Introduction
This game is based on the one made for TI personal computers back in the
early 80's. There exists a text MUD-like version on most Unix systems, and I
suspect this was the original form of the game. The graphical version is much
more fun, however. The rules of the game, to the best of my
knowledge, mirror those of the TI version. I'd be interested in hearing of any
discrepancies or errors you discover.
Purpose
The purpose of the game is to locate and kill a nasty man-eating creature
called a wumpus. It lives in a maze of interconnecting caverns, letting
unsuspecting prey walk into its lair. You have only one arrow, but that's all
you'll need - if you don't miss. Unfortunately for you, you can't actually
stumble into the wumpus's lair, or he'll eat you. You have to deduce where his
lair is and fire your arrow into the lair. If you've guessed wrong, you're a
goner.
Strategy
There are hints you can use to deduce the location of the wumpus's lair. For
he's eaten so many people over the years that blood stains the wall for two
rooms in every direction out from the lair. This means you are guaranteed to
pass through two blood-stained rooms in a row before reaching his lair.
Slime Pits
It's still not as easy as you think. There are other dangers in the cavern maze:
slime pits. You can avoid slime pits by noticing slime-coated walls, but unlike
the wumpus's lair, you only get one room's worth of warning for slime pits.
Representation
The board layout is a bird's eye view, revealed as you make your way
around. Blood-stained walls are represented by a solid red circle in the center
of the room; slime-coated walls are represented by a thin green circle around
the perimeter of the room.
Passageways
Some pairs of caverns are not connected directly, but rather with a twisty
passageway. Passageways do not count for the 2 rooms of blood-staining or
the 1 room of slime-coated walls, nor do they count for the
correctness/incorrectness of your arrow shot. Only the round rooms
matter; the passageways are there to confuse your idea as to where the lair or
the pits might be.
Controls
You may move around using the arrow keys. To draw your bow, press either
the Enter key or the spacebar. Then to fire, press the arrow key in the desired
direction. If you change your mind about taking your shot, press either the
Enter key or spacebar again, and you'll put away your arrow again.
Trial and Error
Your best bet is just to play around and get the feel for the game. A tally
underneath the main board will let you know how well you're doing, as well as
how many kills the wumpus and the slime pits have claimed. Good luck; may
your shot fly true.
