Colossal Cave Adventure

Colossal Cave Adventure or Adventure, ADVENT, or Colossal Cave was originally written for the PDP-10 in 1976 by Willie Crowther and Don Woods, and was the first ever text adventure game.

Notable Room Descriptions

• Famous first words

YOU ARE STANDING AT THE END OF A ROAD BEFORE A SMALL BRICK BUILDING.
AROUND YOU IS A FOREST.  A SMALL STREAM FLOWS OUT OF THE BUILDING AND
DOWN A GULLY.

• All different maze

YOU ARE IN A MAZE OF TWISTY LITTLE PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.
YOU ARE IN A LITTLE MAZE OF TWISTING PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.
YOU ARE IN A MAZE OF TWISTING LITTLE PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.
YOU ARE IN A LITTLE MAZE OF TWISTY PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.
YOU ARE IN A TWISTING MAZE OF LITTLE PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.
YOU ARE IN A TWISTING LITTLE MAZE OF PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.
YOU ARE IN A TWISTY LITTLE MAZE OF PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.
YOU ARE IN A TWISTY MAZE OF LITTLE PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.
YOU ARE IN A LITTLE TWISTY MAZE OF PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.
YOU ARE IN A MAZE OF LITTLE TWISTING PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.
YOU ARE IN A MAZE OF LITTLE TWISTY PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.

• All alike maze

YOU ARE IN A MAZE OF TWISTY LITTLE PASSAGES, ALL ALIKE.

• Witt's end

YOU ARE AT WITT'S END.  PASSAGES LEAD OFF IN *ALL* DIRECTIONS.

• Mirror canyon

YOU ARE IN A NORTH/SOUTH CANYON ABOUT 25 FEET ACROSS.  THE FLOOR IS
COVERED BY WHITE MIST SEEPING IN FROM THE NORTH.  THE WALLS EXTEND
UPWARD FOR WELL OVER 100 FEET.  SUSPENDED FROM SOME UNSEEN POINT FAR
ABOVE YOU, AN ENORMOUS TWO-SIDED MIRROR IS HANGING PARALLEL TO AND
MIDWAY BETWEEN THE CANYON WALLS.  (THE MIRROR IS OBVIOUSLY PROVIDED
FOR THE USE OF THE DWARVES, WHO AS YOU KNOW, ARE EXTREMELY VAIN.)  A
SMALL WINDOW CAN BE SEEN IN EITHER WALL, SOME FIFTY FEET UP.

• Breath-taking view

YOU ARE ON THE EDGE OF A BREATH-TAKING VIEW.  FAR BELOW YOU IS AN
ACTIVE VOLCANO, FROM WHICH GREAT GOUTS OF MOLTEN LAVA COME SURGING
OUT, CASCADING BACK DOWN INTO THE DEPTHS.  THE GLOWING ROCK FILLS THE
FARTHEST REACHES OF THE CAVERN WITH A BLOOD-RED GLARE, GIVING EVERY-
THING AN EERIE, MACABRE APPEARANCE.  THE AIR IS FILLED WITH FLICKERING
SPARKS OF ASH AND A HEAVY SMELL OF BRIMSTONE.  THE WALLS ARE HOT TO
THE TOUCH, AND THE THUNDERING OF THE VOLCANO DROWNS OUT ALL OTHER
SOUNDS.  EMBEDDED IN THE JAGGED ROOF FAR OVERHEAD ARE MYRIAD TWISTED
FORMATIONS COMPOSED OF PURE WHITE ALABASTER, WHICH SCATTER THE MURKY
LIGHT INTO SINISTER APPARITIONS UPON THE WALLS.  TO ONE SIDE IS A DEEP
GORGE, FILLED WITH A BIZARRE CHAOS OF TORTURED ROCK WHICH SEEMS TO
HAVE BEEN CRAFTED BY THE DEVIL HIMSELF.  AN IMMENSE RIVER OF FIRE
CRASHES OUT FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE VOLCANO, BURNS ITS WAY THROUGH THE
GORGE, AND PLUMMETS INTO A BOTTOMLESS PIT FAR OFF TO YOUR LEFT.  TO
THE RIGHT, AN IMMENSE GEYSER OF BLISTERING STEAM ERUPTS CONTINUOUSLY
FROM A BARREN ISLAND IN THE CENTER OF A SULFUROUS LAKE, WHICH BUBBLES
OMINOUSLY.  THE FAR RIGHT WALL IS AFLAME WITH AN INCANDESCENCE OF ITS
OWN, WHICH LENDS AN ADDITIONAL INFERNAL SPLENDOR TO THE ALREADY
HELLISH SCENE.  A DARK, FOREBODING PASSAGE EXITS TO THE SOUTH.

Other Game Text

• Magic word

A HOLLOW VOICE SAYS "PLUGH".

• Killing the dragon

kill dragon

WITH WHAT?  YOUR BARE HANDS?  

yes

CONGRATULATIONS!  YOU HAVE JUST VANQUISHED A DRAGON WITH YOUR BARE    
HANDS!  (UNBELIEVABLE, ISN'T IT?)  

• Please do not feed the dwarves

YOU FOOL, DWARVES EAT ONLY COAL!  NOW YOU'VE MADE HIM *REALLY* MAD!!