Spider and Web
Encyclopedia
Spider and Web is a piece of interactive fiction
written by Andrew Plotkin
.
Spider and Web begins innocuously enough: the player's character, an apparent tourist, has wandered into a blind alley. Upon trying to leave the alley, however, the character is confronted by a voice sneering that this is a lie and threatening dire consequences if the truth is not told. Gradually, the player pieces together that the main character is an unnamed spy
who is being interrogated
by an equally anonymous enemy. Through interruptions and prodding, the interrogator reveals that the spy was captured in the process of infiltrating an installation under the guise of a tourist.
Most of the commands the player gives are actually part of a story the character is telling to the interrogator. Any part of the story that the interrogator disputes is challenged; the player is executed after a number of these "challenges". Thus, the player's main goal is to tell the captors a plausible story to explain what they already know (or more precisely, what they think they already know).
Like many of Plotkin's works of interactive fiction, Spider and Web is known for its high level of difficulty. This is due in part to the use of rapid-fire switching between past and present, between fiction and truth; an additional factor is the game's abrupt start with no explanation. Novice players may quit in frustration long before piecing together the plot.
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...
written by Andrew Plotkin
Andrew Plotkin
Andrew Plotkin , also known as Zarf, is a central figure in the modern interactive fiction community. Having both written a number of award-winning games and developed a range of new file formats, interpreters, and other utilities for the design, production, and running of IF games, Plotkin is...
.
Spider and Web begins innocuously enough: the player's character, an apparent tourist, has wandered into a blind alley. Upon trying to leave the alley, however, the character is confronted by a voice sneering that this is a lie and threatening dire consequences if the truth is not told. Gradually, the player pieces together that the main character is an unnamed spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
who is being interrogated
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
by an equally anonymous enemy. Through interruptions and prodding, the interrogator reveals that the spy was captured in the process of infiltrating an installation under the guise of a tourist.
Most of the commands the player gives are actually part of a story the character is telling to the interrogator. Any part of the story that the interrogator disputes is challenged; the player is executed after a number of these "challenges". Thus, the player's main goal is to tell the captors a plausible story to explain what they already know (or more precisely, what they think they already know).
Like many of Plotkin's works of interactive fiction, Spider and Web is known for its high level of difficulty. This is due in part to the use of rapid-fire switching between past and present, between fiction and truth; an additional factor is the game's abrupt start with no explanation. Novice players may quit in frustration long before piecing together the plot.
1998 Xyzzy Awards
- Finalist, Best Individual PC
- Finalist, Best Setting
- Finalist, Best Story
- Finalist, Best Writing
- Winner, Best Individual NPC
- Winner, Best Individual Puzzle
- Winner, Best Use of Medium
- Winner, Best Puzzles
- Winner, Best Game