Colossal Cave Adventure
Colossal Cave Adventure, also known as Adventure or ADVENT, is a pioneering text-based adventure game developed by programmer and spelunker Will Crowther between 1975 and 1976.[1] Inspired by Crowther's real-life explorations of Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, the game simulates caving expeditions through a vast underground network, where players navigate by typing commands to interact with the environment, solve puzzles, and collect treasures.[1] Written in FORTRAN for the PDP-10 mainframe computer at Bolt, Beranek, and Newman, the original version featured around 700 lines of code and required approximately 60K words of memory, limiting it to text descriptions without graphics.[1] In 1977, Don Woods significantly expanded the game at Stanford's AI Lab, adding fantasy elements such as a dwarf, a pirate, and magical objects, while increasing the point total to 350 and enhancing the puzzle complexity with influences from Dungeons & Dragons.[2] This version, released on June 3, 1977, via the ARPAnet, quickly spread to other institutions and became the foundational model for interactive fiction.[2] The game's structure emphasized exploration, inventory management, and logical problem-solving, with iconic commands like "xyzzy" for teleportation that later influenced computing culture as Easter eggs in software.[1] Colossal Cave Adventure holds immense historical significance as the first well-documented example of a computer adventure game and interactive fiction genre, spawning countless derivatives and establishing conventions for narrative-driven digital experiences.[1] It was ported to various systems, including an early Unix version in 1977 and the IBM PC in 1981, without royalties to its creators, and even included in Microsoft MS-DOS 5.0 in 1991.[2] In 1995, Crowther and Woods released an updated 430-point version, incorporating new treasures and areas while preserving the original's essence.[2] The game's legacy endures in modern remakes and its role in inspiring genres like roguelikes and point-and-click adventures.Gameplay
Core Mechanics
Colossal Cave Adventure is a pioneering text-based adventure game where players interact with the environment through a command-line interface, typing natural language instructions to navigate and manipulate objects within a simulated cave system. The interface relies entirely on textual input and output, with no graphical elements, requiring players to visualize the world based on descriptive prose provided by the game. Core commands typically consist of one or two words in the format of verb-noun pairs, such as "go north" for movement, "take lamp" to acquire an item, or "inventory" to list carried possessions.[3][4] Upon entering a new location, the game outputs a detailed room description, including visible objects, exits, and environmental features, such as "You are in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door" or more intricate cave formations like stalactites in the Swiss Cheese Room. Movement occurs between interconnected locations—over 100 rooms in the expanded version—forming a complex, multi-level map inspired by real-world cave systems, where directions like north, south, east, west, up, or down lead to adjacent areas. Players must mentally or manually map these connections, as the game does not provide an overview, and some areas feature mazes with disorienting, identical descriptions.[3][5] Inventory management is a key aspect, allowing players to carry a limited number of objects, which can be picked up, dropped, or used via commands like "drop all" or "open door." Object interactions involve direct manipulation, such as "light lamp" to illuminate dark passages, with state persistence ensuring changes endure across sessions—for instance, a lit lamp remains on until extinguished, and its batteries gradually deplete over multiple turns, eventually requiring replacement to avoid darkness. The game's parser, limited to interpreting primarily two-word commands, processes input by matching the first word as a verb (e.g., take, go, examine) and the second as a noun (e.g., keys, north), while ignoring or abbreviating longer phrases; unrecognized inputs elicit responses like "I don't understand that" or suggestions to rephrase.[4][3] The gameplay follows a strict turn-based structure, where each player command constitutes one turn, advancing an internal clock that can trigger dynamic events, such as encroaching darkness in unlit areas or the sudden appearance of a pirate who steals treasures from the inventory. This temporal progression adds urgency to exploration and resource management, emphasizing strategic decision-making in a persistent game state.[3][5]Puzzles and Treasures
The primary objective in Colossal Cave Adventure is to explore the cave system, solve puzzles to obtain 15 treasures, and deposit them safely in the repository at the game's starting building to achieve a maximum score of 350 points, at which point the player wins.[6] These treasures represent valuable artifacts and riches scattered throughout the caves, each requiring specific puzzle solutions to access and retrieve without damage or loss. The expanded version by Don Woods introduced the full set of 15 treasures, emphasizing discovery and careful handling as core to progression.[7] The treasures vary in form, from gems and coins to exotic items like a magic carpet and a jeweled trident, and their locations are guarded by environmental hazards, creatures, or logical barriers. Below is a table listing the 15 treasures, brief descriptions, and their primary locations in the expanded 350-point version:| Treasure | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Nugget | A small lump of raw gold. | Gold Room, south of the Hall of Mists.[6] |
| Diamonds | A chest of diamonds. | Diamond Room, east of the Hall of Mists after crossing the fissure.[6] |
| Rare Coins | A pile of ancient, valuable coins. | Altar in the Hall of the Mountain King.[6] |
| Precious Jewelry | Ornate jewels hidden behind obstacles. | South room from the Snake Room, past a snake.[6] |
| Bars of Silver | Heavy ingots of refined silver. | Y2 room, north corridor from Hall of the Mountain King.[6] |
| Ming Vase | Fragile antique porcelain vase. | Oriental Room; must be placed on a pillow to avoid breaking.[6] |
| Emerald | A large, flawless green gem. | Plover Room in the Oriental region; must be carried alone.[6] |
| Platinum Pyramid | A solid platinum artifact. | Dark Room adjacent to Plover Room.[6] |
| Jeweled Trident | A ceremonial spear encrusted with gems. | Alcove on the northeast shore of the lake in the Giant Room area.[6] |
| Pearl | A giant pearl from a clam shell. | Shell Room in the Bedquilt area; opened using the trident.[6] |
| Persian Rug | A magical flying carpet. | Under the slain dragon in the Secret Canyon.[6] |
| Golden Eggs | Eggs laid by a golden goose. | Nest in the Giant's Room; returned using a magic phrase if taken prematurely.[6] |
| Rare Spices | Exotic, valuable seasonings in a bundle. | Low room amid boulders in the troll region, northeast of the chasm bridge.[6] |
| Golden Chain | A chain worn by a bear. | Bear Room in the troll region; obtained after feeding and freeing the bear.[6] |
| Pirate's Chest | A chest filled with assorted loot. | Pirate's Niche in the maze of twisty little passages; often stolen and relocated by the pirate.[6] |