Colossal Cave 550

Colossal Cave 550 follows the classic Adventure loop: 1. Exploration You navigate a non‑linear cave system, discovering new rooms, hazards, and treasures. Movement is described textually, requiring careful mapping. 2. Puzzle Solving Puzzles range from: - object‑based (use item X in location Y) - environmental (crossing chasms, navigating mazes) - creature‑based (dragons, dwarves, ogres) - logic puzzles unique to the 550 expansion 3. Treasure Collection Adventure 550 includes 26 treasures, significantly more than the original. Examples: - Golden chain - Persian rug - Rare spices - Gem‑encrusted helmet - Platinum pyramid - Casket of opals 4. Survival & Hazards - Dwarves attack randomly; you must defend yourself. - Pirate steals your treasures unpredictably. - Ogre blocks progress in expanded regions. - Environmental dangers: pits, rivers, mazes, dragons. 5. Scoring The game awards up to 550 points, reflecting: - treasures found - puzzles solved - exploration milestones - survival and special achievements Credit: Will Crowther · 1976 A programmer at BBN Technologies and devoted spelunker, Crowther wrote the first Colossal Cave Adventure to share his love of Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Running on a PDP-10, the original game modeled real cave passages and is widely considered the founding work of the adventure game genre. Don Woods · 1977 A Stanford graduate student who discovered Crowther’s game on ARPANET and, with his blessing, expanded it into the 350-point version known worldwide. Woods added treasures, puzzles, fantasy elements, the troll bridge, and the magic words XYZZY and PLUGH. David Platt · 1979 Extended Woods’ version to 550 points, adding the catacombs, ice caves, new treasures, and richer puzzles — creating the definitive full-length Colossal Cave experience.