Madness and the Minotaur
Encyclopedia
Madness and the Minotaur is a text adventure game
for the TRS-80 Color Computer
. Developed by Spectral Associates
in 1981, the game lulls players into a false sense of security by providing a comparatively easy and static early game. Once the player walks down the stairs, however, the game rapidly degenerates into what may have been the most difficult text adventure labyrinth ever created.
The goal of the game is to retrieve a number of treasures. In the course of doing this, the player will encounter other objects that may or may not be useful. Often, the player needs one object to act as a "key" for another. There is no rhyme or reason to this. The player doesn't use the key object to obtain the other; he just needs to be carrying it. For example, the player may see a shield. Perhaps the player needs to be carrying the dagger to get the shield. If the player has the dagger, the shield is reachable; if he does not, it is not. With the exception of a randomly appearing "oracle", the game gives no indication of what objects are needed to reach a treasure. There are various magic spells that can be learned throughout the game that have various effects.
Interactive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
for the TRS-80 Color Computer
TRS-80 Color Computer
The Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer was a home computer launched in 1980. It was one of the earliest of the first generation of computers marketed for home use in English-speaking markets...
. Developed by Spectral Associates
Spectral Associates
Spectral Associates was an American maker of computer games for the TRS-80 Color Computer. It was founded in 1980 and was defunct as sometime in the late 1980s. Spectral Associates sold their software through Radio Shack and via direct sales...
in 1981, the game lulls players into a false sense of security by providing a comparatively easy and static early game. Once the player walks down the stairs, however, the game rapidly degenerates into what may have been the most difficult text adventure labyrinth ever created.
The goal of the game is to retrieve a number of treasures. In the course of doing this, the player will encounter other objects that may or may not be useful. Often, the player needs one object to act as a "key" for another. There is no rhyme or reason to this. The player doesn't use the key object to obtain the other; he just needs to be carrying it. For example, the player may see a shield. Perhaps the player needs to be carrying the dagger to get the shield. If the player has the dagger, the shield is reachable; if he does not, it is not. With the exception of a randomly appearing "oracle", the game gives no indication of what objects are needed to reach a treasure. There are various magic spells that can be learned throughout the game that have various effects.