Category Archives: Gaming

Jedadiah Leland’s Horrific Adventures In The Internet Archive #20: Countdown to Doom (1987, Topologika Software Ltd.)

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For my next adventure in the dark side of the Internet Archive, I played Countdown to Doom (1987, Topologika Software Ltd.).

Man, this game is tough!

You have just crashed your spaceship on a mysterious planet called Doom.  You have 400 turns in order to find the spare parts necessary to repair your spaceship.  To do that, you will have to figure out how to get out of your spaceship.  Assuming you survive the escape, you will have to explore the planet and find everything that you need.

The best thing about Countdown to Doom is that it is really well-written.  The descriptions are so detailed that you will feel like you are actually on the planet.  The bad thing is that you only have 400 turns so if you spend too much time exploring, your ship will collapse and you will be forever trapped.

This is a challenging game because if you make one mistake, you will die.  For me, the most humiliating moment was when I tried to pull the door of the spaceship and it fell on me.

Next time, I tried push door and I had better results.

Countdown to Doom is one of the best games that I’ve found in the Internet Archive.  It may be difficult but it is not impossible.  There is also a walkthrough but, for best results, suck it up and figure it out for yourself.  It will be worth it.

Jedadiah Leland’s Horrific Adventures In The Internet Archive #19: Shenanigans (1984, Mark Data Productions)

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For my next trip through the dark side of the Internet Archive, I played Shenanigans (1984, Mark Dice Productions.)

In Shenanigans, your goal is to track down a leprechaun’s pot of gold.  You really need the money.  Just look at where you are living:

Everything in Shenanigans is a puzzle and that includes getting out of your apartment.  Directly outside your bedroom door, your landlord is waiting.  He wants the rent that you own him.  I typed “hit landlord” several times but the game does not understand the hit command.

The only way to get by the landlord is to pay him.  The money is in the room but it is not easy to find.  Hint: look at everything more than once.

If you ever get out of the apartment, you can wander around the city.  Be careful because it is surprisingly easy to die in this game.  For example, you might run into muggers.  If you remember to search everything, you will have an item that will save your life.  If you miss something, you will die.

Assuming you survive, you will find a bar.

Make sure you order the right beer or you might die.  If you do order the right beer, you can find a subway that will take you to this magical place:

Solving the puzzles in Shenanigans can be rewarding but the gameplay can sometimes be frustrating.  Not only is it extremely easy to mess up but, like many games from the 80s, the game’s vocabulary is limited.  I spent a lot of time playing “guess the verb.”  Fortunately, there is a walkthrough available.  Without it, I would have died even more times than I did.

Jedadiah Leland’s Horrific Adventures In The Internet Archive #18: Daleks (1985)

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For my next adventure in the dark side of the Internet Archive, I played Daleks (1985).

I’m the Doctor!?  It’s about time!  And I’m battling the Daleks?

It’s time to let those dogmatic salt and pepper shakers know who’s the boss!  Press any key to continue?  Just try to stop me!

Those do not look like Daleks.  I guess that stick figure is me, the Doctor.

The game itself is simple.  Every time that The Doctor moves, the Daleks move:

If a Dalek touches you, the game is over.  The only way to eliminate a Dalek is to get it to run into another Dalek.  It is not easy but it can be done, as my high score of 30 attests.  It took me a while to get over my disappointment that the Daleks in the game did not say “Exterminate!” but if you can overlook that, Daleks is an addictive and challenging game.

Jedadiah Leland’s Horrific Adventures in The Internet Archive #17: Uninvited (1986, ICOM Simulations, Inc)

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Continuing my journey through the dark side of the Internet Archive, I played Uninvited (1986, ICOM Simulations, Inc.).

At the start of Uninvited, you are driving down an isolated road when something darts out in front of you.  You swerve to avoid it and crash your car.  When you regain consciousness, you discover that your younger brother, who was in the passenger’s seat, has disappeared.  Did he go for help or has something else happened?

Maybe it has something to do with the mansion that is looming in front of your car.

You can search for your brother in the house.  In fact, that is the only option that is available to you.  There are a lot of rooms to explore but be careful.  There are also ghosts, zombies, and other things that you do not want to run into.  On the plus side, the game will usually warn you before you go into the wrong room.  On the negative side, sometimes it won’t and this will happen:

Though Uninvited‘s point-and-click system can seem clunky by today’s standards, I enjoyed playing it.  I haven’t found my brother, yet, but I am sure he is out there somewhere.

Jedadiah Leland’s Horrific Adventures In The Internet Archive #16: Scapeghost (1989, Level 9)

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Continuing my journey through the dark side of the Internet Archive, I played Scapeghost (1989, Level 9).

Scapeghost is a blast.

At one time, you were Alan Chase, a narcotics detective who was on the verge of a big bust.  Then you and your partner, Sarah, were ambushed by the dealers.  Sarah was kidnapped.  You died.  When you returned as a ghost, you got to attend your own funeral.  That is when you found out that Sarah was still missing and that everyone blamed you for getting killed.

Why was your spirit still in the mortal plane?  Was it so you could save Sarah and clear your name?

You have three days to get the job done.

Scapeghost is a text adventure, with optional graphics.  Strangely, the game is written in the first person.  For instance, type “go north” and the game will respond with something like, “I headed north.”  At first, it’s awkward but it doesn’t take too long to get used to it.  The puzzles are challenging but not impossible and there’s a lot of fun to be had in haunting people.  (You get extra points every time you scare a certain character.)

The best thing about Scapeghost?  Once the drug dealers figure out that you’ve come back from the dead, they bring in a priest to perform an exorcism!  Don’t worry, though.  Just leave your grave before he finishes the ceremony and you will still be able to save Sarah and clear your name.

One final note: Scapeghost was the last text adventure to be published by Level 7.  They went out on a high note.

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

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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.