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Games with files timestamped Dec 2000
Adventure
| Alternate Titles: | Abenteuer, ADVENT, Adventure in Humongous Cave, Aventura, Aventure, Avontuur, Colossal Adventure - Jewels of Darkness, Colossal Cave, nuntalyli'u, Original Adventure
| | Authors: | William Crowther and Donald Woods | | Genre: | Fantasy>Cave crawl | | Released: | 1976 | | Review: | The original. What more can be said? This was the first adventure game; the whole genre is named after it. Without it, Infocom would have been just another maker of business software, Sierra On-line would be primarily known for adaptations of coin-op videogames, and Volker Blasius would have a life. A detailed description of this game's history and significance can be found in Graham Nelson's "The Craft of Adventure".
Ignoring the profound historical significance for a moment, it's a treasure hunt in a cave, like most of the early adventures (including Zork). It has a verb-noun parser, minimal detail, two big annoying mazes, magic words, nonsense puzzles, and occasional death without warning. None
of this matters. Download it anyway. You cannot consider yourself a true adventurer until you've played this game.
There are many different versions of this game, some of which include
additions by later authors. The original gave a total of 350 points.
Later additions usually award a higher final score.
Rating: ***
Reviewed by Carl Muckenhoupt (03 Jul 2000)
| | Play Online: | Play it at ifiction.org: 350 point version
Play it at ifiction.org: 350 point version (German translation)
Play it at ifiction.org: 350 point version (Spanish translation)
| | Related Links: | The Colossal Cave Adventure Page: A web site all about this game and its history
SPAG reviews
| | Downloads: | - 1997-12-04 adventions.tar.gz (1.08 MB)
- TADS executable (version: 2.0G, additional material by David Baggett, full-sentence parser, all the Adventions games gzipped together)
- 1997-12-04 adventions.zip (1.08 MB)
- TADS executable (version: 2.0G, additional material by David Baggett, full-sentence parser, all the Adventions games zipped together)
- 1993-10-26 ccr.sit.bin (481.13 KB)
- Macintosh executable, TADS source code (version: 1.0, additional material by David Baggett, full-sentence parser)
- 1993-10-26 ccr.sit.hqx (655.11 KB)
- Macintosh executable, TADS source code (version: 1.0, additional material by David Baggett, full-sentence parser)
- 1993-07-25 ccr.oldtr.tar.Z (352.14 KB)
- TADS 2.1 or earlier executable, TADS source code (version: 1.0, additional material by David Baggett, full-sentence parser)
- 1993-07-10 ccr.tar.Z (264.27 KB)
- TADS executable, TADS source code (version: 1.0, additional material by David Baggett, full-sentence parser)
- 1993-07-10 ccr.zip (374.29 KB)
- MS-DOS executable, TADS source code (version: 1.0, additional material by David Baggett, full-sentence parser)
- 1993-07-22 firstadv.zip (159.08 KB)
- AGT executable (version: 1.4, ported by David Gasior, bundled with MS-DOS runtime, full-sentence parser)
- 1993-08-04 hugecave.zip (437.88 KB)
- AGT executable (version: 2.0, additional material by David Malmberg, bundled with MS-DOS runtime, full-sentence parser, 1000 points)
- 1996-07-02 adv350.lha (68.28 KB)
- Amiga executable (ported by Don Ekman and David Kinder, 350 points)
- 1996-11-20 adv350jg.lha (82.26 KB)
- Amiga executable (ported by Jim Gillogly and David Kinder, 350 points)
- 1997-08-03 adv350r4.lha (69.92 KB)
- Amiga executable (version: DECUS release 4, ported by David Kinder, 350 points)
- 1996-02-06 adv430.lha (161.50 KB)
- Amiga executable (version: 2.5, ported by David Kinder, additional material by Donald Woods, 430 points), C source code
- 1996-01-08 adv550.lha (201.46 KB)
- Amiga executable (ported by David Kinder, additional material by Ken C. Wellsch, 550 points), C source code
- 1996-05-28 adv551.lha (123.36 KB)
- Amiga executable (ported by David Kinder, additional material by Doug McDonald, 551 points)
- 1996-01-08 adv660.lha (274.78 KB)
- C source code, Amiga executable (version: 10.06, ported by David Kinder, additional material by Mike Arnautov, 660 points, requires Kicksart 2.04)
- 1996-11-20 Adventure.lha (644.33 KB)
- Amiga executable (ported by David Kinder, contains all of Kinder's amiga ports listed below)
- 1993-06-30 hugecave.lzh (237.20 KB)
- Amiga executable (additional material by David Malmberg, 1000 points)
- 1995-11-17 atari8gm.zip (790.45 KB)
- Atari 800 executable
- 1992-12-06 adventr.arc (64.75 KB)
- Atari ST executable (ported by Marvin W. Rasmussen)
- 2003-07-06 beebgames.zip (1.32 MB)
- BBC executable (additional material by Mike Austin, Nick Austin, and Pete Austin)
- 1997-02-13 ColossalAdventure.zip (19.77 KB)
- BBC executable (additional material by Mike Austin, Nick Austin, and Pete Austin)
- 1995-03-19 advc64.zip (88.38 KB)
- Commodore executable (ported by Jim Butterfield), BASIC source code (version: 4)
- 1997-06-09 C64adv.zip (2.78 MB)
- Commodore executable
- 1997-05-17 Int-Fic.zip (96.11 KB)
- Commodore executable
- 2005-02-11 cpm-advent-b03.zip (118.01 KB)
- CP/M executable (version: B03, ported by Mike Goetz, 580 points)
- 2000-08-13 cpm-advent.zip (736.95 KB)
- CP/M executable (version: A02, ported by Mike Goetz, 350 points), FORTRAN source code, CP/M executable (version: B00, 550 points), CP/M executable (version: B01, 550 points), CP/M executable (version: A02, 580 points)
- 2002-11-15 advent.blb (190.83 KB)
- Glulx executable (version: 5, ported by Simon Baldwin, GUI enhancements)
- 2000-04-01 advent.ulx (163.50 KB)
- Glulx executable (version: release 5, ported by Andrew Plotkin)
- 1997-01-03 colossal.hex (121.24 KB)
- Hugo 2.2a executable (ported by Kent Tessman)
- 2001-12-19 adv440-linux.tgz (98.93 KB)
- Linux executable (ported by Mike Arnautov, 440 points)
- 2002-01-04 adv550_glk_linux.tar.gz (146.54 KB)
- Linux executable, Linux executable (ported by Mike Arnautov)
- 2002-01-04 adv660_glk_linux.tar.gz (213.96 KB)
- Linux executable (ported by Mike Arnautov, 660 points)
- 2006-12-30 adv770-1.80-linux-glk.tgz (717.16 KB)
- Linux executable (version: 1.80, additional material by Mike Arnautov, 770 points)
- 1993-01-13 adventure-11.hqx (134.81 KB)
- Macintosh executable (version: 1.1, ported by Anthony C. Ard, 550 points)
- 1999-01-29 Adventure.sit (100.93 KB)
- Macintosh executable (version: 2.5.m2, ported by Jacob Munkhammar, additional material by Donald Woods, 430 points)
- 2005-12-02 HCMacPkg.sit (710.41 KB)
- Macintosh executable (version: 1, ported by Al Golden, additional material by David Malmberg, 1000 points), hints, maps in GIF format
- 1994-04-29 advos2.zip (70.15 KB)
- OS/2 2.x executable (ported by John W. Kennedy, additional material by Jerry D. Pohl, three-score version)
- 1992-11-12 adv.arc (55.75 KB)
- MS-DOS executable (ported by Jerry D. Pohl, three-score version)
- 1992-11-12 adv350de.zip (138.78 KB)
- MS-DOS executable (ported by Don Ekman), FORTRAN source code, walkthrough
- 1997-03-05 adv350kb.zip (76.99 KB)
- MS-DOS executable (ported by Kevin Black, 350 points)
- 1994-10-11 adv350kp.zip (220.38 KB)
- FORTRAN source code, MS-DOS executable (ported by Ken Plotkin)
- 1996-09-16 adv370.zip (56.05 KB)
- MS-DOS executable (ported by Paul Munoz-Colman, 370 points)
- 1999-08-21 adv375.zip (60.00 KB)
- MS-DOS executable (additional material by Walt Bilofsky and Jim Gillogly, 375 points)
- 2001-12-30 adv440.zip (124.20 KB)
- MS-DOS executable (ported by Mike Arnautov, 440 points)
- 2002-10-19 adv550_glk.zip (886.27 KB)
- MS-DOS executable (ported by Mike Arnautov and David Kinder, 550 points)
- 1993-07-22 adv550.zip (115.75 KB)
- MS-DOS executable (version: B00, ported by Steve Dover, 550 points)
- 1993-03-25 adv551.zip (118.40 KB)
- MS-DOS executable (version: 6.6, ported by Magnus Olsson, additional material by Doug McDonald, 551 points)
- 2002-10-19 adv660_glk.zip (468.19 KB)
- MS-DOS executable (ported by Mike Arnautov and David Kinder, 660 points)
- 1995-11-29 adv660.zip (199.93 KB)
- MS-DOS executable (version: 10.06, additional material by Mike Arnautov, 660 points)
- 2006-12-30 adv770-1.80-dos.zip (732.34 KB)
- MS-DOS executable (version: 1.80, additional material by Mike Arnautov, 770 points)
- 2006-12-30 adv770-1.80-win-glk.zip (1.17 MB)
- Windows executable (version: 1.80, additional material by Mike Arnautov)
- 1996-06-16 advbds.zip (140.99 KB)
- C source code, MS-DOS executable (ported by Bob Withers, three-score version)
- 1996-02-05 advent25.zip (95.56 KB)
- MS-DOS executable (version: 2.5, additional material by Donald Woods, 430 points)
- 1993-03-25 advtc2.zip (98.40 KB)
- MS-DOS executable (by Jerry D. Pohl, three-score version), C source code
- 2006-10-17 CCave.zip (1.57 MB)
- Windows executable (version: V2006.1.2, ported by C. Young, relies on graphics, music, primitive parser, GUI version)
- 2005-12-02 HCWinPkg.zip (774.07 KB)
- 1000 points, hints in Z-code format, maps in GIF format
- 2004-11-01 advent_rus.zip (259.05 KB)
- MS-DOS executable in Russian, C source code in Russian
- 1992-11-12 winadv21.zip (127.25 KB)
- Windows executable (version: 2.1, ported by Wolfgang Strobl and Ken C. Wellsch, additional material by David Platt, 550 points)
- 2000-12-28 adv350-pdp10.tar.gz (48.85 KB)
- FORTRAN source code
- 2003-04-08 adv350-php.zip (54.47 KB)
- PHP source code (ported by Matt Cox, requires MySQL)
- 1996-11-13 adv350jg.zip (62.31 KB)
- C source code (version: 1.2, ported by Jim Gillogly, 350 points)
- 1997-03-05 adv350kb-src.zip (64.56 KB)
- FORTRAN source code (ported by Kevin Black)
- 2002-11-01 adv350r4_f77.tar.gz (51.85 KB)
- FORTRAN source code (version: DECUS release 4, ported by Linards Ticmanis)
- 1996-12-12 adv350r4.tar.gz (51.06 KB)
- FORTRAN source code (version: DECUS release 4, ported by Kevin Black)
- 1996-09-16 adv370s.zip (181.10 KB)
- FORTRAN source code (ported by Paul Munoz-Colman, 370 points)
- 2001-12-17 adv440.tgz (156.53 KB)
- FORTRAN source code (additional material by Peter Luckett and Jack Pike, 440 points)
- 1993-03-25 adv550s.zip (131.48 KB)
- C source code (ported by Ken C. Wellsch, additional material by David Platt, 550 points)
- 1995-11-29 adv660.tar.Z (227.66 KB)
- C source code (version: 10.06, additional material by Mike Arnautov, 660 points)
- 2006-12-28 adv770-1.80-C-src.tgz (619.12 KB)
- C source code (version: 1.80, additional material by Mike Arnautov)
- 2002-01-04 advent_acode.tar.gz (778.67 KB)
- A-code source code (ported by Mike Arnautov, 550 points), A-code source code (ported by Mike Arnautov, 660 points), solution
- 2003-08-20 advent_forth.zip (56.92 KB)
- Forth source code (350 points, compatible with Gforth, Win32Forth, bigFORTH, VFX Forth, Swiftforth, and PFE)
- 2002-09-30 advent_unisys2200.zip (24.95 KB)
- MAPPER source code (ported by Jared Mathes)
- 2003-03-18 advent-5.2.2-5.tar.gz (161.34 KB)
- FORTRAN source code (version: 5.2/2, ported by Johann Gunnar Oskarsson, additional material by David Long)
- 2003-03-19 advent-orig550.tar.gz (115.35 KB)
- FORTRAN source code (additional material by David Platt, 550 points), PL-6 source code, A-code source code
- 1996-03-18 advent-original.tar.gz (50.42 KB)
- FORTRAN source code (This is the ur-text from which most other versions are derived.)
- 1992-12-21 advent.tar.Z (155.56 KB)
- FORTRAN source code (version: 5.2/2, additional material by David Long, 501 points)
- 1996-01-29 Adventure2.5.tar.gz (67.18 KB)
- C source code (version: 2.5, additional material by Donald Woods, 430 points)
- 1994-04-29 advos2s.zip (58.45 KB)
- C source code (ported by John W. Kennedy, additional material by Jerry D. Pohl, three-score version, for OS/2)
- 1994-02-16 advqnx.tar.gz (38.63 KB)
- C source code (additional material by Jerry D. Pohl, three-score version, for Unix)
- 1992-12-16 advsrc.zip (115.03 KB)
- FORTRAN source code (version: 6.6, additional material by Doug McDonald, 551 points)
- 1993-03-18 cave.zip (45.12 KB)
- AGT source code (350 points)
- 1995-12-29 hugecv-s.zip (216.23 KB)
- AGT source code (additional material by David Malmberg, 1000 points), solution
- 2000-10-12 colossal.hug (121.68 KB)
- Hugo source code (version: Release 2.2a, ported by Kent Tessman)
- 2003-04-26 Avontuur.inf (149.62 KB)
- Inform source code in Dutch (version: 8, translated by Yuri Robbers)
- 2006-11-12 polyadv_320a.zip (1.22 MB)
- TADS source code (version: 3.20a, ported by David Baggett, David Picton, and Bennett Standeven, original 350-point version, 550-point version by David Platt, 551-point version by David Long, 580-point version by Mike Goetz, and combined 701-point versions)
- 2003-07-22 level9.zip (1.26 MB)
- Spectrum executable (optional graphics)
- 1997-11-27 zx.zip (2.88 MB)
- Spectrum executable (optional graphics)
- 2006-11-12 polyadv.gam (849.18 KB)
- TADS executable (version: 3.20 Rev. A, ported by David Baggett, David Picton, and Bennett Standeven, original 350-point version, 550-point version by David Platt, 551-point version by David Long, 580-point version by Mike Goetz, and combined 701-point versions)
- 2006-06-12 Advent.z5 (135.00 KB)
- Z-code 5 executable (version: 9, ported by Graham Nelson, 350 points)
- 2001-11-23 advent.z6 (115.50 KB)
- Z-code 6 executable (version: 10, ported by Jason C. Penney)
- 2003-04-26 Avontuur.z5 (150.00 KB)
- Z-code 5 executable in Dutch (version: 8, translated by Yuri Robbers)
- 2000-05-17 aventure.z5 (126.50 KB)
- Z-code 5 executable in French (translated by Jean-Luc Pontico)
- 1998-04-19 abent.z5 (123.50 KB)
- Z-code 5 executable in German (version: 5, translated by Toni Arnold, full-sentence parser)
- 2005-12-02 HugeCave.z8 (325.00 KB)
- Z-code 8 executable (version: 1, ported by Al Golden, additional material by David Malmberg, 1000 points)
- 2005-12-02 HugeHint.z5 (122.00 KB)
- hints in Z-code format for Humongous Cave 1000-point version
- 2002-12-10 nuntalylihu.z5 (144.50 KB)
- Z-code 5 executable in Lojban (version: 5)
- 1997-12-09 aventura.zip (79.16 KB)
- Z-code executable in Spanish (version: 1, translated by José Luis Díaz)
- 1995-01-19 Craft.Of.Adventure.txt (96.89 KB)
- essay by Graham Nelson, containing quite a bit of background on this game
- 1996-09-24 ColossalAdventure.clues (18.34 KB)
- clue sheet
- 1995-11-24 col-adv.step (6.45 KB)
- solution
- 1998-02-07 Adv_walk.zip (7.51 KB)
- solution and map in GUEmap format for 350 point version
- 1997-09-12 adv660-hints.txt (23.86 KB)
- hints for 660-point version
- 1993-08-02 adven550.sol (25.93 KB)
- solution for the 550-point version
- 1997-08-17 adventure-walkthrough.txt (13.75 KB)
- solution for the 350-point version
- 1992-12-31 adventure.step (10.29 KB)
- solution for the 350-point version
- 1999-12-26 hcavesol.zip (68.01 KB)
- solution to 1000-point "humongous" version
- 1995-11-21 jgunness.zip (159.04 KB)
- Walkthrough for Level 9 version
- 1996-10-15 Sols1.zip (213.57 KB)
- solution
- 1992-12-02 winadsol.zip (29.96 KB)
- solution to the 550-point version
|
Panatubo I
Kaged
| Author: | Ian Finley | | Genre: | Science Fiction | | Released: | 2000 | | Review: | A nicely done dystopia, with plenty of atmosphere and some well-executed twists. Rather linear--about halfway through, the game sort of locks you onto a certain track, and there's really never more than one thing to do from that point on. The game does justify the linearity, however, and the puzzles are good enough that the player doesn't feel like he's just pushing the story along. The music and graphics enhance the game experience considerably, so be sure to use an HTML-TADS runtime. A worthy heir to the tradition of dystopian IF.
Rating: ****
Reviewed by Duncan Stevens (05 Feb 2001)
| Competitions/ Awards: | 1st place, rec.arts.int-fiction competition 2000
Finalist, Best NPCs, Xyzzy Awards 2000
| | Related Links: | SPAG reviews
| | Downloads: | - 2000-09-30 kaged.gam (647.92 KB)
- TADS executable (version: Release 1)
- 2000-09-28 kaged.rs1 (335.82 KB)
- Multimedia file
- 2000-09-28 kaged.rs2 (6.19 MB)
- Multimedia file
- 2000-10-01 kaged.rs3 (5.03 MB)
- Multimedia file
- 2000-09-23 khint.txt (9.39 KB)
- Hints
- 2000-09-27 kwalk.txt (1.44 KB)
- Walkthrough
- 2000-12-24 kaged_s.exe (1.88 MB)
- TADS executable (version: Release 2, Post-competition shareware release, with images but no music)
- 2000-12-24 kaged_s.gam (1,007.69 KB)
- TADS executable (version: Release 2, post-competition shareware release, with images but no music)
|
My Angel
| Author: | Jon Ingold | | Genres: | Fantasy
Romance | | Released: | 2000 | | Review: | A hauntingly told tale whose most important conceit can't be given away here without spoilers, this is largely puzzleless; the focus is on the story, and on the protagonist's relationship with the main NPC. Both you and the NPC are telepaths, and you communicate by sharing thoughts; at times, it's as if you're two characters rather than one. It's told in the first person with an unusual formatting trick: the game gives you the option of shifting all parser responses to the subject line and putting the main text together as if it were static prose. The technical details are done well--there are even reasonably logical paragraphs--but it's still easy to get repetitive text. Still, My Angel is worth playing--it's much more notable for the relationship it depicts (and for the twist at the end) than for its formatting experiments.
Rating: ****
Reviewed by Duncan Stevens (06 Feb 2001)
| Competitions/ Awards: | 6th place, rec.arts.int-fiction competition 2000
Winner, Best Story, Xyzzy Awards 2000
Finalist, Best Individual NPC, Xyzzy Awards 2000
Finalist, Best Writing, Xyzzy Awards 2000
| | Play Online: | Play it at ifiction.org
| | Related Links: | SPAG review
| | Downloads: | - 2000-09-12 ang_walk.txt (6.74 KB)
- Walkthrough
- 2000-09-25 my_angel.z5 (242.50 KB)
- Z-code 5 executable (version: Release 1, original competition release)
- 2000-12-18 My_Angel.z5 (251.50 KB)
- Z-code 5 executable (version: Release 2)
|
Guess the Verb!
| Author: | Leonard Richardson | | Genre: | Humor | | Released: | 2000 | | Review: | Several mini-games in one--there's a device that transports you into various scenes--and also several mini-parodies in one, since most of the scenes poke fun at one genre or another. As a game, there's not a lot there; most of the puzzles are pretty easy, and it's possible to get through the game without seeing all of the scenes. But the humor makes this work--there are loads of funny responses, and even the instructions are hilarious. Not a perfect effort, but as a satirical take on IF, it works.
Rating: ****
Reviewed by Duncan Stevens (07 Feb 2001)
| Competitions/ Awards: | 11th place, rec.arts.int-fiction competition 2000
| | Play Online: | Play it at ifiction.org
| | Related Links: | SPAG reviews
| | Downloads: | - 2000-09-30 guess.z5 (195.00 KB)
- Z-code 5 executable (version: Release 3, original competition entry)
- 2000-12-10 guess.z5 (229.50 KB)
- Z-code 5 executable (version: Release 4)
|
A Crimson Spring
| Author: | Robb Sherwin | | Genre: | Superhero | | Released: | 2000 | | Review: | A thoroughly dark superhero game--you're a superhero out to avenge your girlfriend's (gruesome and minutely described) death. The multimedia aspect is good (the sound is better than the graphics), the writing's strong, and the plot is fairly complex--and the PC is nicely rendered as well; this is no stock jut-jawed invincible superhero. There are some implementation problems, though--at one point, SEARCH ROOM is a required command), and some of the event triggers are easy to miss. Plenty of sex and violence here, so this is not for the faint of heart.
Rating: ****
Reviewed by Duncan Stevens (05 Mar 2001)
| Competitions/ Awards: | 23rd place, rec.arts.int-fiction competition 2000
| | Related Links: | SPAG review
| | Downloads: | - 2000-09-30 acs_walk.txt (77.50 KB)
- Walkthrough
- 2000-09-30 scourge.hex (348.10 KB)
- Hugo executable (version: Release 1.0, original competition entry)
- 2000-09-30 SCOURGE1 (15.22 MB)
- Multimedia file
- 2000-12-06 scourgdos.hex (363.10 KB)
- Hugo executable (version: 1.0.04, no graphics or sound)
- 2000-12-06 scourge.zip (19.47 MB)
- Hugo executable (version: 1.0.04, graphics and sound resources included)
- 2001-06-03 Scourge.hug (383.00 KB)
- Hugo source code (version: 1.0.04)
|
The Liquid Cow Shop
Escape from the Starship Zenon
| Author: | Andrew Gawthorpe | | Genre: | Science Fiction>Space Exploration | | Released: | 2000 | | License: | Shareware | | Review: | Alas, this game is not worth your time, and definitely not worth the five pounds that the author's asking for. The premise is you've been accused of, um, "multi-planeterial murder", and tossed into a, haha, "high-security" brig of a starship. It's so high-security they lock the key in with you. And you murdered who, you ask? Like it matters. You'll meet no less than five other people on your way to freedom, and not one of them cares that you're a mass murderer on the run. But we're on a starship, right? Cool stuff to look at? Why, sure. Just take a look!!: >x controls A load of buttons and switches. The Controls is currently switched off. Exciting, isn't it? As you might imagine, there are lots of spelling and grammar errors, sparse furnishings, sparse handling for non-optimal actions, puzzles that only work because the author said so, and lots and lots of empty hallways. Oh, well. The game is short and uses the word "knobkerrie", so it's not completely without merit.
Rating: *
Reviewed by David Welbourn (23 Apr 2003)
| | Downloads: | - 2000-12-24 zenon.z5 (66.00 KB)
- Z-code 5 executable (version: Release 2)
|
Deadline
| Author: | Marc Blank | | Porter: | Volker Lanz | | Publisher: | Infocom | | Genre: | Mystery | | Released: | 1981 | | License: | Former commercial | | Review: | A port of one of Infocom's better games, with the permission of Activision. Not on the archive in compiled form, for some reason (possibly at Activision's request--it's not clear). The game itself is a mystery--you're solving a murder--and it's very, very hard; it's easy to miss important events simply by not being in the right place at the right time. Still, the character interaction is pretty extensive, a remarkable feat for 1982, and as a game it's pretty solid--there were some bugs in the NPC movement daemons in the original, but this port appears to be cleaner.
Rating: ****
Reviewed by Duncan Stevens (11 Jan 2002)
| | Related Links: | SPAG review
| | Downloads: | - 2000-12-17 Deadline.zip (125.97 KB)
- Inform source code (version: Release 3)
- 1995-02-10 Deadline.inv (26.08 KB)
- transcribed Invisiclues hint book
- 1992-12-06 deadline.txt (5.95 KB)
- solution
- 1994-12-06 sample.from.deadline (7.93 KB)
- sample transcript from original documentation
- 1995-02-22 hints.many (16.10 KB)
- hints
- 2002-03-03 deadlineinv.z5 (29.00 KB)
- Invisiclues in Z-code format
- 1996-10-15 Sols1.zip (213.57 KB)
- solution
- 1996-11-26 Sols3.zip (172.32 KB)
- solution
- 1998-03-10 deadline.zip (18.10 KB)
- THL hint file
|
Heroine's Mantle
| Author: | Andy Phillips | | Released: | 2000 | | Review: | Massive, and massively ambitious, this game combines a sweeping and complex plot with some of the most fiendish puzzles in existence. You are a young woman swept into the role of superheroine, and the game provides enough hair-raising adventures to fill a half-dozen lesser works of IF. There are many, many locations, NPCs, and scenarios; action scenes worthy of a John Woo movie; and utterly ludicrous challenges to overcome.
Speaking of ludicrous, the puzzle design needs quite a lot of work. The superheroine has certain powers, which are rather fun, and which the game allows the player to learn in a fairly effective manner. Not all of the puzzles turn on these powers, however, and others don't use them in obvious ways; there are many, many places where the game requires syntax that might not be obvious and that is non-standard to IF. Likewise, some puzzles are only solvable by a complex sequence of read-the-author's-mind maneuvers.
Finally, some people may have mixed reactions to the game's treatment of gender -- the overt feminist propaganda sits a bit oddly next to a sometimes voyeuristic treatment of individual women.
In other words, this is a game with higher highs and lower lows than most; where it's good, it's great, and where it's bad, it's terrible. On the whole it comes out worth playing -- set aside a few weeks for the task, because it is not a small game -- but have the solution handy. Some of these puzzles are just not going to make sense any other way.
Rating: ****
Reviewed by Emily Short (01 Jun 2003)
| Competitions/ Awards: | Finalist, Best Story, Xyzzy Awards 2000
Finalist, Best Puzzles, Xyzzy Awards 2000
Finalist, Best NPCs, Xyzzy Awards 2000
| | Related Links: | IF-Review
IFRC Review
SPAG review
| | Downloads: | - 2000-12-12 Heroine.z8 (511.50 KB)
- Z-code 8 executable (version: 3)
- 2001-01-05 Heroine.sol (22.41 KB)
- solution
|
Fail-Safe
| Author: | Jon Ingold | | Genre: | Science Fiction | | Released: | 2000 | | Review: | A brief game with a novel premise that it would be disastrous to describe. This work plays some interesting games with the player/player-character/parser identities. It also turns off meta-verbs, so be prepared for the fact that you won't be able to save and restore. The game is so brief, thought, that it probably won't matter much. Definitely worth a try.
Rating: ****
Reviewed by Emily Short (09 Feb 2003)
| Competitions/ Awards: | Finalist, Best Individual NPC, Xyzzy Awards 2000
| | Related Links: | SPAG reviews
IF-Review
IFRC Review
| | Downloads: | - 2000-12-18 FailSafe.z5 (76.50 KB)
- Z-code 5 executable
|
Space Aliens Laughed at my Cardigan
| Author: | Andre M. Boyle | | Genres: | Science Fiction>Alien Visitation
Humor>Satire | | Released: | 1992 | | License: | Shareware | | Review: | This game seems like something a bored twelve-year-old wrote in the span
of an hour without going back to change anything he had written. It
exudes a consistent awfulness that earns it the lowest degree of honor
available in this guide. It violates every known principle of game
design, with arbitrary deaths and arbitrary puzzles, but that's not all:
this game was apparently never debugged. Half the commands simply do not
work. The faulty mechanics are complemented by hideous spelling (it took
me hours to realize what a "sionide pill" is) and a sense of humor about as
sharp as a bale of cotton. The plot: The aliens didn't just laugh at your
cardigan, they destroyed it. You have to get a replacement before Mom finds
out. I really suggest that you try this game, if only to see how vile a
game can be.
Rating: *
Reviewed by Carl Muckenhoupt (30 Jun 2000)
| Competitions/ Awards: | Honorable Mention, Softworks AGT contest 1992
| | Related Links: | SPAG reviews
| | Downloads: | - 1994-07-16 cardigan.zip (118.11 KB)
- AGT executable (bundled with MS-DOS runtime)
- 1995-12-04 aliens.zip (31.08 KB)
- AGT source code (See if you can fix it!), solution
- 2000-12-11 aliens.sol (1.97 KB)
- solution
| | See also: | Still Laughing at my Cardigan |
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