Dunnet

Dickens of a Blog
Doug Bolden, Dunnet (IF)
You have to type commands into two different computers throughout. One is a VAX and the other is, um, something like a PC (I forget). In both cases, there are clues to be found by knowing your way around the interface. This is a game for computer folk, so most who play it will have a sense of how to type "ls" or "dir" depending on the OS. But not all, will. Beating the game requires a general sense of computer literacy. You must know what types are in ftp. You must know how to determine what type a file is. You must know how to read a text file on a DOS style prompt. You must know something about protocols and etiquette for logging into ftp servers. All this sort of thing. If you do, or are willing to learn (I looked up some of the stuff online) then you can get past this portion with no problem. But this can be like the maze to some people, requiring several replays to get things right.

The end result is a quirky but fun game that I wish I had known about before because now I have the feeling that my computer is hiding other secrets from me. Glad to have played. Will likely play again to see how many ways I can die.
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nPoly.com
Dunnet - The Ancient Game Hidden on Millions of Modern Computers
There's something unmistakably unique about Dunnet. I play a lot of video games. A lot. But I've never seen anything so... so... avant garde? Meta? I'm not sure, but Dunnet completely destroys the 4th wall of gaming, the same way that Uplink did. There's several gameplay conventions that I've never seen, even in the most modern of games. It's very fun and obscenely hard... If your a true, true gamer. You owe it to yourself to play this treasure that you may already own.
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Macworld
Play an 'old-school' adventure game
There’s no way this will replace modern gaming, but if you’re umm, of my vintage, or just want to know what we considered leading edge back in the day, give this a shot.
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Average Rating: Number of Reviews: 1 Write a review

Dunnet is reminiscent of old school IF games such as Zork. It's a quick play and interesting.
The most appealing aspects of Dunnet are its novel little quirks. It integrates the use of basic Unix, FTP, and DOS commands in a fun way. It's a bit like exploring the pre-1995 Internet within the context of a Zork-like game.
The Unix commands are relatively simple - though the player is expected to know 'ls' without being told and figure out others using that information. Similarly, the player is expected to know the DOS commands 'type' without any support.
More attentive players should be able to map the maze. It would help if there was a 'verbose' setting. Be sure to use 'look' after each move in the maze.
Players should save frequently. It may be necessary to restore if any objects are destroyed. The player will have to use trial and error to figure out where to place the treasures - there are multiple drop off points through out the game.

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