A long time ago, in a land just like this one, there weren't graphic adventures. No X-wings soaring through canyons, no walking arsenals blasting away friend and foe. There was just a monitor, a keyboard, and a few little words:

At End of Road
You are standing at the end of a road before all brick building. Around you is a forest. A small stream flows out of the building and down a gulley

Thousands and thousands of hours have been spent by countless gamers in those caves - caves based on real life caves. The developer of Adventure, or Colossal Caves as it later became known, was an avid caver. You can see his attention to detail in the cave-ins, slab rooms, crawls and other caving features that are located throughout the game.

The game uses a simple language, and is easy to learn. Want those keys? Just type TAKE KEYS and they're yours. Want to water the plant? POUR WATER ON PLANT and the plant is happy. There's no Oooohing and AAaaaahing at gorgeous graphics. It's all in your mind. It's like an interactive novel.

The puzzles are fun, although some of them are a little esoteric. The ending of the game, especially, is one that you'd be lucky to guess at, and if you read the walkthrough after a few hours of struggling, you'll be happy you didn't go at it for weeks before finding out what they expected you to do.

Still, this game is a classic, and references to XYZZY and axe-throwing dwarves abound in other games as a homage to this original adventure game. If you're at all into gaming, it's time to connect with your roots!

Adventure Walkthrough

Please note that I link to the free online game below to help you find it - but I did NOT code the game nor do I have any relationship with the programmers. You'll need to ask them if you have questions about how it works!

Play Adventure for FREE on line

Once you've finished Adventure, be sure to give Zork a try!

Play Zork for FREE on line