Topics: Adventure : Text Adventures
The text adventure genre started by Crowther and Woods' Colossal Cave adventure in 1972. "Text Adventures" is often used interchangeably with "Interactive Fiction". Playing text adventures involves typing plain English and reading textual responses, although it is not uncommon to find graphics inserted with the text, or commands given by the mouse. The genre has blossomed to include a huge variety of games: difficult puzzles or no puzzles; inspired, evocative, funny, or terse writing; and also a few arcade games. More games are available every week, and there is an Interaction Fiction Competition every year.
9.05
Adventure by Adam Cadre written in Inform.
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Aayela
Aayela (1996) by Magnus Olsson.
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Adventure
Adventure by Crowther and Woods, based on Kentucky's Colossal Cave, which started the adventure game genre.
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Africa Gardens
A text-only adventure written by Gilsoft International Ltd using The Quill.
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Amazon
Find a lost city and discover why an entire expedition was killed.
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Anchorhead
Anchorhead (1998), a Lovecraftian gothic horror story by Michael S. Gentry. Winner of 1998 Xyzzy Award for Best Setting.
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Arrival, or Attack of the B-Movie Clichés
Arthur - The Quest for Excalibur
Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur (1989), an illustrated text adventure by Bob Bates. As described on the box: In the days before Camelot, when magic and evil rule England, a sword sheathed in stone appears in a quiet churchyard.
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Asylum
Published 1983 by Screenplay.
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Augmented Fourth
Augmented Fourth (2000), a fantasy romp by Brian Uri.
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Authors
Web pages of or about the authors who program and write interactive fiction.
Adams, Scott,
Atkins, Robert Wayne,
Bates, Bob,
Berlyn, Michael,
Blank, Marc,
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Axe of Kolt, The
Adventure by Larry Horsfield, published by FSF Adventures.
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Babel
Babel (1997), a science-fiction/horror text adventure by Ian Finley, in which you play a research scientist who wakes up with amnesia.
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Bad Machine
Bad Machine (1998) by Dan Shiovitz.
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Ballyhoo
Ballyhoo (1985), a circus mystery by Jeff O'Neill. As described on the box: Spangleland! Sawdust and glitter, buffoons and cotton candy!
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Beast, The
128K text-only tape-based game from Marlin.
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Behind Closed Doors Series
A series of adventure games from Zenobi where you find yourself locked into the toilet.
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Big Sleaze, The
Thriller/mystery spoof from Piranha.
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Blade of Blackpoole
Written by Tim Wilson. Published 1983 by Sirius Software.
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Blue Chairs
Blue Chairs (2004) by Chris Kilmas
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Boggit, The
Adventure by CRL, published in 1986.
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Border Zone
Border Zone (1987), a real-time spy adventure in three parts by Marc Blank.As described on the box:The story begins on the train to Litzenburg, a peaceful country just outside the Iron Curtain.
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Break-In
Break-In (1999) by Jon Ingold.
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Breakers
Breakers (1986), a real-time "interactive novel" by Rodney Smith. Programmed by Synapse Software and publisher by Brøderbund.
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Brimstone
Brimstone (1985), a real-time "electronic novel" by James Paul. Programmed by Synapse Software and published by Brøderbund.
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Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy (1987), by Douglas Adams and the staff of Infocom. Excerpt from the box blurb: You've just landed a great new job and moved to a spiffy house in a nice little town.
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Calling, The
Adventure from Visual Dimensions.
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Captain Kook
Adventure by Paul Cardin.
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Case of the Beheaded Smuggler, The
Sherlock Holmes adventure from Mental Images.
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Castle Eeeerie
Game from Tartan published in 1987.
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Castle Thade Revisited
Adventure published by the Spectrum Adventure Exchange Club.
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Change in the Weather, A
A Change in the Weather, an interactive short story by Andrew Plotkin.
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Christminster
Christminster (1995), an "interactive conspiracy" by Gareth Rees.
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City of Secrets
A commissioned interactive fiction game for San Francisco-based synthpop band Secret-Secret.
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Common Ground
Common Ground (2000), a puzzleless interactive fiction story centered around the interactions of three characters, by Stephen Granade.
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Corruption
"Corruption" (1988), an illustrated text adventure by Magnetic Scrolls.
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Critical Mass
Written by Bob Blauschild. Published 1983 by Sirius Software.
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Crobe
Crobe (1986), a treasure hunt by Johnathan Partington.
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Crystal of Chantie, The
Published by Pelagon in 1987.
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Curses
Curses (1994) by Graham Nelson. The first major work of interactive fiction produced by Inform, an IF compiler for games in Infocom's Z-machine format.
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Cutthroats
Cutthroats (1984), a deep sea adventure by Michael Berlyn.As described on the box:You're about to get yourself into very deep trouble.You're a backwater island's top diver and foremost expert on local shipwrecks.
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Dallas Quest, The
Adventure based on the TV series. Written by James Garon and published 1984 by Datasoft.
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Darkside Series
A trilogy of adventured by Jon Lemmon, published by Compass. The games in the series are Demon from the Darkside, The Golden Mask and The Devil's Hand.
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Dark Tower, The
ZX Spectrum adventure by Jack Lockerby of River Software.
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Deadline
Deadline (1982), a murder mystery by Marc Blank.As described on the box:It's been called "part of the latest craze in home computing" (TIME magazine), an "amazing feat of programming" (THE NEW YORK TIMES) and the "Best Adventure of 1983" (ELECTRONIC GAMES).It's DEADLINE, and it pits you, the keen-eyed sleuth, against a 12-hour time limit to solve a classic locked-door mystery.
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Deadly Mission
Budget adventure from John Henry Enterprises.
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Death in the Caribbean
Written by Philip and Bob Hess. Published 1983 by Micro Fun.
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Death or Glory
Sequel to Dragon Slayer. Published by Dream World Adventures in 1993.
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Delusions
Delusions by C.E. Forman.
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Design and Development
Authoring Systems,
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Djinni Chronicles, The
The Djinni Chronicles (2000), interactive fiction with a unique djinn cosmology, by J.D. Berry.
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Door Series
A series of adventures from Tartan Software written by Tom Frost.
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Downloads
This category covers archives of public domain and shareware interactive fiction games, development tools, game solutions, and programming examples.
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Dr. Dumont's Wild P.A.R.T.I.
Dr. Dumont's Wild P.A.R.T.I. by Muffy and Michael Berlyn.
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Dungeons of Dunjin, The
The Dungeons of Dunjin (1991), a treasure hunt in a cave by Magnus Olsson.
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Edifice, The
The Edifice (1997) by Lucian P. Smith. Winner of the 1997 XYZZY Award for Best Puzzle.
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Eric the Unready
"Eric the Unready" a humorous fantasy illustrated text adventure by Bob Bates of Legend Entertainment Company.
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Essex
Essex (1985), a real-time "electronic novel" by Bill Darrah. Programmed by Synapse Software and published by Brøderbund.
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Fahrenheit 451
"Fahrenheit 451" by Spinnaker
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Fail-Safe
Fail-Safe (2000), interactive science fiction by Jon Ingold.
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Fantasia Diamond
Fantasia Diamon is an illustrated text adventure by K.W. Topley, published by Hewson Consultants.
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Fish
"Fish!" (1988), an illustrated text adventure by Magnetic Scrolls.
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Fistful of Blood Capsules, A
Adventure by Andy Lowe and Dave Dutton published by Zodiac.
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Five on a Treasure Island
Adventure game based on Enid Blyton's Famous Five series published by Enigma Variations.
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Forgotten City
Game from Hawk Adventuring published in 1987.
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Forgotten Past, The
A published-from-home adventure, a text-only game written using GAC by Trevor Whitsey.
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For a Change
For a Change by Dan Schmidt, winner of a 1999 Xyzzy Awards for Best Writing.
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Fraktured Faebles
'An evil witch has cast a spell upon you, and you have been deposited into the middle of a strange forest.
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Galatea
Galatea (2000), interactive fiction noteworthy for its innovative conversation system, by Emily Short.
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Gateway Series
"Frederik Pohl's Gateway" (1992) by Mike Verdu, Michael Lindner and Glen Dahlgren, and "Gateway II: Homeworld" (1993) by Mike Verdu and Glen Dahlgren, based on Frederik Pohl's "Heechee Saga" novels.
Frederik Pohl's Gateway,
Gateway II - Homeworld,
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Gerbil Riot of '67, The
A game from The Guild where you've been accused of instigating the great Gerbil Riot of 1967, and have been sent to a 'home for the confused'.
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Glowgrass
Glowgrass (1997), a xenohistorical expedition by Nate Cull.
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Gnome Ranger Series
Gnome Ranger (1988) and Gnome Ranger II: Ingrid's Back (1990), illustrated text adventures by Level 9 Software.
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Gordello Incident, The
Published in 1989 by Zenobi Software.
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Gruds in Space
Written by Chuck Sommerville and Joseph Dudar. Published 1983 by Sirius Software.
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Guild of Thieves, The
"The Guild of Thieves" (1987), an illustrated text adventure by Magnetic Scrolls.
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Hermitage, The
Published in 1989 by Pegasus Software.
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Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (1984) by Douglas Adams and Steve Meretzky of Infocom
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Hollywood Hijinx
Hollywood Hijinx (1986), a zany treasure hunt by "Hollywood" Dave Anderson. As described on the box: Vampire Penguins.
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Humbug
Text adventure game by Graham Cluley.
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Hunter, in Darkness
Hunter, in Darkness (1999), a interactive short story by Andrew Plotkin, inspired by Hunt the Wumpus.
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I-0
I-0 (Interstate Zero), the "jailbait on the interstate" game by Adam Cadre.
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Infidel
Infidel (1983), an Egyptian adventure by Michael Berlyn, published by Infocom.As described on the box:INFIDEL finds you marooned by your followers in the heart of the deadly Egyptian Desert.
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Inspector Flukeit
Detective game from Top Ten.
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Institute, The
Escape a lunatic asylum by eating some strange powder that will allow you to travel to Africa and Titanic, among other things, while getting your revenge over the man who locked you up.
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Interpreters
These are needed to play most Interactive Fiction Text Games.
TADS,
Z-Machine,
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Into The Mystic
Adventure by Jack Rockerby published by River.
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Invaders From Planet X
Science fiction adventure from Compass.
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Jacaranda Jim
Text adventure game by Graham Cluley.
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James Clavell's Shogun
James Clavell's Shogun (1989), an adaptation of the novel of the same title by Dave Lebling and James Clavell.As described on the box:The year is 1600.
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Jigsaw
Jigsaw (1995) by Graham Nelson, a time-travel romance through the 20th century.
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Jinxter
"Jinxter" (1987), an illustrated text adventure by Magnetic Scrolls.
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John's Fire Witch
John's Fire Witch (1995) by John Baker.
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Journey - The Quest Begins
Journey: The Quest Begins (1989), an illustrated menu-driven adventure game by Marc Blank. Intended to be part one of The Golden Age Trilogy, but the company folded before parts two and three could be made.
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Kaged
Kaged (2000), an illustrated text adventure set in a dystopian alternate history, by Ian Finley.
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Karyssia, Queen of Diamonds
A three-part GAC adventure in Swords And Sorcery vein from Incentive.
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Klaustrophobia
Klaustrophobia (1994), a three-part epic by Carol Hovick.
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Knight Orc
Knight Orc (1989), an illustrated text adventure by Level 9 Computing.
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Labours of Hercules, The
Published in 1987 by Zenobi Software.
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Lamberley Mystery, The
Published by Zenobi Software.
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Lancelot
Lancelot (1989), an illustrated text adventure by Level 9.
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LASH
LASH [Local Asynchronous Satellite Hookup] (2000), interactive science fiction by Paul O'Brien.
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Leather Goddesses of Phobos
Leather Goddesses of Phobos (1986), a bawdy pulp sci-fi scratch-and-sniff text adventure by Steve Meretzky.
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Lethe Flow Phoenix
Lethe Flow Phoenix (1995) by Dan Shiovitz.
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Life-Term
Set in the year 3142, the user has life-sentence for the murder of a security guard.
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Light, The - Shelby's Addendum
TADS game written by C.A. McCarthy.
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Losing Your Grip
Losing Your Grip (1998) by Stephen Granade.
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Lost Dragon, The
Published in 1991 by Tartan Software.
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Lost New York
Lost New York (1996), a historical time-travel adventure by Neil deMause.
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Lost Ruby, The
Released in 1987 by Wrightchoice Software.
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Lost Tomb of Ananka, The
Released in 1993 by Compass Software.
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Lost Treasures of Infocom, The
The Lost Treasures of Infocom (1991), a compilation of 20 Infocom games by Activision. The Infocom titles included are: Ballyhoo Beyond Zork Deadline Enchanter The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Infidel Lurking Horror Moonmist Planetfall Sorcerer Spellbreaker Starcross Stationfall Suspect Suspended The Witness Zork I Zork II Zork III Zork Zero
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Lost Treasures of Infocom 2, The
The Lost Treasures of Infocom 2 (1992), a compilation of 11 Infocom games by Activision.
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Lurking Horror, The
Lurking Horror (1987), an interactive horror by Dave Lebling.As described on the box:Ever since you arrived at G.U.E.
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Mapper, The
Published by Zenobi Software in 1992.
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Mask of the Sun, The
Your search for the Mask of the Sun has brought you to Mexico, the home of the Aztec culture...
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Masquerade
Detective game written by Dale Johnson and Rick Incrocci. Published 1983 by Phoenix Software.
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Masterpieces of Infocom, The
The Masterpieces of Infocom (full title: Classic Text Adventure Masterpieces of Infocom), a collection of 33 Infocom text adventures by Activision.
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Metamorphoses
Metamorphoses (2000) by Emily Short.
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Meteor, the Stone, and a Long Glass of Sherbet, The
The Meteor, the Stone, and a Long Glass of Sherbet (1996) by Graham Nelson ["Angela M.
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Microfair Madness
An adventure based around the goings on at a Microfair. Written by Gareth Pitchford, programmed by The Spud, released by Delbert The Hamster.
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Mindfighter
Mindfighter is an adventure game by Abstract Concepts set in Southampton after a nuclear holocaust.
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Mindshadow
Written by Bill Heineman. Published 1984 by Interplay Productions.
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Mindwheel
Mindwheel (1984), a real-time "electronic novel" by Robert Pinsky. Programmed by Synapse Software and published by Brøderbund.
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Mind Forever Voyaging, A
A Mind Forever Voyaging (1985) by Steve Meretzky. (Sometimes referred to as "AMFV" for brevity.) As described on the back of the box: IT'S 2031.
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Miser, The
Published by Zenobi Software.
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Moonmist
Moonmist (1986) by Stu Galley and Jim Lawrence.As described on the box:In Moonmist, you are a famous young American detective.
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Mulldoon Legacy, The
The Mulldoon Legacy (1999) by Jon Ingold.
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Murder He Said
A murder mystery game from Zenobi.
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Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Detective
Myth
"Myth" (1989), a short illustrated text adventure by Magnetic Scrolls. Not publically released, but given as a welcome present in the British adventure club Official Secrets.
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My Angel
My Angel (2000), a largely puzzleless interactive fiction story by Jon Ingold.
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Night at the Museum Forever, A
Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It
Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It: Eight Tales of Cliches, Spoonerisms, and Other Verbal Trickery (1987), a wordplay text adventure by Jeff O'Neill.
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Once and Future
Once and Future (1998) by G. Kevin "Whizzard" Wilson in TADS. Published by Cascade Mountain Publishing.
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One Dark Night
An adventure for the ZX Spectrum written by Paul Brunyee.
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Operation Series
A series of spy adventures published by Wrightchoice. The games in the series are Operation Stallion and Operation Berlin.
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Pawn, The
"The Pawn" (1985), an illustrated text adventure by Magnetic Scrolls.
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Perry Mason - The Case of the Mandarin Murder
Mystery game based on the TV series. Written by Erle Stanley Gardner and Paisano Prod.
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Phoenix
Zenobi game about death and rebirth.
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Photopia
Photopia (1998), a text adventure by Adam Cadre.
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Planetfall
Planetfall (1983), a science fiction text adventure that was the debut of game author Steve Meretzky.
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Plundered Hearts
Plundered Hearts (1987), an interactive romance novel by Amy Briggs.As described on the box:In the 17th century, the seas are as wild as the untamedheart of a young woman.
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Pytho's Mask
Pytho's Mask (2001) by Emily Short.
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Rameses
Rameses (2000), a remarkable interactive fiction in which non-interactivity serves the story, by Steven Bond.
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Redhawk
Adventure by Simon Price and Mike Lewis, published by Melbourne House with comic book graphics.
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Red Moon
Adventure by Level 9.
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Rematch
Rematch, a single-move text adventure by Andrew Pontious.
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Rendezvous with Rama
Based on the Arthur C Clarke novel, written by Ronald Martinez andpublished 1984 by Telarium.
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Retarded Creatures and Caverns
Savage Island
Savege Island is a Scott Adams adventure from Tynesoft.
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Savoir-Faire
An old-school puzzle game set on a French estate in the 18th century, using simulationist techniques to provide a complicated game world.
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Scapeghost
A Level 9 adventure where you play the ghost of a detective who have to clear his name.
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Scary Mansion
Adventure by Andy Lowe and Dave Dutton of Zodiac Software.
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Seastalker
Seastalker (1984) by Stu GalleyAs described on the box:There's something down the in the ocean, something terrifying.
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Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, The
Secret of St. Brides, The
An adventure game published by CRL set in an all-girl school.
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Serpent's Star, The
Sequel to Mask of the Sun written by Scott Shumway and published 1985 by Ultrasoft.
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Shade
Shade (2000), "a one-room game set in your apartment", by Andrew Plotkin.
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Sherlock - The Riddle of the Crown Jewels
Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels (1987) by Bob Bates.As described on the box:Travel back in time to Victorian London, where the city is bustling with preparations for Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee.
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Silverwolf
Game from Zenobi set in western England - 5000 years ago.
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Slouching Towards Bedlam
Slouching Towards Bedlam (2003), a Victorian steampunk text adventure by Dan Rapivinto and Star Foster.
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Soap Land
Game by Andy Lowe and Dave Dutton of Zodiac.
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So Far
So Far (1996), "an interactive catharsis" by Andrew Plotkin.
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Spellcasting 101 Series
A series of cheerfully sophomoric illustrated text adventures by Steve Meretzky.
Spellcasting 101 - Sorcerers Get All the Girls,
Spellcasting 201 - The Sorcerer's Appliance,
Spellcasting 301 - Spring Break,
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Spider-Man
Released in 1984 is this a Text Adventure version of the Spider-Man comic book. Created by Adventure International.
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Spider and Web
Spider and Web, a text adventure by Andrew Plotkin.
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Spiritwrak
Spiritwrak (1996), an interactive fantasy set in the world of Zork at the dawn of the Age of Science, by Daniel S.
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Spyplane
Spyplane is a text-only adventure written by David Brammer
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Star-Wreck
StarTrek spoof from Alternative.
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Starcross
Starcross (1982) by Dave Lebling.As described on the box:STARCROSS, Infocom's science fiction mind-bender, launches you headlong into the year 2186 and the depths of space.
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Stationfall
Stationfall (1987), the sequel to Planetfall by Steve Meretzky.
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Suspect
Suspect (1984), an interactive mystery by Dave Lebling.As described on the box:You have walked into a hotbed of deceit and trickery.
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Suspended
Suspended (1983), a science fiction story by Michael Berlyn.As described on the box:They said you would sleep for half a millennium -- not an unreasonable length of time, considering you'd be in limited cryogenic suspension.
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Tempest, The - 1997
The Tempest (1997), an adaptation of the Shakespeare play by Graham Nelson.
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Terrormolinos
A holiday spoof from Melbourne House.
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Timequest
"TIMEQUEST", a time-travel illustrated text adventure by Bob Bates for Legend Entertainment Company, author of Arthur and Sherlock for Infocom.
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Time and Magik
Trilogy consisting of: Lords Of Time, Red Moon and The Price Of Magik. Released by Mandarin.
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Tolkien Series, The
Series of illustrated text adventures based on the Middle-earth novels of J.R.R. Tolkien by Beam Software/Melbourne House.The Hobbit (1982)Lord of the Rings: Game One (1985) a/k/a The Fellowship of the RingThe Return of the King (1988)The Crack of Doom (1989)
Crack of Doom, The,
Fellowship of the Ring, The,
Hobbit, The,
Shadows of Mordor, The,
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Toonesia
Toonesia (1995), a small adventure game based on Warner Brothers cartoons, by Jacob Weinstein.
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Trinity
Trinity (1986) by Brian Moriarty.As described on the box:It's the last day of your $599 London vacation.
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Uncle Zebulon's Will
Uncle Zebulon's Will (1995) by Magnus Olsson.
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Undertow
Undertow (1995), a murder mystery by Stephen Granade.
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Varicella
Varicella (1999) by Adam Cadre.
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Violator of Voodoo, The
Text adventure published by Zenobi. Sequel to Phoenix.
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Wearing the Claw
Wearing the Claw (1996), a traditional fantasy quest by Paul O'Brian.
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White Feather Cloak, The
Text adventure published by Zenobi.
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Witch Hunt
The Jack Lockerby game.
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Witness, The
The Witness (1983), Infocom's second interactive mystery, by Stu Galley.As described on the box:FEBRUARY 1938, LOS ANGELES.
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Wizard of Akryz, The
The Wizard of Akryz was written and published by Brian Howarth. It is a part of the Mysterious Adventures series that includes
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Wonderland
"Wonderland" (1990), an illustrated text adventure by Magnetic Scrolls.
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Worlds Apart
You wake up on a strange beach with no memory of who or where you are, and you explore the land and your own memory over the course of the game.
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Zogan's Revenge
Published by Compass, the sequel to Blood Of Bogmole.
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