Category: Others

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Alexandre Muniz GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Alexandre Muniz A New Life is a fun fantasy romp that tied with Beyond for the second place slot in the 2005 IF Competition. Dan Shiovitz’s concise review of this neat underdog says it all: “Wow. Ok, I…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jason Devlin GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Jason Devlin Well-deserved winner of the 2005 Interactive Fiction Competition, Vespers is a superbly written and executed dark tale of murder and mystery that feels like a game version of Umberto Eco’s In the Name of the Rose.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Roberto Grassi GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Roberto Grassi My most favorite game in the 2005 IF Competition in which it tied for second place, Beyond is a great murder mystery that has it all: interesting plot and cast of characters, charming atmosphere (small present-day…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mike Snyder GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Mike Snyder Third-place winner in the 2005 IF Competition, Distress is a fun, short sci-fi game that offers several clever (but hard) timed puzzles and a great twist at the end. Although it may seem boring and standard…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Nick Montfort GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Nick Montfort Book and Volume is a fun little IF romp by Nick Montfort, creator of Ad Verbum (one of my most favorite IF games of all time and the most clever “wordplay” games). Brian Kerr explains the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gayla Wennstrom GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Gayla Wennstrom Finding Martin is a huge, clever, and fun “old-school” puzzle-fest text adventure that harks back to the good old days of Zork. Despite some (admittedly long) moments in which I felt clueless as to what to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Data Sage GAME PUBLISHER:Data Sage Copyright 1984, Data Sage Funnels and Buckets is a very old but excellent math game for primary school students aimed at teaching basic arithmetic. Your goal: type the correct answer to each math equation that is falling out of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mike Chapman & Matt Chapman GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Mike Chapman & Matt Chapman Peasant’s Quest is a humorous, hugely entertaining 2D adventure that plays like Sierra’s classic King’s Quest games. Here is the official plot: “A real long time ago, in the peasant…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Mateas & Andrew Stern GAME DEVELOPER:Automata GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Michael Mateas & Andrew Stern Touted by the New York Times as the future of video games, Faade is a fun 15-minute “one-act interactive drama” that uses AI extensively in an attempt to go beyond…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jacqueline Lott GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Jacqueline Lott Well-deserved winner of the “Best of Show” award in the 2004 IF Art Show competition, The Fire Tower is a captivating all-text “virtual hike” that offers evocative landscape, realistic locations, and extremely well-written descriptions. Emily Short’s…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Aaron Reed GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Aaron Reed Whom the Telling Changed is a well-deserved first place winner in the 2005 Spring Thing competition. Dan Shiovitz’s concise review says it all: “This was the last game I played of this year’s spring comp, and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Aidan Doyle GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, Aidan Doyle Bolivia by Night is a well-deserved runner-up winner in the 2005 Spring Thing competition. Dan Shiovitz’s concise review says it all: “I am going to spoil more of this game than I usually like to spoil…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jason Devlin GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Jason Devlin A fun entry in the 10th Interactive Fiction Competition, Sting of the Wasp (SotW) is a fun game with an interesting premise not usually seen in computer games: you have been caught in a compromising situation,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Eric Eve GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Eric Eve Square Circle is a very neat puzzle-based text adventure with a great plot. Although the game is much longer than an average IFComp game, and some puzzles are so difficult you will likely need to consult…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brian Rapp GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Brian Rapp My favorite ‘underdog’ of the 10th Interactive Fiction Competition, Goose, Egg, Badger is an ingenious game by Brian Rapp that uses a very clever gimmick that will make you at least chuckle at the author’s deviousness…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chris Klimas GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Chris Klimas Second-place winner in the 10th Interactive Fiction Competition, Blue Chairs is by far my most favorite game in the competition. Similar to Losing Your Grip or Little Blue Men in mood and surreal setting, Blue Chairs…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Paul O’Brian GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Paul O’Brian Earth and Sky is a fun but far too short first installment in Paul O’Brian’s Earth and Sky superhero series. You play a duo of brother and sister who accidentally discover supernatural powers while seeking to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Paul O’Brian GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Paul O’Brian A well-deserved winner of the 10th Interactive Fiction Competition, Luminous Horizons is the closing chapter in Paul O’Brian’s fun Earth and Sky superhero series that began in 2001. The thorough and convincing review at SPAG says…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rexx Magnus GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Rexx Magnus Mingsheng is a well-written IF game about the origins of Tai Chi. The puzzles are quite logical and well-clued, and the subject matter should appeal to most IF fans, especially those who are interested in Taoist…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Toby Ord GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Toby Ord All Thing Devours is a superb trial-and-error science fiction game that ranks among one of the most ingenious text adventures ever made. The

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Engelmann GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2005, John Engelmann Deranged Wizard’s Castle is a great “retro” adventure game inspired by Kevin Bales’ classic Castle Adventure. You play an intrepid adventurer who goes inside the king’s castle that has been abandoned except for a lone wizard…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kent Tessman GAME DEVELOPER:General Coffee GAME PUBLISHER:General Coffee Copyright 2005, Kent Tessman Future Boy! is a fun graphical text adventure by Kent Tessman, maker of the Hugo game-creation language. Billed as “an interactive comic book,” Future Boy! offers a full suite of graphics, voices and music…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Interplay GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1997, Interplay Tommy: The Interactive Adventure is possibly the rarest release from Interplay. This CD-ROM, narrated by Pete Townsend, chronicles the development (as well as a lot of backstage goodies) of The Who‘s hit musical Tommy, although it would have…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rune Berg GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Rune Berg The Isle of the Cult is a fun puzzle-based text adventure from Rune Berg, first-time IF designer (as of Feb 2005). While the game is not the next Photopia, it is a well-designed traditional game that…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andrew Plotkin GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Andrew Plotkin The Dreamhold is yet another interactive fiction masterpiece from Andrew “Zarf” Plotkin, doubtless one of the best IF authors after the demise of Infocom. As a game designed to teach basic text adventure premise and commands…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Paul Shipton GAME DEVELOPER:Macmillan Education GAME PUBLISHER:Macmillan Education Copyright 1994, Macmillan Education Zargon Zoo is a decent “interactive comic book” based on the children’s book of the same name published by Heinemann ELT “New Wave Reader” series. Written for Level 2 (11-16 year-olds) students, the story…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Maxis GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1995, Maxis One of Maxis’ most underrated games in my opinion, Widget Workshop is a neat computerized “science kit” that lets kids devise gadgets, perform experiments, and design puzzles by using various parts. Like most other Maxis “toys,” Widget…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ron Mann GAME DEVELOPER:Voyager Company GAME PUBLISHER:Voyager Company Copyright 1994, Voyager Company Preambulatory note: This review and the download is dedicated to Jorge a.k.a. Reverendo, the superb artist behind The Kennel, a comic strip about this site… and one of the best-kept secrets on the Internet…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Hi-Tech Expressions GAME PUBLISHER:Hi-Tech Expressions Copyright 1988, Muppets Inc. Also released as Sesame Street ABC (but of course with Sesame Street characters instead) for the NES, Letter-Go-Round is a decent educational title aimed at kids aged 4-8. The game includes six spelling-related mini-games: upper…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Pondwater GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Pondwater Typogun is a fun and very professional-looking freeware typing game – a rare breed. Putting a unique twist on the overhead action genre, Typogun puts you in control of a stationary ground terret that must defend itself against…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kenneth Moodie GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1992, Kenneth Moodie Little Pythagoras is a fun and educational text adventure for the Macintosh. You play Pythagoras, a clever young man trying to make a living in rural Greece, long before he became famous for a theorem. In…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mike Oliphant GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1996, Mike Oliphant Gumshoe is a relatively short but fun detective text adventure. Although the plot could use more intricacies and the writing more detail, Gumshoe is still fun enough to compel you to the end. As a private…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:J. Robinson Wheeler GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2003, J. Robinson Wheeler ASCII and the Argonauts is a funny and ingenious throwback to, and parody of, classic Scott Adams games – yes, those fiendishly limited VERB-NOUN games that nonetheless were a blast to play. In the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Roberts GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Michael Roberts Return to Ditch Day is a fun sequel to Michael Roberts’ earlier Ditch Day Drifter, a short “example game” coded to showcase the first version of TADS. Like the first game, Return to Ditch Day was…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Baggett & Carl de Marcken GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1994, David Baggett & Carl de Marcken A fun, if esoteric, math-heavy text adventure game by David Baggett (of Unnkulia series fame) and fellow MIT friends. Carl Muckenhoupt’s short review at Baf’s Guide says it…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Doug Clutter & Steve Vance GAME DEVELOPER:Douglas Associates GAME PUBLISHER:Douglas Associates Copyright 1992, Douglas Associates One of the early shareware text adventures, Castle Ralf is a fun dungeon romp first released in 1987. The official blurb of this funny but very difficult game: “…When the drawbridge…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Irene Callaci GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Irene Callaci Dangerous Curves is a great murder mystery that can proudly stand tall beside Infocom’s early detective games (e.g. Witness and Suspect) and will make any old-timer recall those classics. In many ways, Dangerous Curves is a…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andrs Pelez & Nick Montfort GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Andrs Pelez & Nick Montfort Dead Reckoning is an excellent text adventure from Spain, superbly translated into English by Nick Montfort. Emily Short’s superb (as usual) review at IF-Review explains why fans of post-mortem or…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:SEGA GAME PUBLISHER:Empire Interactive Copyright 2000, SEGA The Typing of the Dead is a fun and addictive typing “game” from SEGA, essentially taking House of the Dead 2 and replacing the player’s gun with a keyboard. This review of the Dreamcast version (which is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Callico Harrison GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Callico Harrison The Act of Misdirection is an excellent first game by Callico Harrison. Despite some inconsistency in the writing (some parts “flow” better than others, and sometimes the writing style shifts in an incongruous way) and parser…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jason Guest GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2003, Jason Guest To Hell in a Hamper is an excellent one-room game from Jason Guest, originally coded in ARIFT and later ported to TADS, a better version which fixes a lot of bugs in the original release. Emily…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mike Arnautov GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Mike Arnautov Adventure 770 is an excellent version of Will Crowther’s and Don Woods’ Adventure (a.k.a. Colossal Cave), the first adventure game ever made. As befits a watermark in gaming, the original game has gotten so many fanmade…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Robb Sherwin GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Robb Sherwin Necrotic Drift is a fun graphical “survival horror text adventure” that plays like a modern cross between From Dusk Till Dawn and Underworld movies. Like Sherwin’s previous game Fallacy of Dawn, the game is set in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Telarium GAME PUBLISHER:Telarium Copyright 1984, Telarium Shadowkeep is a superb but highly underrated graphical text adventure for 8-bit computers that in my opinion is the best cross between interactive fiction and RPG genres ever made. Telarium not only managed to translate RPG mechanics to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jeff Rommereide GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1997, Jeff Rommereide Gravitation Ltd. is a great edutainment software for the Macintosh, released as shareware in 1997. Billed as “solar system simulation,” it can probably be more accurately described as a 2D gravity/orbital simulation. The program lets you…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rand Miller & Robyn Miller GAME DEVELOPER:Cyan GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1991, Cyan Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel and Spelunx and the Caves of Mr. Seudo are two superb educational games disguised as open-ended adventures. Similar in design to The Manhole but much more…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rand Miller & Robyn Miller GAME DEVELOPER:Cyan GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1989, Cyan Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel and Spelunx and the Caves of Mr. Seudo are two superb educational games disguised as open-ended adventures. Similar in design to The Manhole but much more…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Luis Romero GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2004, Luis Romero Piano is a great and relaxing music application coded by Luis Romero. The “game” is basically an interactive piano – you can play and record songs for playback later. What sets Piano apart from other interactive…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Masato Kato GAME DEVELOPER:Squaresoft GAME PUBLISHER:Squaresoft Copyright 1996, Squaresoft Radical Dreamers is a well-written “sequel” of sorts to Square’s famous Chrono Trigger RPG for the SNES system. In contrast to all the other games in the series, this is an “interactive novel” – a genre that…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jonathan Partington GAME DEVELOPER:Topologika GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1987, Topologika Duncan Steven’s review at Baf’s Guide to IF says it all about this great – but very difficult – text adventure from Topologika that ranks among some of the best they produced: “Written in the mid-80s at…