Hunt the Wumpus

A friend of mine recently convinced me to give IF a try, so I thought that I'd try at the beginning. The version of Hunt the Wumpus that I played is the port by Magnus Olsson. It allows you to choose from 5 different kinds of maps. The biggest challenge is the mapping. Once you have fully mapped the five possibilities then it is usually a trivial matter of avoiding the dangers and killing the Wumpus. While it is possible to lose based on some of the random elements of the game if you have the map then you will be able to win on the far majority of your playthroughs.

This game amused me for about an hour. After that it becomes repetitive and boring. For anyone interested in learning how IF works on a conceptual level this is a pretty good way of getting started, but I wouldn't recommend this game for any more than just a small diversion for someone who wants to work out a logic puzzle.

I gave the game 3 out of 5 stars based on my enjoyment. It did make me have to think out the puzzle, which I find enjoyable, and I did enjoy hunting the Wumpus a few times after I figured everything out but replayability is low and I can't imagine playing this game over and over again.

First of all, my thanks to Magnus Olsson for the z-code port of this game. So much easier to load up Filfre to play this rather than trying to get an ancient executable to work or what not.

I had never played this game until today, but had read about it many times. For the time in which it was created I'm sure it was a fun little game. Even in the modern era I enjoyed playing it for a bit and I'm sure I will introduce it to my kids one day as both a logic problem and computer history lesson. That said, it is just a puzzle/mapping game, no real story to it.

I recommend everyone play it for an hour or so to appreciate where IF started and where it is today. Still fun, if only for a bit.

Here it is, restored in all its glory, "Hunt the Wumpus." Before Colossal Cave, there was Hunt the Wumpus. By today's standards it wouldn't even place in any IF competition. But, back in '72 it was the only piece of IF available, the first of its kind.

The interface is very limited. You can only shoot an arrow into an adjacent room, or move to an adjacent room.

The prose non-existent, consisting of the coordinates of the room you occupy and whether you sense a pit or a wumpus nearby.

Beyond the lethal pits and wumpus, there is only one other obstacle, the bat. The bat takes you and deposits you in a random location (which may contain either pit or wumpus.)

There is no exploration; there is no twist of plot; there are no revelations into the human condition. It is a simple game, one in which you either kill the wumpus or die. Still, as the great-granddady of IF, it deserves special consideration. All true adventurers should relish this piece of history.