THE ADVENTURE SERIES: AN OVERVIEW

By definition, an adventure is a dangerous or risky undertaking: a novel, exciting, or otherwise remarkable event or experience. On your personal computer, Adventure is that and more.

Playing any of the Adventure series consists of three elements: you, the user; the games themselves; and the author, Scott Adams of Orlando, Florida.

In beginning any Adventure, you will find yourself in a specific location: a forest, on board a small spaceship, outside a fun house, in the briefing room of a nuclear plant, in a desert. etc. The top portion of your video display will tell you where you are and what you can see; the bottom section of the display is devoted to inputting commands to your robot computer and receiving messages that may arise as the result of your orders. You have to get used to looking at both the top and bottom portions in order to find out what's going on in the game but it doesn't take long for the reading to become a reflex. In fact you will have to live in those imaginary worlds.

By using two-word commands you move from location to location (called "rooms" although some rooms represent outdoor sites such as a swamp), manipulate objects that you find in the different rooms (pick them up, put them down, carry them, etc.), and perform actions as it you were really there.

The object of a game is to amass treasure for points or accomplish some other goal such as preventing the destruction of the automated nuclear plant in Secret Mission. Successfully completing a game, however, is far easier to state than achieve. In many cases you will find a treasure but be unable to take it until you are carrying the right combination of objects you find in the various locations.

If you're tired of video games of bouncing balls or shooting at targets; if you're ready for an intellectual challenge that transports you to new worlds of experience; if you want to see what a skilled programmer can do with a micro, invest in one of Scott Adams' games. An early Adventure (Adventureland or Pirate Adventure) is a good place to start because the more Adams creates, the tougher his puzzles get.

Source:

Back of Cassette Case - Spectrum (UK)

WHEN YOU SIT DOWN TO A SCOTT ADAMS GRAPHIC ADVENTURE . . .

. . . ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN

The above screens are from one of the Scott Adams Graphic Adventures. (Graphics not available with tape version: see below for information.)

Now you can enjoy all of the Scott Adams Adventures in either of two exciting formats: the classic, text-only versions, or the highly acclaimed S.A.G.A.'s which feature full color, high resolution graphics. Each Adventure challenges the player to accumulate points, crack a mystery or accomplish a goal using the unique tools of Adventuring: two-word commands, some common sense and a little ingenuity. If you've never played an Adventure, you couldn't have found a better place to begin. And If you're an experienced Adventurer, prepare for a magical encounter unlike any other. So choose your Adventure with full color graphics or classic text, and remember: Anything can happen when you play a Scott Adams Graphic Adventure . . . and, it usually does!

ADVENTURELAND * You wander through an enchanted world trying to recover the 13 lost treasures. You'll encounter wild animals, magical beings, and many other perils and puzzles. Can you rescue the Blue Ox from the quicksand? Or find your way out of the maze of pits? Happy Adventuring . . . .

PROGRAM PARAMETERS — S.A.G.A. #1

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: One, or as many as you can fit around your computer.

SUGGESTED AGE GROUP: 10 to Adult.

SOUND: Compatible with optional Votrax Type 'N Talk (tm).

GRAPHICS ORIENTED: Yes, on Disk versions and no on Tape versions, unless indicated otherwise on package.

SKILL LEVEL: MODERATE — Recommended for players with some Adventuring experience. Moderate problem-solving skills required. Average completion time: 5 to 10 hours or more.

Source:

Back of Box - Atari 8-bit (US)