programming/agt/contests/agt2.txt

                SOFTWORKS ANNOUNCES WINNING ADVENTURE GAMES


     After eons of prolonged adventure game play-testing including
     vicariously casting and dodging evil spells, teleporting into the
     fourth dimension, hitting the high notes in a Wagnerian opera,
     practicing "safe" sex, acquiring strange companions, and being
     graduated from Harvard, the judges of the second Adventure Game
     Toolkit (AGT) Adventure Game Writing Contest have finally picked the
     winner(s).

     Drum role, please!

     ......And the First Prize ($100) winner is:

     A DUDLEY DILEMMA -- By Lane Barrow.  In this game, you play the role
     of a Harvard University student living in Dudley House in his/her
     quest for knowledge, adventure and a diploma.  This award winning game
     is a very clever, humorous and challenging adventure in the classic
     style of Infocom.

     Lane is a graduate student at Harvard University where he is working
     on a Ph.D in English Literature.  Lane confessed that he wrote DUDLEY
     DILEMMA as a break from (i.e., to avoid working on) his Ph.D thesis.
     DUDLEY was his first attempt at writing any kind of computer software.
     He said that the Adventure Game Toolkit (AGT) made writing the game
     both easy and fun.  Lane is hard at work on his second AGT adventure
     game which will be set in Victorian England and will be based on the
     characters and stories of Charles Dickens (the subject of his Ph.D
     thesis).


     In addition to A DUDLEY DILEMMA, the contest had a number of other
     excellent entries.  Among them, the judges have singled out the very
     best adventures as deserving an "Honorable Mention."  These winning
     entries include (in alphabetical order):

     DES RING DES NIBELUNGEN -- By Michael R. Harris.  You play the role of
     Siegfried in an adventure based on the operas of Richard Wagner --
     complete with a very tender and loving Brunnhilde.  A very unusual
     approach to an adventure game.

     STAR PORTAL -- By Michael Detlefsen.  A science fiction adventure
     based on a Damon Knight short story, "Ticket to Anywhere", in which
     you journey to the stars in search of adventure, encounter alien
     creatures, explore the ruins of deserted cities, and acquire a pet
     dog.  An awesome game!

     SUSAN, A LUSTFUL GAME -- By Bill Larkins.  You attempt to score points
     with your girlfriend, Susan.  An R-rated game for adults only.

     TAMORET -- By Michael J. Lyons.  You are called upon to help return a
     creature from the fourth dimension that has escaped into our world.
     The largest and most complex game every created with AGT (so far).

     TARK, PRIESTESS OF THE FIRST CHURCH, IN HER BATTLE AGAINST THE DEMON
     OF DARK DESIRE -- By Philip Kegelmeyer.  An extremely well written
     game based on a "Dungeons and Dragons" theme (complete with spells and
     hit points) where you play a priestess struggling against the forces
     of evil.

     All of the winning games are available from Softworks, the publisher
     of the Adventure Game Toolkit, in a special 2-disk set of files called
     "The Best of the Contest".  These disks contain over a mega-byte of
     AGT source code.  These disks are available for $12 from:

         Softworks
         43064 Via Moraga
         Mission San Jose, California  94539
         (415) 659-0533 (12:00 Noon to 8:00 PM  -- PST)

     VISA and MasterCard orders can be made by phone.  All orders should
     specify which disk format is desired: Macintosh, IBM 5 1/4 or IBM
     3 1/2.

     As a special "bonus" these disks also contain the AGT source code to
     these recent adventure games:

     PORK -- By David Malmberg.  A parody of the Infocom game of ZORK.  If
     you were ever frustrated by ZORK, playing this game is your chance to
     enjoy the sweet fruits of revenge.

     LOVE'S FIERY RAPTURE -- By Natasha Mirage.  A torrid tale of what
     could turn out to be THE perfect date.  A parody (???) of romance
     novels like those published by Harlequin.  This game demonstrates a
     very clever way to translate a "Choose Your Own Adventure" style game
     into an AGT game.

     Order "The Best of the Contest" disks today, and let yourself in on
     some of the best adventure gaming in years!