FIVE TITLES TO START WITH
THE WORLD OF INTERACTIVE FICTION IS A BIG ONE, SO HERE ARE FIVE TITLES TO GET YOU STARTED:
ZORK iplayif.com/?story=http://www.ifarchive.org/ if-archive/games/zcode/zdungeon.z5
The most famous of all of the text adventure games, it’s the one that most people know and reference when talking about IF. Thanks to a promotional push by Activision for a newer Zork game a few years back, Zorks 1 through 3 are in the public domain. For those who never experienced it, Zork is a fantasy game that takes you through a dungeon where the goal is to find as many treasures as possible. OK, that description doesn’t really do justice to its awesome weirdness and offbeat humour — you just have to try it for yourself.
THE DREAMHOLD eblong.com/zarf/zweb/dreamhold
A fantasy story that’s perfect for beginners,
The Dreamhold is one of the IF stories most recommended by experienced IF gamers. It actually has tips and help systems if you get stuck, and the story is one of the most compelling and well written we’ve seen.
NAMELESS QUEST iplayif.com/?story=http://ifarchive.org/if-archive/ games/zcode/nameless.z8
A fun Dungeons and Dragons- like experience that doesn’t take itself at all seriously, Nameless
Quest even starts out with a joke about Bulletin Board Systems and goes from there. (It may appear to have crashed when it starts — just keep pressing keys and it will work.)
LOST PIG iplayif.com/?story=http://www.ifarchive.org/ if-archive/games/zcode/LostPig.z8
A lot of interactive fiction comprises of either fantasy or Lovecraftian horror stories, but Lost Pig is something a little different. Technically, it’s still fantasy — you play as an orc who has lost his pig — but the weirdness and humour set it apart. It supports all kinds of strange actions and odd verbs, and being a more recent title, it has a more powerful interpreter than many of the older adventures.
THE PAWN msmemorial.if-legends.org/msa2/msa2.html
OK, this one is mostly for people looking for a nostalgia kick. Magnetic Scrolls’ The Pawn and its sequels were revolutionary in their day because of the gorgeous graphics that went along with the text. As text adventures, they’re often torturously difficult and punishing, but if you don’t mind that, then there are also plenty of cool moments as well.