Hunt the Wumpus

Hunt the Wumpus
Hunt the Wumpus (Front Cover)
Publisher(s)	Texas Instruments (TI)
Original Retail Price	$24.95
Programmer(s)	Kevin Kenney
Part#	PHM 3023
Format(s)	Solid State SoftwareTM Command Module
Release	1980 (4th quarter)
Genre(s)	Adventure, Maze, Strategy

Hunt the Wumpus for TI-99/4A is based loosely on the 1975 text-based adventure game of the same title created by Gregory Yob. Kevin Kenney's TI-99/4A version differs significantly from the original in that it introduces graphical gameplay versus the original's text-based gaming system. Hunt the Wumpus was published and distributed by Texas Instruments (TI) in the fourth quarter of 1980. It initially sold for $24.95, and was distributed on Solid State Software^TM Command Module. It was programmed for the TI-99/4A by Kevin Kenney.

Gameplay

Hunt the Wumpus pits the player in a contest to search for, and hunt down a mythical creature known as the Wumpus. The player navigates through an invisible cave. The visited chambers of the cave become visible once they have been visited. If the player enters the chamber where the Wumpus resides, he/she loses. Besides the beastly Wumpus, the cave system hosts other dangers including bottomless pits and cave bats. As the player navigates from chamber to chamber within the cave system, certain chambers will alert him/her to dangers close to him/her.

Advertising Blurbs

Front Cover of Manual

An exciting simulated hunt in a hidden maze of caverns and twisting tunnels! Seek out the lair of the Wumpus, while avoiding perils along the way!

Back Cover of Manual

Deep in a dark and twisting maze lives a creature called the Wumpus. Hiding in its lair, the Wumpus waits to ambush careless explorers who enter its cavern.

In Hunt the Wumpus, you play a hunter, looking for clues to help you find the Wumpus and fire an arrow into its cavern. At the same time, you must avoid perils of the maze. . .slime pits, giant bats, and the Wumpus itself.

Fun Facts

This was the first title programmed by Kevin Kenney who went on to create multiple titles for the TI-99/4A home computer including A-MAZE-ING and Tunnels of Doom.

Hunt the Wumpus, A-MAZE-ING and Blasto were originally intended to be included on a single cartridge. However, Kevin Kenney added extra features to each of the titles making them viable stand-alone products.

• 

  1981 Hunt the Wumpus Cartridge (Black Label on Black Cartridge)

• 

  1982 European Wumpus Cartridge (Black Label on Black Cartridge)

• 

  1982 Hunt the Wumpus Cartridge (Red Label on Black Cartridge)

• 

  1983 European Hunt the Wumpus Cartridge (Black Label on Black Cartridge)

• 

  1983 Hunt the Wumpus Cartridge (Red Label on Beige Cartridge)

Manual

Introduction

Deep within a maze of caverns and twisting tunnels lives a creature known as the Wumpus. Protected by giant bats and pits of slime, the Wumpus feeds on unwary visitors to its cavern.

You are the daring hunter who tracks the Wumpus to its lair! Armed with a single arrow, you explore the maze of caverns, searching for clues to tell you where the Wumpus is hiding. Once you think you've found the Wumpus, you fire your arrow into its cavern. But be careful! If you choose the wrong cavern, you will be the next victim of the Wumpus.

The Hunt the Wumpus Solid State Software^TM Command Module combines the excitement of a hunt with the fun of colorful graphics and lively sound effects. With the module plugged into the console of your Texas Instruments Home Computer, you can:

• Play each game in a new, randomly generated maze
• Choose a maze based on your own level of skill
• Challenge your powers of deduction, memory, and concentration with exciting options you can include in the hunt

The module is also programmed with several convenient features. With a few simple keystrokes, you can view a map of the maze at the end of each game, reselect options for a new game, or begin a new game with the same options.

Getting Started

Maze Difficulty

After you select the module, the title sequence for HUNT THE WUMPUS begins. At the end of the sequence, you are given a choice of three levels of maze difficulty.

Hunt the Wumpus Maze Options Selection Screen

This selection list lets you choose the complexity of the maze. As a rule of thumb, the approximate number of caverns for each level of maze difficulty is as follows:

         EASY MAZE - about 32 caverns
         HARD MAZE - about 24 caverns
         PRO MAZE - about 16 caverns

If you choose a level with fewer caverns, the caverns are connected by long, twisting tunnels. This makes it harder for you to find the location of the Wumpus and avoid the slime pits. Each curve of a tunnel may be an important clue to unexplored areas of the maze, and you may have to take unavoidable risks to reach the Wumpus.

To select maze difficulty press 1, 2, or 3. A small black Wumpus symbol appears to the left of your choice.

Downloads

• 

  1981 Hunt the Wumpus Cartridge (Black Label on Black Cartridge

• 

  1982 European Wumpus Cartridge (Black Label on Black Cartridge

• 

  1982 Hunt the Wumpus Cartridge (Red Label on Black Cartridge

• 

  1983 European Hunt the Wumpus Cartridge (Black Label on Black Cartridge

• 

  1983 Hunt the Wumpus Cartridge (Red Label on Beige Cartridge

• 

  1980 Hunt the Wumpus Manual Front Cover (Old-Style)

• 

  1983 Hunt the Wumpus Manual Front Cover (Modern-Style)

• 

  Hunt the Wumpus Manual Complete (pdf version)

• 

  Hunt the Wumpus MAME/MESS Rom (rpk format)

External Links

• Giant Bomb: Hunt the Wumpus
• Moby Games: Hunt the Wumpus
• TI Video Game House: Hunt the Wumpus
• TV Tropes: Hunt the Wumpus
• WikiPedia: Hunt the Wumpus