Adventure (Microsoft)

Name: Adventure
Programmer(s): Gordon Letwin
Publisher: Microsoft
Year: 1979

Description:

Microsoft Adventure was one of the first text adventure games for the Apple II, released in 1979. This game brought the popular mainframe game "Colossal Cave Adventure" to home computers, letting players explore a mysterious cave system filled with treasures and dangers.

In Microsoft Adventure, you play as an explorer searching for treasure in a massive underground cave. The game uses only text, with no graphics at all. You type simple commands like "GO NORTH" or "TAKE LAMP" to move around and interact with objects. The computer describes what you see and what happens after each command. Your goal is to find valuable items like gold coins, diamonds, and a silver bars while avoiding deadly obstacles.

The cave system contains over 100 different rooms connected by passages. Some areas require specific items to enter. You need a lamp to see in dark places, keys to unlock doors, and food to keep your strength up. Dangerous creatures like a snake, dragon, and dwarves can kill you if you're not careful. The game includes puzzles that require logical thinking. For example, you must figure out the right words to pass a bridge guarded by a troll.

Microsoft Adventure challenged players in new ways. Unlike arcade games that tested reflexes, this game tested imagination and problem-solving skills. Players had to create mental maps of the cave since there were no visual aids. The two-word command system forced players to experiment with different verb-noun combinations. Finding all the treasures required careful exploration and note-taking.

The game fit on a single floppy disk and required only 32K of memory, impressive for such a large game world. Microsoft programmed it in BASIC, making it slower than machine language games but easier to modify. The parser could understand about 300 different words, advanced for 1979.

Microsoft Adventure proved that home computers could deliver complex gaming experiences beyond simple arcade ports. It inspired countless other text adventures on the Apple II, including Zork and Wizardry. The game showed that words alone could create immersive worlds in players' imaginations. While graphics-based games eventually became more popular, Microsoft Adventure demonstrated the power of interactive storytelling. Today, game historians recognize it as a crucial step in the evolution of computer gaming, bringing a mainframe classic to thousands of home users.