1985: Making TEXT ADVENTURE Games | Micro Live | Retro Gaming | BBC Archive

Fred Harris goes behind the scenes at Boston software company Infocom. The developer has enjoyed great success with its line of text adventure games – the likes of Zork, Planetfall, Enchanter, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – which eschew graphics in favour of a simple text display, and arcade gameplay in favour of what the company calls ‘interactive fiction’.

Game designer Dave Liebling – one of Infocom’s founder members – is currently putting the finishing touches to a new game called Spellbreaker. He explains the processes that go in to making a good text-adventure game.

This clip is from Micro Live, originally broadcast 29 November, 1985.

You can play the 30th Anniversary edition of the Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy Game here:

For more retro computing programmes (and programs!), visit the rather wonderful BBC Computer Literacy Project archive, here:

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