An Adventurer Relates...
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                      by Phil Richmond

We have been told that the text adventure is dead, it is no more,
it has expired, passed its sell-by date, gone to meet its Maker.
In short it is an ex-genre. Why should people want to play these
old fashioned, old hat, non-graphical dinosaurs from a bygone era?
To those who casually reel off remarks like this I reply that text
adventures are far from extinction. The fact that "SynTax" exists
is living proof that a demand exists for them. Many PD libraries
stock a certain amount of them because they KNOW that they are
still popular with a certain section of gamers.

The fact that few, if any, are now being commercially sold by
leading Software houses is because people have come to want and
expect a 9 disk extravaganza with "Monkey Island" type graphics
and animations, point and click interfaces, and little or no
textual input.

This does not mean that such a game can offer more enjoyment and
pleasure than playing a text only game, it is just that few of the
kids today have ever played or known what it is like to be
absolutely engrossed and absorbed in the intrigue and
entertainment of a well constructed, well presented text affair.
Or it may be that the skills, logic, and expertise needed in
playing one is too demanding when compared with the flashy
graphics, arcade style, joystick waggling, alien blasting,
platform jumping, time limited, digital dexterity required by its
commercial counterparts.

Text adventures are an altogether different beast. They are more
laid back and can be played at a much slower, sedate and refined
pace. Without the distractions of sound and moving sprites the
player can concentrate on reading the text displayed at his or her
leisure, digesting the relevant facts and storing them in the
cranium, for later use. The pictures which are conjured up from a
well described location or message can evoke a subjective response
which is far more personal and does far more justice than any
produced by that of on-screen graphics.

The player then begins to get drawn in to the adventure world as
problems are solved and obstacles are overcome thus allowing
progress to be made. This engenders an innate sense of
satisfaction at having worked out the puzzles and solved them
properly, perhaps increasing the player's resolve (and his score)
and also giving an insight into the mind of the creator of the
game with whose world he is becoming intimately familiar.

The level of difficulty and size of a text adventure can sometimes
mean that the solution is not finally achieved for weeks or even
months ahead. It is not surprising then that patience and
persistence are 2 qualities that are an absolute necessity when
taking on a game of this nature. Thus it is, when the final goal
has been reached and the player wins the game he/she experiences a
great feeling of elation and achievement which is not easily
forgettable and will remain for years to come...

What the author has done is to single-handedly devise and produce
(without the aid of latest technology and an army of backroom
technicians and graphic artists) a 1 or 2 disk game by his own
efforts, either using an authoring utility or his own programming
knowledge and create the realm of his fantasy world for others to
share and enjoy at a nominal price.

Adventure games certainly have a place in my heart as they have
provided me with endless hours of pleasure. I can but marvel at
the ability and inventiveness of the plots and stories that arise.
So, Long Live The Text Adventure. Let us preserve and protect
them, continue to write them, and never stop enthusing about them,
for there is still a place in computer gaming history reserved for
them - and it isn't the trashcan !! They are as relevant today as
yesterday.






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