Colossal Cave Adventure Quotations

Colossal Cave Adventure or Adventure, ADVENT, or Colossal Cave was originally written for the PDP-10 in 1976 by Willie Crowther and Don Woods, and was the first ever text adventure game.

Notable Room Descriptions

Famous first words



YOU ARE STANDING AT THE END OF A ROAD BEFORE A SMALL BRICK BUILDING.

AROUND YOU IS A FOREST.  A SMALL STREAM FLOWS OUT OF THE BUILDING AND

DOWN A GULLY.

All different maze



YOU ARE IN A MAZE OF TWISTY LITTLE PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.

YOU ARE IN A LITTLE MAZE OF TWISTING PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.

YOU ARE IN A MAZE OF TWISTING LITTLE PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.

YOU ARE IN A LITTLE MAZE OF TWISTY PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.

YOU ARE IN A TWISTING MAZE OF LITTLE PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.

YOU ARE IN A TWISTING LITTLE MAZE OF PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.

YOU ARE IN A TWISTY LITTLE MAZE OF PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.

YOU ARE IN A TWISTY MAZE OF LITTLE PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.

YOU ARE IN A LITTLE TWISTY MAZE OF PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.

YOU ARE IN A MAZE OF LITTLE TWISTING PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.

YOU ARE IN A MAZE OF LITTLE TWISTY PASSAGES, ALL DIFFERENT.

All alike maze



YOU ARE IN A MAZE OF TWISTY LITTLE PASSAGES, ALL ALIKE.

Witt's end



YOU ARE AT WITT'S END.  PASSAGES LEAD OFF IN *ALL* DIRECTIONS.

Mirror canyon



YOU ARE IN A NORTH/SOUTH CANYON ABOUT 25 FEET ACROSS.  THE FLOOR IS

COVERED BY WHITE MIST SEEPING IN FROM THE NORTH.  THE WALLS EXTEND

UPWARD FOR WELL OVER 100 FEET.  SUSPENDED FROM SOME UNSEEN POINT FAR

ABOVE YOU, AN ENORMOUS TWO-SIDED MIRROR IS HANGING PARALLEL TO AND

MIDWAY BETWEEN THE CANYON WALLS.  (THE MIRROR IS OBVIOUSLY PROVIDED

FOR THE USE OF THE DWARVES, WHO AS YOU KNOW, ARE EXTREMELY VAIN.)  A

SMALL WINDOW CAN BE SEEN IN EITHER WALL, SOME FIFTY FEET UP.

Breath-taking view



YOU ARE ON THE EDGE OF A BREATH-TAKING VIEW.  FAR BELOW YOU IS AN

ACTIVE VOLCANO, FROM WHICH GREAT GOUTS OF MOLTEN LAVA COME SURGING

OUT, CASCADING BACK DOWN INTO THE DEPTHS.  THE GLOWING ROCK FILLS THE

FARTHEST REACHES OF THE CAVERN WITH A BLOOD-RED GLARE, GIVING EVERY-

THING AN EERIE, MACABRE APPEARANCE.  THE AIR IS FILLED WITH FLICKERING

SPARKS OF ASH AND A HEAVY SMELL OF BRIMSTONE.  THE WALLS ARE HOT TO

THE TOUCH, AND THE THUNDERING OF THE VOLCANO DROWNS OUT ALL OTHER

SOUNDS.  EMBEDDED IN THE JAGGED ROOF FAR OVERHEAD ARE MYRIAD TWISTED

FORMATIONS COMPOSED OF PURE WHITE ALABASTER, WHICH SCATTER THE MURKY

LIGHT INTO SINISTER APPARITIONS UPON THE WALLS.  TO ONE SIDE IS A DEEP

GORGE, FILLED WITH A BIZARRE CHAOS OF TORTURED ROCK WHICH SEEMS TO

HAVE BEEN CRAFTED BY THE DEVIL HIMSELF.  AN IMMENSE RIVER OF FIRE

CRASHES OUT FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE VOLCANO, BURNS ITS WAY THROUGH THE

GORGE, AND PLUMMETS INTO A BOTTOMLESS PIT FAR OFF TO YOUR LEFT.  TO

THE RIGHT, AN IMMENSE GEYSER OF BLISTERING STEAM ERUPTS CONTINUOUSLY

FROM A BARREN ISLAND IN THE CENTER OF A SULFUROUS LAKE, WHICH BUBBLES

OMINOUSLY.  THE FAR RIGHT WALL IS AFLAME WITH AN INCANDESCENCE OF ITS

OWN, WHICH LENDS AN ADDITIONAL INFERNAL SPLENDOR TO THE ALREADY

HELLISH SCENE.  A DARK, FOREBODING PASSAGE EXITS TO THE SOUTH.

Other Game Text

Magic word



A HOLLOW VOICE SAYS "PLUGH".

Killing the dragon



kill dragon



WITH WHAT?  YOUR BARE HANDS?



yes



CONGRATULATIONS!  YOU HAVE JUST VANQUISHED A DRAGON WITH YOUR BARE 

HANDS!  (UNBELIEVABLE, ISN'T IT?)

Please do not feed the dwarves



YOU FOOL, DWARVES EAT ONLY COAL!  NOW YOU'VE MADE HIM *REALLY* MAD!!

Quoternity