Editing Colossal Cave Adventure (section)

{{short description|1976 video game}}
{{redirect|Twisty little maze of passages|the book ''Twisty Little Passages: An Approach to Interactive Fiction''|Nick Montfort}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Colossal Cave Adventure
| image = ADVENT -- Crowther Woods.png
| alt = Introductory text and first command in Colossal Cave Adventure
| caption = Screenshot of gameplay (1977 version)
| developer = {{ubl|[[William Crowther (programmer)|William Crowther]] (1976 version)|[[Don Woods (programmer)|Don Woods]] (1977 version)}}
| publisher =
| designer =
| engine =
| released = {{ubl|1976 (Crowther)|1977 (Crowther/Woods)}}
| genre = [[Adventure game|Adventure]], [[interactive fiction]]
| modes = [[Single-player]]
| platforms = [[PDP-10]]
}}
'''''Colossal Cave Adventure''''' (also known as '''''Adventure''''' or '''''ADVENT''''') is a [[interactive fiction|text-based adventure game]], released in 1976 by developer [[William Crowther (programmer)|Will Crowther]] for the [[PDP-10]] [[mainframe computer]]. It was expanded upon in 1977 by [[Don Woods (programmer)|Don Woods]]. In the game, the player explores a cave system rumored to be filled with treasure and gold. The game is composed of dozens of locations, and the player moves between these locations and interacts with objects in them by typing one- or two-word commands which are interpreted by the game's [[natural language processing|natural language input]] system. The program acts as a [[narrative|narrator]], describing the player's location and the results of the player's attempted actions. It is the first well-known example of interactive fiction, as well as the first well-known [[adventure game]], for which it was also the [[eponym|namesake]].

The original game, written in 1975 and 1976, was based on Crowther's maps and experiences [[caving]] in [[Mammoth Cave National Park|Mammoth Cave]] in Kentucky, the longest cave system in the world; further, it was intended, in part, to be accessible to non-technical players, such as his two daughters. Woods's version expanded the game in size and increased the number of [[fantasy]] elements present in it, such as a dragon and magic spells. Both versions, typically played over [[teleprinter]]s connected to mainframe computers, were spread around the nascent [[ARPANET]], the precursor to the [[Internet]], which Crowther was involved in developing.

''Colossal Cave Adventure'' was one of the first [[teletype games]] and was massively popular in the computer community of the late 1970s, with numerous [[porting|ports]] and modified versions being created based on Woods's source code. It directly inspired the creation of numerous games, including ''[[Zork]]'' (1977), ''[[Adventureland (video game)|Adventureland]]'' (1978), ''[[Mystery House]]'' (1980), ''[[Rogue (video game)|Rogue]]'' (1980), and ''[[Adventure (1980 video game)|Adventure]]'' (1980), which went on to be the foundations of the interactive fiction, adventure, [[roguelike]], and [[action-adventure game|action-adventure]] genres. It also influenced the creation of the [[Multi-user dungeon|MUD]] and [[role-playing video game|computer role-playing game]] genres. It has been noted as one of the most influential video games, and in 2019 was inducted into the [[World Video Game Hall of Fame]] by [[The Strong]] and the [[International Center for the History of Electronic Games]].