The Hobbit is a text-based adventure game that is fabled to be one of the best of all time in both story and game play. The Hobbit was released in the eighties, when text-based adventures were basically the only choice. Users knew the graphics were going to be poor and the sound would likely be non-existent. The hope was of a great plot with good puzzles. The Hobbit manages both. It is based on J.R.R. Tolkein’s famous character, Bilbo Baggins.
One of the beauties of the Hobbit is some of the new idea it introduced in text-based adventures.
First of all, it is in pseudo-real time. The user, despite this being a text adventure, cannot just get up to fetch a soda and think there will be no repercussions. There are times when the ability to type quickly even comes in to play because characters will begin developing ideas if the hero is seen to be stalling. Another gem is the quality of the non-playing characters. They add some degree of replayability to the game by behaving differently each time you meet them. A confirmed friend in one instance may not be so willing to help the hobbit in the next, forcing the gamer to seek new solutions to puzzles.
The parser recognizes a great many words, creating a lot of possibilities when issuing commands.
Also, given the changeable nature of the non-playing characters with whom Bilbo must interact, this makes for a lot of open ends. Regardless, the goal is always the same: guide Bilbo toward the dragon and recover the treasure of the dwarves.
One of the only drawbacks to this game is the random layout of the world. Bilbo may arrive at point A by walking continuously North, or continuously East. It does not make any sense and it is frustrating when trying to find or relocate pieces of a puzzle. There is a lot of complexity to giving commands, but that is a matter of learning the appropriate way to phrase orders. Once this is mastered, the diverse number of useable commands is really fun and is one of the game’s strong points.
In summary, this is a classic text-based adventure that is based on what has become a favorite character. It is a solid download that offers workable challenges and an interesting story line. It is definitely worth a download.
