Torches wedged into crevices in the rock walls illuminate the entrance to gwelks. Multicolored mineral deposits glitter in the torchlight, reflecting and focusing the wavering brightness onto the far wall where a message is etched into the stone: Interactive fiction (IF), also called text adventures and choose your own adventures, is a kind of computer game in which communication between the player and the game is predominately, if not completely, text-based. In parser IF, the player needs to type his or her intentions; in hypertext or choice-based IF, the player need only click links embedded in the text passatges or listed as player options. IF encompasses a spectrum of designs, from hyperlinked short narratives to interactions that allow the player to influence the story, manipulate the game world, and solve puzzles. Venture forth to find free IF that can be downloaded or played online in your browser.
Brighter light than that of the torches fills several tunnels. Sunlight from the east invites you to the reading room, where you can play IF that Nigel has created, while the glow from the northwest indicates the IF console of a spaceship that can take you to other fantastic IF worlds. You can hear a crowd of spectators to the west where people have gathered in the arena to participate in ShuffleComp: Disc 2, an event for IF that was inspired by particular songs, and a computerized voice to the northeast responds to Nigel's incessant tapping on a keyboard in Nigel's office.