Jedadiah Leland’s Horrific Adventures In The Internet Archive #15: Ghostbusters — Basic Training (1987, Activision)

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Jedadiah Leland

Who wouldn’t want to be a member of the Ghostbusters? (No, not the new version. I’m talking about the version with Venkman and Ray and Egon.) I got a chance to try when, while exploring the dark side of the Internet Archive, I played Ghostbusters — Basic Training (1987, Activision, Inc.).

Unfortunately, it turns out that catching ghosts is far more difficult than I originally assumed.

This is what the game starts with. A night in a haunted house? No problem, I can do that standing on my head. I pressed return.

There’s the familiar logo! I pressed return again.

Good. I’m in front of the house. Let’s get started with the training. From my own experience playing text adventures, I know that the first thing I should do is check my inventory.

A text adventure that does not understand one of the most basic commands in interactive fiction? That seems strange but I’ll adjust. Since the description of my location disappeared when I typed in inventory, I’ll take another look around.

“Look,” I type.

An adventure game that doesn’t know the look command? I search my memory and try to remember the directions that were previously listed. The house was to the northwest.

“NW” I type.

“Northwest”

What? Maybe I got the directions wrong.

“North”

“South.”

“East.”

“West.”

“Go house.”

“Go porch.”

“Annoyed.”

“Rage”

You get the idea. Because the game and I are speaking different languages, I have yet to actually enter the house and get trained. I haven’t even managed to step on the porch yet.

I’m never going to be a Ghostbuster.

Jedadiah Leland’s Horrific Adventures In The Internet Archive #14: Terror in Christmas Town (1995)

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Jedadiah Leland

For my latest journey through the dark side of the Internet Archive, I played Terror In Christmas Town (1995).

In Terror in Christmas Town, you are on a mission. A magic elf has been kidnapped by an evil demon and is being held prisoner in a castle. You must rescue the elf. It’s a typical first person shooter.

Does this look familiar? Is anyone else getting a Wolfenstein/Doom feel yet?

Using the arrow keys, I start to explore the game. This sure is reminding me of Wolfenstein 3D. Remember how exciting it was the first time that you managed to kill Hitler in that game? That was so cool and … oh hey, who is that ahead of me? Maybe this friendly polar bear will show me how to break into the castle.

Excuse me, Mr. Polar Bear?

Bad idea.

Just as Wolfenstein has Nazis and Doom has demons, Terror in Christmas Town has mutant polar bears and they are definitely not your friend. I do not know if that snowman in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen was meant to literally be me but I do know that, every time I got hit by the polar bear, the snowman melted a little. Once Frosty has been reduced to a puddle and a hat, the game ended.

As with all games, there is a learning curve here. The curve is even steeper when you’re playing the instructionless version that has been uploaded to the internet archive. Once you figure out how to actually draw and fire your gun, the game gets a lot easier. I like the holiday theme but the game mostly just made me want to play Wolfenstein again.

Jedadiah Leland’s Horrific Adventures In The Internet Archive #13: Night of the Walking Dead (1992, John Olsen)

Posted on October 25, 2017 by Jedadiah Leland

For today’s horrific journey through the Internet Archive, I played Night of the Walking Dead (1992, John Olsen).

In order to claim a million-dollar inheritance, you have to find the grave of your Aunt Bedilia, dig her up, and get her locket. It will not be easy because the graveyard is haunted by zombies and other strange things. Plus, you have decided to search at night.

This is a text adventure, where you have to solve puzzles and examine your surroundings. The puzzles are not too difficult and, while the game’s descriptions are terse, they still provide you with everything that you need to know.

Still, as with most text adventures sometimes this will happen:

I turned out that the proper command was “get recorder.” Sometimes, coming up with the right command can be frustrating but it is nothing that cannot be figured out. After you get the recorder, you can find a tape and get some background information on what’s been happening in the cemetery:

The game picks up once the zombies show up.

It is not just zombies that you have to worry about. There are also bats.

Night of the Walking Dead is a very simple game but I enjoyed it. Now, if I can just figure out how to avoid those bats…

Jedadiah Leland’s Horrific Adventures In The Internet Archive #12: Voodoo Island (1985, Angelsoft, Inc)

Posted on October 24, 2017 by Jedadiah Leland

For my next adventure in the scary part of the Internet Archive, I played Voodoo Island (1985, Angelsoft, Inc.).

Voodoo Island is an early text adventure from Angelsoft, Inc. Angelsoft was Infocom’s only serious competitor when it came to creating challenging and rewarding text adventures. Typically, both an Angelsoft and an Infocom game would require the player to solve puzzles and search for clues. What made Angelsoft unique was that the results of solving the puzzles were frequently randomized. You could solve a puzzle and still die, just due to the luck of the draw. That may be why Infocom outlasted Angelsoft by several years.

In Voodoo Island, you are the sole survivor of a shipwreck. You wake up on the beach, confused but with the feeling that someone has been watching you. The game’s introduction establishes Voodoo Island‘s tone early:

Spend enough time exploring the island and eventually, you will find a hotel. Exploring the hotel leads to scenes like this:

The first time I tried to play the game, it took me a while to make it to the top floor of the hotel. That is where I discovered not only Doctor Beauvais but also Sharleen, who the game describes as being “buxom” and “blonde.” Considering the target audience of this game, I assumed that buxom and blonde was going to be a good thing. I turned out to be wrong:

Your goal is to get off the island and avoid joining the living dead. It is not easy but I have discovered a few things that might help: examine everything, grab everything that you can, and remember that just because you don’t see something the first time you look, that doesn’t mean you won’t see something the second time.

Good luck!

Jedadiah Leland’s Horrific Adventures In The Internet Archive #11: Anchorhead (1998, Michael Gentry)

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Jedadiah Leland

Continuing my adventures in the horror section of the Internet Archive, I played Michael Gentry’s Anchorhead (1998).

Anchorhead is a thoroughly immersive text adventure of Lovecraft-style horror. Think of it as being the interactive fiction version of a movie like The Dunwich Horror.

Anchorhead is the type of isolated New England village that should be familiar to anyone who has ever read any of Lovecraft’s work. Other than the mysterious obelisks that dot the town, the most interesting thing about Anchorhead is the small university. The library is full of ancient texts, the type that can drive a man mad just from reading them. You and your husband have just inherited a mansion on the outskirts of the town. The previous owner, a distant relative of your husband, recently died under mysterious circumstances.

Anchorhead has an interesting plot, strong writing, and challenging puzzles but the best thing about it is the amount of detail that goes into creating the town, the mansion, and all the characters that you interact with over the course of the story. Not all of the details were necessary to solving Anchorhead‘s mysteries but they did all serve to bring the story to life. After just a few turns, I felt like I was in Anchorhead. I could fully visualize both the town and its inhabitants. Anchorhead also works as a horror story, capturing both the tone and style of H.P. Lovecraft. Considerably more violent and graphic than most text adventures I’ve played, Anchorhead is definitely meant for adults.

Anchorhead is challenging but worth the effort. Several walkthrough can be found online but exploring this story is so rewarding that you might want to take your chances without them.

Jedadiah Leland’s Horrorific Adventures In The Internet Archive #10: Vampire’s Castle Adventure (1984, Aardvark Software)

Posted on October 21, 2017 by Jedadiah Leland

For my latest adventure in the horror section of the Internet Archive, I played Vampire’s Castle Adventure (1984, Aardvark Software).

Vampire’s Castle Adventure is an early and extremely basic text adventure game. You are in a castle. You have four hours before the vampire awakes. You have to discover a way to get out of the castle and stake the vampire.

Vampire’s Castle Adventure is simple but addictive. Part of the challenge came from the fact that is such a basic adventure. The parser accepts only two-word commands and the game only has a vocabulary of 70 words. The game’s descriptions are terse and to the point. There are no fancy graphics. You will have to depend on your imagination.

For those who want to cheat, there is a walkthrough available. The best advice that I can give is to be careful around the fireplace.

Jedadiah Leland’s Horrific Adventures In The Internet Archive #9: Final Soul (1995, CAT Productions, Inc)

Posted on October 18, 2017 by Jedadiah Leland

Continuing my adventures in the scary side of the Internet Archive, I played Final Soul (1995, CAT Productions, Inc.).

Final Soul is a text adventure that starts out with this message:

In Final Soul, you and a group of 12 friends have been invited to a haunted castle. All you have to do is spend one night in the castle and the “reward” will be yours.

No sooner have you arrived then the lights go out. When they come back on…

The rest of the game is a basic text adventure. You explore the castle, search for clues, and try to solve puzzles. It is a big castle but pressing “m” brings up a map:

The rest of the characters walk around the house, as well. You can try to talk to them, though some of the conversations are more interesting than others:

If I had to use one word to describe this game, it would be “goofy.” This is one of the goofiest text adventures that I have ever played and that is saying something. This is the type of game where, when you leave the coat closet, it makes a joke about you “finally coming out the closet.” If you type in a command that the game does not recognize, its response will depend on what room you are in:

Goofy though it may be, I still enjoyed playing Final Soul. The game is a mix of complex puzzles and corny jokes. It is hard not to like a game that has no pretense about being anything more than what it is. Playing Final Soul, I was reminded of some of the deliberately stupid games that I created when I was first learning how to program.

One final note: there is an official site for Final Soul, which has hints, a list of commands, and a walkthrough for people like me who struggle when it comes to solving puzzles.

Jedadiah Leland’s Horrific Adventures in The Internet Archive #8: Demon’s Tomb — The Awakening (1989, Silhouette Software)

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Jedadiah Leland

For my latest trip into the scariest parts of the Internet Archive, I played Demon’s Tomb — The Awakening (1989, Silhouette Software).

One thing that I instantly liked about Demon’s Tomb was the opening screen, which lists all of the special features that come with this game:

I appreciated that this game comes with a “pretend to be working” mode. Sometimes, when a game is uploaded into the Internet Archive, it loses some of its features. (For instance, do not even try to save a game if you are playing it in the archive.) While playing Demon’s Tomb, I decided to see if the pretend to be working mode still worked.

This was the game, before I pressed F2.

After I pressed F2.

After I pressed F2 again.

The game itself is an Infocom-style text adventure. You start the game as Edward Lytton, a British archeologist who is exploring a burial mound that has been uncovered on the moors. Do not get too attached to Edward. At the start of the game, he is trapped in the tomb and you are told that he only has a few turns left to live. Before Edward dies, you can hide some of his possessions around the tomb so that they can be found later.

This is important to do because, after Edward dies, the game becomes about his son, Richard. Richard arrives at the tomb to search for his father and he discovers that opening of the tomb has unleashed an ancient demon. In order to defeat the demon and escape from the burial mound himself, Richard is going to need to find the things that Edward has hidden in the tomb. If you did not hide those things while you were Edward, you will not be able to find them once you become Richard.

This is a challenging but rewarding game and the only real way to solve it is through trial and error. Try something and, if it doesn’t work, do the opposite the next time you play. Or you can just go on google and search for a walkthrough, like I shamefully did once I realized that I was never going to be able to figure this game out on my own.

Demon’s Tomb is largely text-based but it does give you the option to press F1 and see pictures of what is being described. For example:

And my favorite:

If you are looking for a retro adventure game, I highly recommend Demon’s Tomb. It’s a shame that they don’t make them like this anymore.

Jedadiah Leland’s Horrorific Adventures In The Internet Archive #7: The Lurking Horror (1987, Infocom)

Posted on October 15, 2017 by Jedadiah Leland

If you are looking for a good, text-based horror film, allow me to suggest heading over the Internt Archive and trying your hand at The Lurking Horror (1987, Infocom).

The Lurking Horror is an interactive adventure game of Lovecraftian horror. You are a student who has one night to finish a big paper. During the worst blizzard in history, you make your way from the dorms to the computer lab. Since this is an Infocom game, nothing is easy but the end results are rewarding. Not only do you have to figure out the right commands to edit your paper but, once you do figure it all out, you discover that your paper is no longer your paper. Instead, your paper has been transformed into an ancient text.

I will give you one hint. When you first load up the paper, the game will literally beg you to read the entire paper. Even if you click on your in-game PC’s help key, it will suggest that you read the entire paper. Do not do it. If you start reading the paper, you will not be able to stop. Even if you say that you want to leave the computer room or that you want to turn off the computer, you will be told that “instead, you click the more box.” After four turns of reading the paper, something terrible happens to you.

Instead of reading the paper after you open it, try to talk to the hacker in the computer room. (In typical Infocom fashion, the hacker has several hilarious reactions. For fun, try typing “attack the hacker.”) The hacker has suggestions for how to retrieve your original paper. It will not be easy though. There are monsters in the computer lab.

Again, this is an Infocom game so it is not going to be easy. It takes a while to get the hang of it but stick with it and it will be worth it. For those who know their Lovecraft, playing The Lurking Horror will be a very rewarding experience.

One final note. In the game, when you turn on the computer, you are required to enter a login and a password. There is no way to discover the login or the password in-game. That information was only made available in the game’s original manual. I had to look up the login and the password online. For the record, here they are:

Jedadiah Leland’s Horrific Adventures in The Internet Archive #6: The Dark Half (1992, Capstone Software)

Posted on October 8, 2017 by Jedadiah Leland

For my latest trip into the most horrific section of the Internet Archive, I played The Dark Half (1992, Capstone Software).

The Dark Half was released as a tie-in with the movie version of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. I have read that some people consider The Dark Half to be one of the worst games of all time. If I can ever figure out how to get out of the cemetery, I will tell you if they are right.

You play writer Thad Beaumont, who used to write under the pen name of George Stark. As a publicity stunt, Thad and his wife hold a mock funeral for George Stark in the local cemetery. When the game starts, Thad has just discovered that someone has dug up George’s grave.

The game uses a standard point-and-click interface, the type that was once very popular but which seems clunky by today’s standards. By clicking on right side of the screen, you can walk over the groundskeeper and have a conversation with him.

The groundskeeper does not have much to say about “them Yankees” but he will unlock the shed for you. Going into the shed, you can get tools that I think will help you later in the game. The problem is that they do not help you get out of the cemetery which is where I’m running into trouble.

As soon as you leave the shed, this happens:

At first, I thought that was George Stark killing Thad but, according to a walk-through that I found, that is actually George killing the reporter who was sent to cover his “burial.”

This scene is followed by this:

That is a blank screen. Creepy music plays in the background while you get to stare at the blank screen and it just keeps on playing. I have literally counted the minutes that I have spent staring at the screen and listening to the music before getting annoyed and ending the game. The longest that I’ve gone is 8 minutes. There is no text nor pictures, just the most droning and repetitive music imaginable. Is this a glitch that only effects the Archive version of the game or did The Dark Half really come with an 8 minute-plus musical interlude? I’m hoping that someone reading this post can tell me. I would like to play the game but there’s only so much time that I can devote to staring at a blank screen.