Adventureland (video game)
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| Adventureland | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Developer(s) | Adventure International |
| Publisher(s) | Adventure International |
| Designer(s) | Scott Adams |
| Platform(s) | TRS-80, Apple II series, Atari 8-bit, TI-99/4A, Commodore PET, Commodore 64, IBM-PC, Commodore Vic 20, ZX Spectrum |
| Release date(s) | 1978 |
| Genre(s) | Interactive Fiction |
| Rating(s) | N/A |
| Media | Cartridge, floppy disc, cassette |
| System requirements | 3.5kb |
| Input methods | Keyboard |
Adventureland is a seminal work of interactive fiction. It is a computer game written by Scott Adams, and was not only the first text adventure game to be commercially published and sold for the then-new home computers, but was the first commercially available adventure game of any kind for use on personal computers[1] (although if video game consoles are included, there's some question as to whether Superman for the Atari 2600 may have preceded it in the field of adventure games, as they both were published in 1978).
[edit] Description
Gameplay involved moving between the various locations found within the game, collecting found objects (and often subsequently using them, generally in another location), and the solving of puzzles. Adventureland was a very characteristic, fantasy adventure, and the first in a series of twelve adventure games from Adams, and his company, Adventure International.[2] The game commands took the form of either simple, two-word, verb/noun phrases, such as "Climb Tree," or one-word commands, such as those used for player character movement, including North, South, East, West, Up, and Down. The commands could be truncated to three letters such as "Lig Lam" for "Light Lamp".
In order to complete the game, the adventurer had to collect the thirteen lost artifacts: A statue of Paul Bunyan's blue ox, Babe, the jeweled fruit, the golden fish, a dragon's egg, a golden net, a magic carpet, a diamond necklace, a diamond bracelet, a pot of rubies, the "royal honey", a crown, a magic mirror, and a "firestone."
The game was available on a number of platforms, including the Apple II series of computers, and various computers released by Atari, Commodore International, and Texas Instruments. A cut-down three treasure version entitled 'Adventure 0: Special Sampler' was also made available at a special low price[3]
In 1982, Adventureland was re-released with graphics, thus enabling the player to view video representations of the scenery and objects to be found within the game.[4]
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Adventure Gamers "IF Week Part 2: A History of Interactive Fiction," by Even Dickens (September 22nd, 2002 - retrieved on April 19th, 2009)
- ^ Game Set Watch "Game Set Interview: Adventure International's Scott Adams," (July 19th, 2006 - retrieved on April 20th, 2009)
- ^ 0:Adventureland Demo "Scott Adams Classic Adventures," (retrieved on May 4th, 2009).
- ^ Adventureland "Scott Adams Classic Adventures," (retrieved on April 20th, 2009).
