An Everyday Tale of a Seeker of Gold

(browser version - port made with Adventuron)
This is a fun little spoof of The Hobbit with some nice puzzles and humour. Some of the puzzles are "pun-based". However, the "genre" 'homegrown British text adventures from the 80s' is to some extend something you need to learn how to play, just as you need to learn how to play parser games in general. To some extend you need to be more accurate about which verbs you apply in these homegrown games from the 80s. Still, some verbs and phrases became a sort of standard within that "genre". Also, do not expect a lot of feedback if you try an incorrect command. You will never know if a verb is accepted by the game unless you find that it works.

Add to this, that this was the author's first effort (though the browser port I played was first made in 2018), you must expect a few guess-the-verb/phrase issues here and there. However, there is a sort of indirect limited "hint system" in the game, though it is not clear if it is intended to be used or only if you are really stuck. I used it whenever I could, and still, I needed to consult a walkthrough a few times.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed this quite a lot. If you are unfamiliar with British homegrown text adventures from the 80s, I propose that you see it as a learning curve. If you are stuck for a longer time, don't hesitate to consult a walkthrough. You will learn as you go along and you will get the hang of the style and probably solve most puzzles by yourself anyway.

Well written and humorous. Of course will be fighting the parser at times (vanilla Quill?) - but if you remember to strip your action to the bare basics you'll get by to "Smog" unscathed without too much hassle. Oh, there and back again, for there is a chest in your burrow that needs filling. Remember to use "RAM SAVE" and "RAM LOAD".

A regard to the author, owner of the fabled Zenobi software company which managed to publish a fine number of good IF far well into the late nineties. So all hail the Balrog, the Cat and the Cockroach.