not as good as UU1 and not as involved. I won't say what the object is because that is part of the plot." (Audrey A. DeLisle, in SPAG #1) "A lot of UU2's problems (and difficulty) stem from its pseudo- nonlinearity. Once you get into the underworld, you have many puzzles you can work on at once. They have to be solved in a particular order, however, and this is why people get confused." (David Baggett, in SPAG #2) Author: David M. Baggett (c) 1991-93 Shareware US$10 Released: Latest Version: 3.0 (TADS 2.0.1, 20 Apr 1993) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=HORROR: The Horror of Rylvania (RYLVANIA.GAM) "What you expected would be a fun outing in scenic Rylvania turns into a gruesome nightmare, with *you* playing the starring role. Find out what it's like to be alternately the source and challenger of evil in the tiny Eastern European province. Test your very moral fiber as you decide to damn yourself and save others -- or vice versa." (author's blurb) A hard-edged gothic horror game. You become a vampire and must search for the cure. "It is somewhat linear, but not limited like some games. I enjoyed playing it. The atmosphere was well created to be eerie, but not disgusting." (Audrey A. DeLisle, in SPAG #1) "I still feel that Rylvania is an extremely important and innovative IF game --- one that has been unjustly ignored. It's disappointing that although there are so many IF enthusiasts out there, so few are willing to pay a fair price for such a strong work." (David Baggett, in SPAG #5) Author: David A. Leary (c) 1993 [Commercial US$20] (Demo Edition available) -- The game is commercial but no longer available. A freeware release is planned. Released: Latest Version: 1.0 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=PROGRAMMING EXERCISES: +=3: A (Controversial but Nevertheless) Logical Adventure (3.GAM) This one-puzzle game was Dave Baggett's response to a discussion (flame war?) in rec.arts.int-fiction and specifically to Russ Bryan's claim that there could be no puzzles which are logical yet unsolvable. Author: David M. Baggett , Carl de Marcken (c) 1994 Freeware (Source available) Released: Latest Version: 1.2 (TADS 2.0.1, 26 Nov 1994) -=-=- Alice in Wonderland (ALICE.GAM) Partial IF version of Alice in Wonderland, as a programming aid to TADS authors. Author: Trevor Powell (c) 1991 "Shareware" (only available as source) Released: Latest Version: 1.0a1 -=-=- Eliza (ELIZA.GAM) "Psychiatrist simulation" via string substitution, first implemented by Joseph Weizenbaum in the 1960s. This TADS port is based on a 1979 BASIC version. Porter: David Allen (c) 1994 Freeware (only available as source) Released: Latest Version: ? -=-=- Kitchen Encounters (KITCHEN.GAM) An interesting bit of programming that simulates a kitchen, generated from a note left to the author by his wife. Author: Andy Jewell (c) 1992 Freeware (only available as source) Released: Latest Version: 0.2 -=-=- Shadowland (I): The Tower of Iron (SHADOWLAND.GAM) Shadowland seems more a coding example than a full-fledged game. You start out strapped into a mad scientist's machine, but free yourself and hack, blast, and julienne your way through numerous monsters. Author: Tom Claburn (c) 1993 Freeware ??? (only available as source) Released: Latest Version: 1.0 -=-=- The Underoos that ate New York! (UNDER.GAM) A five-room example game for Whizzard's ADV.T rewrite (WADV). "It's [...] a short 'un by Whizzard, [...] but I remember I got a big kick out of playing it." (Dan Shiovitz, in the rec.arts.int-fiction group) "I found the humor in 'Underoos' to be... disturbing." (John Baker, in the rec.arts.int-fiction group) Author: Gerry Kevin Wilson (c) 1994 Freeware (only available as source) Released: May 1995 Latest Version: ? -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=SCIENCE FICTION: Deep Space Drifter (DEEP.GAM) "Find your way off the space station and explore the planet below. Visit the swamp and the caves. Defeat the maniacal Pinback and escape with your life." (author's blurb) Hide the service droids and bologna sandwiches. This thing has mazes. Big mazes. Really big. No, bigger than that. Two of them. Other than the mazes, DSD is generally held to be a very decent game. "The part of the game on the space station is good, with quite a bit of atmospheric details and generally good puzzles. But down at the planet things are less convincing. Everything is deserted, but no real reason for this is given. Several of the puzzles here are also very time- consuming and tedious. Among these puzzles are the game's two infamous mazes." (Lars Joedal, in SPAG #3) Authors: Michael J. Roberts , Steve McAdams <75204.1051@compuserve.com> (c) 1988,90 [Shareware $15] (registration includes source, hints and map) -- A freeware release is planned. Released: ca. September 1989 Latest Version: 1.0 (TADS 2.0.1, 7 Apr 1993) -=-=- Enhanced (ENHANCED.GAM) "Here you are, trying to survive yet another day in the big city with no money, no job and no hope. As you walk down the street in the government research project area, you suddenly see a sign reading: 'Volunteers needed for military research project! Do you want to make money? Do you want to help your country? Can you start at once? No special skills needed. Enter here.' Everything on the list sounds good to you, so you enter the door and sign up. That's when your nightmare begins..." (author's blurb) A short cyberpunk game in which you try to avoid donating your body to science. First part of the CyberVenture Trilogy. "...some of the actions that must be taken in the game depend upon the player's familiarity with certain cyberpunk terminology ('ice', etc.), and a lot of the in-jokes are *really* in. ... I enjoyed the game, for a while; when I began to have parsing problems, my enjoyment was diminished." (Roger N. Dominick, in SPAG #2) Authors: Hans Persson , Dominik Zemmler (c) 1993 Shareware US$10 (registration includes source and hints) Released: December 1993 Latest Version: 3/941004 (TADS 2.0.1, 22 Jan 1995) -=-=- High Tech Drifter (HIGHTECH.GAM) The very first TADS game! Not quite finished though. Seems to be a sort of mantra with us IF authors. Try to recover Ma and Pa's secret semiconductor formula from a big, bad corporation. Author: James B. Cser , Michael J. Roberts (c) 1988,90 Freeware (only available as source) Released: ca. 1989 (never finished) Latest Version: 1.0 -=-=- The Legend Lives! (LEGEND.GAM) "A new chapter in the history of Unnkulia and the Valley unfolds. Find out what life is like on planet Tode (home to Unnkulia and the Valley) and the rest of the Unnkulian Universe 500 years after UU1. Written by a Ph.D. candidate at the MIT AI Lab, LEGEND is an epic of unprecedented depth that explores what can happen when networks and software get too powerful to control. As hacker Gavin Kelly, you'll be at your wits' end tracking down and battling a terrifyingly powerful virus unleashed on AkNet, the known galaxy's information and service backbone. All the while, you'll have to thwart its attempts to locate and terminate *you*. While sticking to the often humorous style of the Unnkulian Unventures, LEGEND nevertheless explores many serious themes about technology and its effects on society. It is not just a challenging and fun computer game; it is one computer science researcher's view of a future nearly destroyed by an entirely synthetic and substanceless entity -- a software construct." (author's blurb) Includes UU3. "The beginning of a new series. You take the role of a graduate student at Akmi Yooniversity who has made a terrifying discovery while exploring some old literature about the Unnkulians. The fate of the galaxy rests in YOUR hands. (Surprise.)" (David Baggett) "Fundamentally, Legend invites you to think about what life really is. What aspects of life do we consider the exclusive domain of biological entities, and why? What would a machine have to do to change our idea of what life is? ... Beyond the central theme, Legend also talks about good and evil [...]; fascism and how it creeps up on you when bureaucracies get too old and powerful, and how technology contributes to this; the nature of time; and how technology both brings people together and simultaneously eats away at their individuality --- particularly, how it helps people to work together much more efficiently, but likewise makes each person's individual contribution less significant." (David Baggett, in SPAG #5) "The NPCs are not developed well enough. ... The ending is a tremendous disappointment. Not because it's an emotional downer or anything like that; it's just totally unexpected and very unsatisfying. However, I cannot in good faith say anything *too* bad about the game, because it's one of the most visionary and daring works to come along since, well, 'A Mind Forever Voyaging' from Infocom. ... _Legend_ deserves to be played if for no other reason than to think about what David is trying to say. I mean, when was the last time you played an IF game which *really* had a message and a vision?" (M. Sean Molley, in SPAG #5) "The descriptions of many of the game locations are highly engrossing and impart a genuine atmospheric quality to that portion of the game. ... 'The Legend Lives!" is excellent proof that interactive fiction can be as much fun to read as to play." (Eileen Mullin, in XYZZYnews #2) Author: David M. Baggett (c) 1994,95 Freeware (Source available) Released: March 1995 Latest Version: 1.1 (TADS 2.2.0, 3 May 1995) (too big for standard DOS TADS -> needs 386+ version!) -=-=- The Light: Shelby's Addendum (SHELBY.GAM) "A strangeness has fallen. You first became aware of it with the darkening of the skies: the majestic, threatening storm clouds that seemed on the verge of deluging the earth in a torrent, yet hung motionless, impatient, as though awaiting further instructions from some unseen and malignant higher power... First the clouds, then the sudden silence of the birdsong, and the people. Where were the people? The village was deserted as you passed through. Not a soul to be seen. You knew you had to alert Barclay and Holcroft that something was terribly wrong with the balance of things, but before you had reached even the main gate an impenetrable mist had rolled in from below the cliffs and obscured the path to the lighthouse. When, at last, you reached the courtyard entrance, something even stranger happened. You began to feel suddenly and inexplicably weak, as though the very life were being drawn from your bones. You had eaten well on the train journey from the Commission's headquarters in the capital city, and passed your last physical with glowing colors, yet you felt as though you were at death's door. You had to see Holcroft. He, perhaps, could explain...." (from intro) Follow-up to "Manor of Madness" and "Corridors of the Nethermind", two adventures by the same author published for the Sinclair Spectrum in the early 1980s. "I really like puzzles in adventure games that include what I think of as many interlocking parts ... [Shelby] has a good variety of this kind of interlocking, scavenger hunt puzzles. ... I found it wholly absorbing once I was able to overcome the initial obstacles and get drawn into the drama of the adventure." (Stuart Beach, in XYZZYnews #8) "...a fascinating piece of science-fiction IF from a very talented writer ... Not only are some of the more important puzzles [...] just downright obscure, the author has chosen to "hide" most of the objects in the game deep within the scenery. ... The game logic is consistent all the way through, and everything is eminently believable. The author has certainly created a seamless experience as far as I am concerned." (M. Sean Molley, in SPAG #9) "Most of the fun in this game is figuring out the background to the world McCarthy has created here ... The actual mechanics of the game are disappointing. Some of the text is good, notably the introductory paragraphs, but much of the rest is rather lacklustre. ... Some of the puzzles seemed completely arbitrary to me, and even after solving them I still don't understand why the solution worked." (Gareth Rees, in SPAG #9) Author: C. A. McCarthy (c) 1995-96 Shareware US$10 Released: December 1995 Latest Version: 2.0/19960428 (TADS 2.2.0, 28 Apr 1996) -=-=- Lost (LOST.GAM) While searching for riches in the forest, you come across a spaceship which takes you to different places and times. Difficult, with multiple mazes, but rather engrossing. "The game is quite large (the code is over 10,000 lines long) and has the largest vocabulary that the compiler would allow." (Jeffrey Hersh) Author: Jeffrey Hersh (c) 1993 Shareware US$10 (Source available) Released: 1992 or 1993 Latest Version: 2.0.2 (TADS 2.2.0, 23 Apr 1996) -=-=- Past Tense (TENSE.GAM) An espionage game set in the future. You receive a package at your house addressed to an Agent Pritel with instructions for a mission. But wait... you're not Pritel! The TENSE command allows you to switch between past and present tense. Author: Daved Nault (c) 1996 Freeware (Source available) Released: March 1996 Latest Version: ? (TADS 2.2.0, 26 Mar 1996) -=-=- Urban Cleanup (URBAN.GAM) "Neotext's second IF game, also aimed at the beginner IF level. This game showcases witty writing and simple puzzles for the young and the just beginning. Imagine your surprise when you find that the Virtual Reality video game you just bought is the key to unlocking totalitarian control in your society!" (author's blurb) Author: Philip Dearmore (c) 1996 Shareware US$10 Released: June 1996 Latest Version: 1.0 (TADS 2.0.1, 14 Jun 1996) -=-=- Waystation (WAY.GAM) "While driving home one night, your car mysteriously dies. You get out, pop the hood, and wham! that's the last you remember...until you wake up trapped in a cell. With no idea of how you got there and no one to ask, you must escape and find out why you were kidnapped. Visit the lovely sewage dump Melica! Tour abandoned Comanis! Avoid Efric at all costs! The game is guaranteed 99.9% maze free, and is freeware." (author's blurb) A future with dial up teleportation booths called waystations. Has something of a twist ending. Entertaining. "Your goal in the game is not revealed until over half-way through, so for the majority of the game you are reduced to moving purposelessly from location to location and solving seemingly arbitrary puzzles. ... The game is a mish-mash of genres -- Granade has played with many ideas, but expanded on almost none of them." (Julian Arnold, in SPAG #9) Author: Stephen Granade (c) 1995 Freeware (Source available for US$10) Released: January 1995 Latest Version: 1.1 (TADS 2.2.0, 19 Dec 1995) -=-=- Wormhole: The Beginning (WORMHOLE.GAM) "A short promotional piece of interactive fiction originally intended to kick off the new Wormhole series, about a young man caught leaping between worlds through wormholes. Since the series idea died and was deemed unprofitable, this little game is kept around as freeware." (author's blurb) Author: Philip Dearmore (c) 1995 Freeware Released: April 1996 Latest Version: 1.0 (TADS 2.0.1, 3 May 1996) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=OTHER (OR NO) GENRE: The Broken String (BS.GAM) The first punk rock interactive fiction game. "'Punk's not dead yet!' you think to yourself. 'Not if I can do something about it. I can put up a new band. There are still punks in this city. We can make this place live again. We can make the scene live again.' You play the role of Tim, a young punk rocker, livinng in an imaginary city in a squat. In Tim's city punk rock is dying and along with it all the ideals that true punk represents. Tim's feeling of frustration and alienation grows stronger every day, but instead of losing hope, Tim decides to go on a crusade to revive punk. Along the way Tim will encounter different problems, not all of them directly related to his task. Tim will also try to solve his personal problems as he goes on with his crusade. You must guide Tim through the city and help him complete his goal." (author's blurb) Authors: Harel Malka , Ran Kramer (c) 1995 Emailware (Source for version 1.0 available) Released: December 1995 Latest Version: 1.1 (TADS 2.2.0, 14 Feb 1996) -=-=- FooM (FOOM.GAM) "The shoot-'em up text adventure." Excellent parody of the famous Shareware game DOOM. Author: Piers Johnson (c) 1995 Freeware (Source available) Released: July 1996 Latest Version: 1.01d (TADS 2.0.1, 10 Mar 1995) -=-=- Gerbil Riot of '67 (GERBIL.GAM) "Arguably the daftest, most stupidly silly text adventure ever. Converted with tender loving care from the 8-bit original." (author's blurb) Author: Simon Avery (c) 1991-94 "Shareware" (Crippleware) UKP3 (Password needed for completion) Released: Latest Version: ? (TADS 2.0.1, 28 Feb 1994) -=-=- GC: A Thrashing Parity Bit of the Mind (GC.GAM) Not much plot but filled with ingenious puzzles. Set at MIT, and written for the MIT AI Laboratory Winter Olympics 1994. The first game to use David Baggetts WorldClass library instead of ADV.T. Authors: Carl de Marcken , David M. Baggett , Pearl Tsai (c) 1994 Freeware (Source available) Released: Latest Version: 0.1.1.2.3 (TADS 2.0.1, 17 Jan 1994) -=-=- The Great Archeological Race (RACE.GAM) You play the assistant curator of the Evelyn Museum in Boston, and it's your job to help increase failing patronage by finding new artifacts. Your quest leads you deep into the heart of the South American jungle, where a whole new world waits to be discovered. "The atmosphere [...] reminded me somewhat of the 'Indiana Jones' movies ... In many places, the writing is plentiful and good; in others, it's extremely terse. ... The game doesn't try to be anything more than an enjoyable puzzle-solving romp, and of course the tricks and traps commonly associated with ancient sites provide the ideal excuse for having lots of puzzles. ... I highly recommend that you download this game and give it a try for yourself." (M. Sean Molley, in SPAG #3) Author: John LaBonney (c) 1992 Shareware US$20 (no registration possible at the moment!) Released: Latest Version: 1.3 (works with TADS 1.20 ONLY!) -=-=- HERO, INC Volume 1: Calling All Heroes (HERO1.GAM) "CONGRATULATIONS! You may already be a winner! Have you ever wondered what life is about? Do you look for happiness but never find it? Does joy, fulfilment, and the answer to world peace always slip right through your fingers? Are you thinking right now, 'I'm a born loser?' Well, we at Hero, Inc once thought that too! Until we found the ultimate answer to all of these questions and more. And, for a limited time only, we've decided to make OUR happiness YOURS! Yes, you can be a hero too! Simply fill out the handy Special Introductory Offer Form enclosed and all your dreams could be about to come true!" (from intro) Author: Nate Cull <100242.2325@compuserve.com> (c) 1996 "Shareware" (Freeware?) Release: March 1996 Latest Version: Beta 1 (TADS 2.2.0, 4 Mar 1996) (The hint system needs a heap size of at least 10000. The command line switch '-mh 10000' should be used.) -=-=- Lost New York (LOSTNY.GAM) "They say you can never get to know the true New York as a tourist -- but this is going to turn out to be no ordinary vacation. What you thought would be a quick jaunt to the usual tourist traps instead uncovers an odd find that sends you hurtling through time, coming face-to-face with history. A history that you realize you are going to have to change if you ever want to find your way home..." (author's blurb) "This is the type of game that manages to teach you a lot about a subject while making it a very pleasant trip indeed. [...] it's not very clear what your purpose is in the New York time zones other than to solve puzzles and move forward. Even when you're solving puzzles, it's hard to tell what you're accomplishing in the big picture." (Rob Daviau, in XYZZYnews #10) Author: Neil deMause (c) 1996 Shareware US$12 (registered version has on-screen hints) Released: March 1996 Latest Version: 1.1f (TADS 2.2.0, 10 Aug 1996) (too big for standard DOS TADS -> needs 386+ version!) -=-=- Modernism (MODERN.GAM) Short no-puzzle "game" based on works of Samuel Beckett and Jean-Paul Sartre. Two parts: "Waiting for Godot" and "No Exit". Author: Jacob Solomon Weinstein (c) 1993 Mailware Released: March 1993 Latest Version: 1.0 (TADS 2.0.0, 21 Mar 1993) -=-=- Ski Adventure (SKI.GAM) "...a game that takes place at an abandoned ski resort, SnoFlake. You play the main character, a lost camper trying to find his way home." (author's blurb) Author: John LaBonney (c) 1991 Shareware US$10 (no registration possible at the moment!) Released: ca. April 1991 Latest Version: 1.0 (works with TADS 1.01 ONLY!) -=-=- Tyler's Great Cube Game (CUBE.GAM) Another one-puzzle game. Authors: Tyler Bindon , Steven Taschuk (c) 1995 Shareware US$5-20 (Source available from US$10 onwards) Released: Latest Version: 1.1 (TADS 2.2.0, 4 May 1995) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=IF COMPETITION ENTRIES: -=-1995: A Night at the Museum Forever (MUSEUM.GAM) Retrieve the diamond ring from the time museum. "The writing is not quite up to Infocom's standards, but quite adequate; the puzzles may not be very original but are clever and logical; the plot is simple but quite clever and the time travel is handled nicely. My only big complaint about the game is its almost total lack of atmosphere. ... Despite these complaints, the game is quite clever and enjoyable." (Magnus Olsson, in SPAG #7) "Ninety percent of the game seemed to consist of tramping back and forth along the corridor in the different time zones, and the remaining ten percent was somewhat dull. No people, no interesting puzzles, no colourful background, no awe-inspiring future technology, nothing. The game seems to have not been playtested, and it raises rather more questions than it answers." (Gareth Rees, in SPAG #8) Author: Chris Angelini (c) 1995 Freeware (Mailware) Released: August 1995 Latest Version: 1.0 (TADS 2.0.1, 25 Aug 1995) The One That Got Away (THE_ONE.GAM) Go fishing for 'The Old One'. Won 3rd place. "...the trigger that started my game was an episode of 'The Simpsons' that I saw one night, about Homer going out fishing and struggling against one of those 'mighty fish of the past.' That must have made some kind of an impression on me, because, some morning afterwards, I was lying in bed when I thought, you know, no one has ever written an IF game about fishing. Before long, I was up and at my computer." (Leon Lin, in SPAG #7) "The writing is perhaps the best I've ever seen in an adventure game; not as poetic or beautiful as in 'The Sound Of One Hand Clapping,' but perfect for telling this kind of story. ... After the monumental introduction and a lot of build-up during your conversations with Bob and your attempts to get the right bait, you're ready for a monumental struggle, but instead you're presented with quite an anticlimax. ... Still, despite the anticlimax, its literary quality makes this game a truly memorable one, one worth playing and replaying several times, just as one returns to a favourite novel." (Magnus Olsson, in SPAG #7) "My favourite entry in the competition. The puzzles aren't up to much, but who cares? The writing is superb, atmospheric, and very funny. ... I hope that Lin writes more interactive fiction, and that he continues to orient his work towards strong characters." (Gareth Rees, in SPAG #8) Author: Leon Lin (c) 1995 Freeware Released: August 1995 Latest Version: 1.1 (TADS 2.2.0, 5 Dec 1995) Toonesia (TOONESIA.GAM) Try to gun down that rascally rabbit. Won 2nd place. "I'm a big fan of animation--I'd rank it as one of America's most significant cultural contributions to the world. I've wanted to do a complete game based on my favorite cartoons for a long time." (Jacob Weinstein, in SPAG #7) "The writing could use a bit more polish, but still manages to capture the spirit of Saturday morning. The NPCs don't, however -- if you encounter Daffy Duck or the Tasmanian Devil in a 'real' cartoon, he'll be in your face until Porky Pig shows up for the fadeout, rather than just standing around like they do here." (Palmer Davis, in the rec.arts.int-fiction group) "This game may not be very profound, but it's clearly one of the most entertaining adventure games I've ever played." (Magnus Olsson, in SPAG #7) "I enjoyed playing 'Toonesia'. It captures a good deal of the flavour of the cartoons it pastiches, and makes excellent use of the logic of the cartoon world it takes place in: I found all of the puzzles were solvable on the first attempt, and the majority were very good." (Gareth Rees, in SPAG #8) Author: Jacob Solomon Weinstein (c) 1995 Freeware Released: August 1995 Latest Version: 1.1 (TADS 2.0.0, 6 Dec 1995) Uncle Zebulon's Will (ZEBULON.GAM) See if you can claim the inheritance that your old uncle Zebulon (a wizard of some skill) left you in his will. Won 1st place. "...a complacently traditional, highly effective narrative. It combines the quirky unreality of Trinity with the gizmo-filled atmosphere of Spellbreaker or Starcross. ... The puzzles were all logical enough and simple enough that I beat the game without hints, and still had a great time doing it. What greater praise could there be?" (Gerry Kevin Wilson, in SPAG #7) "...a very solid piece of work. There were no bugs, all the pieces of the plot fitted together smoothly, the hook at the start was intriguing, and the ending was good, though not as much of a surprise as it should perhaps have been. ... The writing was very flat and lifeless, managing to be lengthy without being either vivid or humourous." (Gareth Rees, in SPAG #8) Author: Magnus Olsson (c) 1995 Freeware (Source available) Released: August 1995 Latest Version: 2.0/960416 (TADS 2.2.0, 16 Apr 1996) Undertow (TOW.GAM) Go sailing on a yacht with three friends, and a corpse. "I had the setting for my game before I had a plot. I thought about what kind of game could take place on a yacht, and decided that a mystery would be perfect. I had never written a mystery before, and my earlier IF games have had a remarkable lack of NPCs in them. This was a perfect chance for me to take on the challenge of setting a game in a tiny environment, mastering NPCs, and writing a mystery all at once." (Stephen Granade, in SPAG #7) "...a very ambitious work unfortunately let down by its implementation. ... 'Undertow' seems not to have been play-tested much (if at all), when in fact the mystery genre demands extremely rigorous testing. ... I'd be intrigued to see what Stephen Granade could produce if he went back to the code without any deadlines or time constraints and tried to finish writing the game." (Gareth Rees, in SPAG #8) Author: Stephen Granade (c) 1995 Freeware Released: August 1995 Latest Version: 1.1 (TADS 2.2.0, 5 Sep 1995) UNDO (UNDO.GAM) You're almost at the end of that adventure game you've struggled so hard to beat, when things get a little crazy. "The author of this game has obviously tried very hard to come up with something original, and he [...] has certainly succeeded, in the sense that this game is totally unlike any other piece of IF I've ever seen. ... Had this been made into a 'real' game (where there actually is a point to it all) it could have been a great success. As it is, perhaps the most appropriate characterization would be to call it an anti-game." (Magnus Olsson, in SPAG #7) "The only purpose of Undo, really, aside from being vaguely weird and entertaining, is to challenge some of the I-F conventions -- like having everything be a puzzle (most of the rooms are mere clues at best, and at worst just diversions), having a score (the 'score' of 86 you're shooting for is another negation joke -- as in, 'eighty-six that'), winning at the end, and so on. It's sort of an 'anti-game' in that sense." (Neil deMause, in SPAG #7) Author: Neil deMause (c) 1995 Freeware Released: August 1995 Latest Version: 1.0.1 (TADS 2.2.0, 31 Aug 1995) Forthcoming TADS Games ---------------------- Archaeology 689: Field Trip "There's oodles of text, the atmosphere is remiscent of Infidel and there's one very very talkative and sometimes even useful NPC. Plus you get to blow things up in a very spectacular way." (author's blurb) Author: Ville Lavonius Anticipated Release: not anytime soon Avalon "Once, a long time ago, I bragged that I could write a text adventure in two months. That was two years ago. You grow, you learn, you know? On the other hand, it will be worth the wait. I promise Arthurian legend, faeries, magic, war, love, death, rebirth, religion, and demons. We also learn why wizards shouldn't muck about with batteries, and why some folks really need, more than anything else, to learn to forgive, but most of all, to FORGET. Avalon toys with certain philosophical issues, like: How does the self relate to one's memories? Does the possession of power neccessarily require its use, and just when is it ethical to take a life? Avalon has a large cast of characters, about 20-30 in all. It will be released as a demo version, with the full game available for $25, a price that includes some nice packaging in the spirit of Infocom." (author's blurb) Author: Gerry Kevin Wilson Anticipated Release: 1996, maybe Bast Author: Magnus Olsson Anticipated Release: unknown Deepcore "You are an unfortunate tourist of the future who is trapped inside an undersea mining station following a violent earthquake. The object of the game is to escape the station before the nasty aftershocks do you in." (author's blurb) Author: Brandon Allen Anticipated Release: September 1996 Firebird "Firebird is based on the Old Russian folk tales that inspired the Stravinsky piece of the same name. You are Prince Ivan, and have been charged by your father, the tsar, to find the Firebird that has been stealing your father's golden apples. Your two older brothers have already tried and failed -- can you triumph over the many obstacles in your quest? Remember, your mission is not as simple as it first seems..." (author's blurb) Author: Bonnie Montgomery Anticipated Release: early 1996 Fire Witch II: In Search of The Ice Wizard Author: John Baker Anticipated Release: January 31, 1997 HamsterWorld "Assuming this monstrous behemoth of a TADS game ever gets completed prior to the next millenium, you'll find HamsterWorld to be one of the most detailed and verb-heavy IF games ever spawned. 'I laughed, I cried, I wanted to play it again and again. It was better than "Detective."' - the Author's Friend." (author's blurb) Author: Neil K. Guy Anticipated Release: 1996 HERO, INC Volume 2: The Light Fantastic "Beyond the Fairhaven Library, the next stage of your journey awaits. You'll explore a strange new dimension, searching for the fabled Orb of Dreams. But what if the Nytemares have been there first...?" (author's blurb) Author: Nate Cull <100242.2325@compuserve.com> Anticipated Release: 1996 Logomancer "It's a spellcasting game. You are Logomancer General, and you must discover who or what is causing all spells cast in the land to come out backward." (author's blurb) Author: Jacob Solomon Weinstein Anticipated Release: January 1, 2010 Mad Venture Author: Ron Hale-Evans Anticipated Release: unknown SCIMITAR Feeling a little paranoid? You will be. Author: C. A. McCarthy Anticipated Release: 1996 The Second Pit "Not a typical adventure, The Second Pit is more of a surreal exploration through the darker regions of the psyche, built around the basic storyline of a traditional fairy tale. What is your stepmother's secret? What does the wizard want? Who exactly is the old lady? Will you and your sister ever get home safely again? A demo version will be available. The full game will cost UKP5 (US$10)." (authors' blurb) Authors: Andrew Craig , Tom Craig , Sue Medley Anticipated Release: Spring 1996 Sensorer "_Enhanced_, the first part of the CyberVenture trilogy, saw you get away from the laboratory where Professor Falken tried to dedicate your life to science. In _Sensorer_, you have to try to avoid Bob the security guard who has been sent out to find you and return you to Falken. It seems he has some way of detecting your whereabouts. You must find out how he does this and make sure that he won't be able to any more." (author's blurb) Authors: Hans Persson , Dominik Zemmler Anticipated Release: sometime 1996, hopefully The Spelunker's Tremendous Cave Adventure "So you think Colossal Cave Adventure was written by Crowther & Woods. Actually they decided to write it after finding this version. It was decided it should never be released. After being buried for years, it has resurfaced. Filled with terrible puns, outrageous descriptions, and bits of Alice in Wonderland and a comic book hero, it is a riot. Play the Spelunkers Tremendous Cave Adventure." (author's blurb) Author: Doug Harter Anticipated Release: Summer 1996 Sphere The game opens with Harold Jenkins, a simple researcher, stumbling upon an intense residual energy in the ancient hull of a boat discovered off of the Virginia coastline. Author: Russ Bryan Anticipated Release: unknown Spy-X "A new-age, high-tech spy thriller has you as the secret CIA spy, searching for clues that would lead to the capture of an international terrorist. Escape from a secret prison camp somewhere in Europe, and return home to find that your next assignment brings you into the investigation of your life..." (author's blurb) Author: Etienne Pelaprat Anticipated Release: August 27, 1996 Trinity "At last! It's time for your well earned vacation. Venice, Rome, the Vatican, it just has to better than last year's vacation in Arizona. You'll never forget the noise of those explosions as the farmers tried to scare off the buzzards. This year you're determined to enjoy yourself, just a quick check of your luggage to make sure everything is packed before you call a cab to the airport. Let's see now.....suncream, travellers cheques, hat.....HAT? Panic sets in, your plane leaves in 3 hours and you can't find your hat. You remember what happened last year when you burnt your head on the first day and had to spend the rest of the vacation wearing a giant sombrero, complete with gaudy orange tassles hanging from the brim. Not to mention all those yanks saying 'Have a nice day, gringo!'. Demo version will be available. The full version complete with manual and map of the catacombs will cost UKP6.50 (US$12)." (author's blurb) Author: The Grue! Anticipated Release: Spring 1996 Unnkulian Unventure IV: Heart of Unnkul "You thought you finished them off in 'The Secret of Acme', but those nasty Unnkulians are back again with more of their nefarious schemes! Stopping them this time will lead you across the Valley and beyond, and bring you face to face with the origin of the Unnkulian menace. Surprises, plot twists, revolting Cheez (tm) products, and generally wacky things abound in the next chapter of the Unnkulian series!" (author's blurb) The long-awaited sequel to UU2. Author: Chris Nebel Anticipated Release: maybe 1996 The World of the Tiers Adventure "Based upon the series of the same name by Philip Jose Farmer. Takes place on a world shaped like a wedding cake. Levels of the world include a mythological garden, a grand prairie, a trading level, and the Lord's castle and prison. A good many of the creatures from the series are there too." (author's blurb) Author: Doug Harter Anticipated Release: Christmas 1996 Worlds on Fire "WOF is a game that starts you off on a ravaged Earth. You are not sure what has happened and have something not dissimilar to a case of amnesia (although you have not lost general knowledge of things, only where you are, who you are, etc.). It will include three towns, a temple (which will take you to 3-5 different places) and as many problems (some can't be called puzzles) as I could logically include. Not only that, but it includes over 100 rooms (not including the Endless Forest)! I couldn't make it freeware because I've spent too much time on it to make it free, yet I wanted it to be cheaper than most other games, so I made it 5 US dollars. If anyone would like to make a Mac or other type of computer version of the IBM version which I am working on (which is the only version, so far) contact me. The source code is not included so that people can't fiddle with the programming." (author's blurb) Author: Wolvie Anticipated Release: September 1996 A Note About TADS ----------------- The Text Adventure Development System (TADS) is (surprise!) a system for writing text adventures. It is currently available for MS-DOS, Macintosh, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST/TT/Falcon and several flavors of UNIX: 386 Linux, DECstation (MIPS) under Ultrix, SGI Iris/Indigo under Irix, Sun 3 and Sun 4 (Sparc) under SunOS, Sun Solaris, and NeXT (68040 MACH). The OS/2 and IBM RT ports are unfortunately not up to date. Game sources and (v2.x) game files are portable between different platforms. TADS was shareware (US$40) but is now freeware. A new release with all the documentation and the debugger will be available in the near future. TADS is available via anonymous ftp from: ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/programming/tads/ ***EOF