List of computer games and MUDs with a Tolkien theme (long)
Fredrik Ekman
==========================================================
Disclaimer: This document includes some characters that are NOT part of
the English alphabet. These are represented in accordance with the
ISO 8859-1 (Latin-1) standard. If your computer cannot handle them, do
not come whining to me.
Entries added since ver 1.5: The Shire; Night's Keep; Quovadis;
Orthanc; Morgul
Entries changed since ver 1.5: The Hobbit; Lord of the Rings (TRS-80);
Gandalf the Sorcerer; MEFA Mush; Middle-Earth; Werners Quest; Nanny;
Middle-Earth Play-By-Mail; Genesis; The Tebbit; MUME: Multi Users in
Middle Earth; The Hunt for the Ring; Quest of Erebor; Return to Moria;
Haradwaith; The Lord of the Rings, Volume Tree; J.R.R. Tolkien's Riders
of Rohan; Colossal Adventure; Adventure Quest; Dungeon Adventure;
Shadowfax; War in Middle Earth; The Dungeons of Moria; The Pits of
Angband
Entries deleted since ver 1.5: ? (British game with unknown title); The
Valley of Death
Explanations and credits may be found at the end of the file.
Commercial, licensed
--------------------
This section contains all the games that have been licensed from
Tolkien's publisher, HarperCollins.
The Hobbit
Produced by: Beam Software
Distributor: Addison-Wesley (USA) and Melbourne House (rest of the
world?)
Author: Philip Mitchell and Veronika Megler
Year: 1982
System: ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Oric-1, MSX, BBC B,
Apple ][, MS-DOS, Macintosh
Type: Illustrated text adventure
Covers: "The Hobbit"
Comment: Classic adventure. I love this game! It had a large vocabulary
and good character interaction for its time. BBC cassette version
does not feature graphics. There is also an extended version with
music and enhanced graphics for the Commodore 64. For the Apple ][,
Macintosh and MS-DOS, only the extended version (without music) was
released. Was also part of Tolkien Trilogy. Most versions were sold
with a pocket edition of "The Hobbit".
Lord of the Rings: Game One
Produced by: Beam Software
Distributor: Melbourne House
No: MH 331
Author: Philip Mitchell, et al.
Year: 1985
System: ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, BBC B
Type: Illustrated text adventure
Covers: "The Fellowship of the Ring"
Comment: This is one of the worst games I have ever played. Slow,
totally lacking respect for Tolkien's works and the "graphics" are
horrible. BBC version does not feature graphics. Play it once or
twice for a good laugh. Divided in two parts and one beginner's
game. Was also part of Tolkien Trilogy. Some versions were sold
with a pocket edition of "The Fellowship of the Ring".
The Fellowship of the Ring Software Adventure
Produced by: Beam Software
Distributor: Addison-Wesley
No: ISBN 0-201-13640-6 (Apple ][), ISBN 0-201-13650-3 (MS-DOS), ISBN
0-201-13660-0 (Commodore 64)
Author: Philip Mitchell, et al.
Year: 1986
System: Apple ][, MS-DOS, Commodore 64, Macintosh
Type: Illustrated text adventure
Covers: "The Fellowship of the Ring"
Comment: This is actually the same game as Lord of the Rings: Game One
but I think that there are enough differences between the versions
to be cause enough to give this one an entry of its own. In
addition to the change of title, the documentation is slightly
enhanced and the packaging is totally different. There is no
beginner's game and the graphics are completely different, although
not necessarily better. This version was only distributed in North
America.
Shadows of Mordor
Produced by: Beam Software
Distributor: Addison-Wesley (USA) and Melbourne House (rest of the
world?)
Author: Philip Mitchell, et al.
Year: 1988
System: ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, MS-DOS, Macintosh
Type: Illustrated text adventure
Covers: Book Four of "The Two Towers"
Comment: Sequel to Lord of the Rings: Game One. It appears to be better
than its predecessor in almost all aspects. Amstrad CPC version
does not feature graphics and ZX Spectrum version has all graphics
in a slideshow separate from the main program. Was also part of
Tolkien Trilogy.
Crack of Doom
Produced by: Beam Software
Distributor: Addison-Wesley
Author: Philip Mitchell, et al.
Year: 1989
System: MS-DOS, Macintosh
Type: Illustrated text adventure
Covers: Book Six of "The Return of the King"
Comment: The last part of the trilogy in this incarnation.
War in Middle Earth
Produced by: Synergistic Software
Distributor: Melbourne House
Author: Ron Harris, Alan B. Clark, et al.
Year: 1988
System: ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, MS-DOS, Apple IIGS,
Amiga, Atari ST
Type: Strategy
Language: English and Spanish (at least ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC
versions were released in Spanish also)
Covers: "The Lord of the Rings"
Comment: Strange mix of RPG and strategy. Quite good but too simple.
The graphics are OK on the Amiga, even if they certainly do not
capture MY picture of Middle Earth. Early versions seem to have
been extremely bug-infested. A new VGA version for MS-DOS has
been released.
Middle-Earth Play-By-Mail
Distributor: Game Systems Inc. (USA) and GAD Games (UK)
Year: Started 1990
Type: Play by mail (strategy)
Comment: This differs from the rest of the games in this list since the
players do not actually sit by the computer when playing. Instead,
each player fills in a form which is sent to the distributor once
every two to three weeks. These forms are then processed by a
central computer and the result is sent back to the player. In each
game, 10 nations of the Free Peoples battle 10 nations of the Dark
Servants, while 5 Neutral nations ponder when to choose sides. The
time is about 1500 years before Tolkien's trilogy, although GSI has
also started a scenario which plays in the time of the War of the
Ring.
J.R.R. Tolkien's Riders of Rohan
Produced by: Beam Software and Papirus Design Group
Distributor: Konami, Mirrorsoft and Entertainment Group
Author: Hank Howie, Phil Redmond, et al.
Year: 1990
System: MS-DOS
Type: Strategy game with action elements
Covers: The beginning of "The Two Towers"
Comment: A game about the war between the Rohirrim and Saruman. In
addition to controlling the movement of the good forces, the player
may, among other things, shoot orcs with bow and fight enemy
leaders with sword. Said to be good but simple.
The Lord of the Rings, Volume One
Produced by: Interplay
Distributor: Electronic Arts and Nintendo (Super Nintendo version)
No: Y63500
Author: Troy Miles, et al.
Year: 1990
System: Amiga, MS-DOS, Super Nintendo
Type: RPG
Covers: "The Fellowship of the Ring"
Comment: Exists both as disk and CD-ROM version. The CD-ROM has
additional animations and is probably only available for MS-DOS.
Super Nintendo version has different box and manual. See The Lord
of the Rings, Volume Two: The Two Towers for other comments.
*The Lord of the Rings, Volume Two: The Two Towers
Produced by: Interplay
Distributor: Electronic Arts
Year: 1992
System: MS-DOS
Type: RPG
Covers: "The Two Towers"
Comment: I think this game and the former are, in spite of a lot of
bugs, very good and are the only games to come even close to the
feeling of Tolkien's books. They add a lot that was not there from
the beginning, though.
Commercial, unlicensed
----------------------
These games are (or have been) commercial, but they were not licensed.
They could thus (with exception of the parodies) be considered to
violate copyright. To my knowledge, legal action has not been taken
against any of them.
*Lord of the Rings
Year: 1981
System: TRS-80 Model I, Video Genie
Type: Text adventure
*Shadowfax
Produced by: Postern
Author: Mike Singleton and Sean Logan
Year: 1982?
System: VIC 20, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, BBC
Type: Arcade action
Comment: You are Gandalf. Ride Shadowfax into battle and zap the Black
Riders, which come riding towards you in a never diminishing
stream. Quite ridiculous, almost, but still kind of fun.
*Cracks of Doom
Distributor: Supersoft
Year: 1983
System: PET
Type: Text adventure
*Lord of the Rings
Year: 1983?
System: Microbee
Type: Text adventure
Comment: The title may not be correct for this entry.
Colossal Adventure
Produced by: Level 9 Computing
Distributor: Level 9 Computing (original) and Rainbird (Jewels of
Darkness)
Author: Pete, Mike and Nick Austin, after an original by Willie
Crowther and Don Woods
Year: 1983
System: ZX Spectrum, Spectrum 128, Sinclair QL, Oric-1, Lynx, Nascom,
Memotech, Commodore 64, BBC, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Apple ][,
Atari 400, Atari XE, Atari ST, Amiga, MS-DOS, Macintosh, MSX
Type: Text adventure, Jewels of Darkness has illustrations
Comment: This is Level 9's adaption of Crowther and Woods' original
Adventure (aka Colossal Cave). The original was strongly influenced
by Tolkien, and this version emphasizes that even more. Together
with Adventure Qeust and Dungeon Adventure, it came to form The
Middle-Earth Trilogy. Later, Rainbird published the whole trilogy
in one package and renamed it Jewels of Darkness, and in doing so
they also changed all references to Tolkien (except at one place
in the manual where they forgot to replace Amon Sul with Mount
Sewl). Jewels of Darkness was not released for Oric-1, Lynx,
Nascom, Memotech and Atari 400, while the original trilogy was
probably not released for Spectrum 128, Sinclair QL, Atari ST,
Amiga, MS-DOS and Macintosh.
Adventure Quest
Produced by: Level 9 Computing
Distributor: Level 9 Computing (original) and Rainbird (Jewels of
Darkness)
Author: Pete, Mike and Nick Austin
Year: 1983
System: ZX Spectrum, Spectrum 128, Sinclair QL, Oric-1, Lynx, Nascom,
Memotech, Commodore 64, BBC, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Apple ][,
Atari 400, Atari XE, Atari ST, Amiga, MS-DOS, Macintosh, MSX
Type: Text adventure, Jewels of Darkness has illustrations
Comment: The second part of The Middle-Earth Trilogy (see Colossal
Adventure for more details).
Dungeon Adventure
Produced by: Level 9 Computing
Distributor: Level 9 Computing (original) and Rainbird (Jewels of
Darkness)
Author: Pete, Mike and Nick Austin
Year: 1984
System: ZX Spectrum, Spectrum 128, Sinclair QL, Oric-1, Lynx, Nascom,
Memotech, Commodore 64, BBC, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Apple ][,
Atari 400, Atari XE, Atari ST, Amiga, MS-DOS, Macintosh, MSX
Type: Text adventure, Jewels of Darkness has illustrations
Comment: The third part of The Middle-Earth Trilogy (see Colossal
Adventure for more details).
Moria
Distributor: Severn Software
Author: Mike Howard (ZX Spectrum) and Adrian Sheppard (Oric-1)
Year: 1984
System: ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Oric-1
Type: Illustrated text adventure
Comment: Involves finding Durin's ring in Moria.
*Gandalf the Sorcerer
Year:1984?
System: Commodore 64
Type: Arcade action
Comment: The game consists of a wizard (presumably Gandalf) running
along the battlements of a castle zapping dinosaurs(!) and the
occasional ostrich(?!).
*Werners Quest
Author: Jan Åberg
Year: 1985?
System: ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64
Type: Text adventure
Distribution: The game is now PD
Comment: This is a parody of several text adventures, among them
Melbourne House's The Hobbit. At least two sequels were released,
but I do not know if they had any connection with Tolkien.
Bored of the Rings
Produced by: DELTA 4 Software
Distributor: DELTA 4 Software (briefly) and CRL Group PLC
Author: Fergus McNeill
Year: 1985
System: ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC
Type: Illustrated text adventure
Covers: Parody of "The Lord of the Rings", not based on the Harvard
Lampoon book "Bored of the Rings"
Distribution: ZX Spectrum version is now apparently PD. FTP from
ftp.nvg.unit.no:
/pub/sinclair/snaps/games/adventure/text/bored-rings.zip. The file
contains images for a ZX Spectrum emulator.
Comment: Was made with The Quill. Had very poor graphics, and the
parser was not much better. Quite fun, though. Divided in three
parts.
The Boggit
Produced by: DELTA 4 Software
Distributor: CRL Group PLC
Author: Judith Child and Fergus McNeill
Year: 1986
System: ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC
Type: Illustrated text adventure
Covers: Parody of "The Hobbit"
Distribution: ZX Spectrum version is now apparently PD. FTP from
ftp.nvg.unit.no:
/pub/sinclair/snaps/games/adventure/text/boggit.zip,
.../boggit-2.zip and .../boggit-3.zip. The files contain images for
a ZX Spectrum emulator.
Comment: Parody of Melbourne House's adaption of "The Hobbit". Quite
fun. Was made with The Quill. Divided in three parts.
PD/Shareware
------------
This is the section for all the games that are distributed on a non
commercial basis. I am actually slightly surprised that I have not
found more games for this section. There must be lots of them out
there.
*The Shire
Year: 1979?
Type: Text adventure
Comment: If this game, like the title implies, actually is a Tolkien
game, it is the oldest one that I know of. It was made for some
mainframe or minicomputer.
*Orthanc
Year: 1979?
Comment: This has been described as a game where "a little figure is
propelled through a series of corridors and rooms," whatever that
is supposed to mean. Like The Shire, it was made for some mainframe
or minicomputer.
LORD
Produced by: Helsinki University of Technology
Author: Olli J. Paavola
Year: 1981
System: DEC-20
Type: Text adventure
Covers: "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings"
Distribution: PD (I think)
Comment: With 550 separate locations, this game is huge by most
standards. It does not really try to be completely consistent with
Tolkien but mixes elements from many other sources. It is clear,
however, that it is made with a great love for and knowledge of
Tolkien's books.
*Smaugs Lair
Author: N. Brooks
System: ZX81
Distribution: PD(?)
The Dungeons of Moria
Version: 5.5.2
Author: Robert Alan Koeneke, James E. Wilson, et al.
Year: 1983
System: VAX, Unix, MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari ST, Macintosh, X Windows
Name address: herx1.tat.physik.uni-tuebingen.de (version 4.80, log on
as "GAMES") or bbs.runet.edu ([what version is here?], log on
as "bbs")
Type: ASCII-based RPG (Amiga version has simple graphics)
Distribution: PD, FTP from ftp.cis.ksu.edu: /pub/Games/Moria/
Comment: Extremely classic game, but really more influenced by D&D than
by Tolkien.
The Tolkien Affair
System: TRS-80 Model 100
Type: RPG (of sorts)
Distribution: PD, FTP from ftp.eos.ncsu.edu:
/pub/tandy100/games/dragon.ba
Comment: Amusingly stupid game about stealing the Arkenstone from
Smaug. Extremely buggy.
quiz
Version: 5.1
Produced by: The Regents of the University of California
System: Unix
Type: Trivia game
Distribution: Freeware, FTP from gatekeeper.dec.com:
/pub/BSD/NetBSD/NetBSD-current/src/games/quiz/
Comment: I believe that this game is distributed with Berkeley Unix. It
tests the player's knowledge on different subjects. One of the data
files that is distributed with the game contains some nations and
capitals in Middle Earth.
Bilbo
Version: 2.1
Author: Nils Eng
Year: 1989
System: MS-DOS
Type: Text adventure with some graphics
Language: Swedish
Covers: "The Lord of the Rings"
Distribution: PD, FTP from ftp.gmd.de: /if-archive/games/pc/bilbo.zip
Comment: Based on the "alternate reality" that Bilbo, rather than
Frodo, was chosen to take the Ring to Mordor. Not very good but
quite different.
The Pits of Angband
Version: 2.6.2
Author: Alexander Cutler, Andy Astrand, et al.
Year: 1991
System: Unix, MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari ST, Macintosh
Name address: bbs.runet.edu (log on as "bbs")
Type: ASCII-based RPG (Amiga version has simple graphics)
Distribution: PD, FTP from ftp.cis.ksu.edu: /pub/Games/Angband/
Comment: Extended, and much more Tolkien-influenced, version of The
Dungeons of Moria. However, it seems more like an unordered
collection of monsters and artifacts from Tolkien's world than
anything else.
Tolkien's Middle Earth
Author: Massimo Campostrini <ca...@sunthpi3.difi.unipi.it>
Year: 1992
System: X Windows
Type: Module for multiplayer strategy game Xconq 5.5
Distribution: PD, FTP from ftp.uu.net:
/pub/games/xconq/contrib/tolkien.shar.Z. Also distributed with
Xconq 5.5.
Comment: A new version will be out for Xconq 7 and will cover current
shortcomings in the representation of Tolkien's world. The author
asks that you please contact him if you would like to help
designing 16x16 bitmap graphics for the forces of the game.
Morgul
Author: Chris Wilde, et al.
Year: 1993
System: Unix, MS-DOS, Macintosh
Type: ASCII-based RPG
Distribution: PD, FTP from ftp.cis.ksu.edu:
/pub/Games/Moria/unofficial/
Comment: An unofficial version of The Dungeons of Moria version 5.5. It
is almost identical to that game, but takes place in Morgul where
the player has to kill the nine Nazgûls in order to delay the
attack on Minas Tirith. The author is very concerned with the poor
realism of allowing humans to become mages (compare Tolkien's rare
descriptions of humans using magic) but does not bother to explain
why hobbits and half-elves are shop-keepers in down-town Minas
Morgul.
Hobbit - The True Story
Produced by: Milbus Software
Author: Fredrik Ramsberg <d91f...@und.ida.liu.se> and Johan Berntsson
Year: 1993
System: MS-DOS
Type: Text adventure
Covers: Parody of "The Hobbit"
Distribution: Shareware (USD 10), FTP from ftp.gmd.de:
/if-archive/games/pc/hobbit.zip
Comment: Possibly the first adventure ever written with BAT files(!).
It is a very good but extremely short parody of the Melbourne House
game.
Eamon
-----
Eamon is a sort of standard platform for many different text adventures
with a strong RPG element. One player character can be used in many
adventures and some objects and abilities can be moved from one
adventure to any of the others. Eamon was invented by Donald Brown and
developed by John Nelson. Because of the element of inter-game
mobility, the player of these games never actually takes the role of
any of Tolkien's characters, but rather plays "himself". Therefore,
these games have no "Covers" entry. Instead, there is a short
description in the comment.
The Mines of Moria
No: Eamon 108
Author: Sam Ruby
Year: 1985
System: Apple ][
Distribution: PD, FTP from cassandra.ucr.edu:
/pub/apple2/incoming/PublicDomain/eamon/eamon108.dsk.gz. The file
is a disk image for an Apple ][ emulator.
Comment: The Mines of Moria is the first in a long series of games by
Sam Ruby. The author himself considers the games before The Valley
of Death to be "technically and thematically inferior to [the later
games]". This one involves going through Moria to get some secret
information through to the good forces in the south.
The Forest of Fear
No: Eamon 109
Author: Sam Ruby
Year: 1985
System: Apple ][
Distribution: PD, FTP from cassandra.ucr.edu:
/pub/apple2/incoming/PublicDomain/eamon/eamon109.dsk.gz. The file
is a disk image for an Apple ][ emulator.
Comment: Free Mirkwood from the evil power in Dol Guldur.
Thror's Ring
No: Eamon 114
Author: Tom Zuchowski <t.zuc...@genie.geis.com>
Year: 1986
System: Apple ][
Distribution: PD, FTP from apple2.archive.umich.edu:
/apple2/8bit/game/eamon.best.bsq
Comment: A quest to find and reclaim Thror's ring from the depths of
Moria. This is the second best Eamon adventure according to a vote
by the members of the Eamon Adventurer's Guild. If you happen to
like the Eamon concept, Thror's Ring is excellent.
The Ring of Doom
No: Eamon 115
Author: Sam Ruby
Year: 1986
System: Apple ][
Distribution: PD, FTP from cassandra.ucr.edu:
/pub/apple2/incoming/PublicDomain/eamon/eamon115.dsk.gz. The file
is a disk image for an Apple ][ emulator.
Comment: Guess what? YOU have to take the ring to Mount Doom in order
to destroy it. Loosely based on Book Six of "The Return of the
King".
The Iron Prison
No: Eamon 116
Author: Sam Ruby
Year: 1986
System: Apple ][
Distribution: PD, FTP from cassandra.ucr.edu:
/pub/apple2/incoming/PublicDomain/eamon/eamon116.dsk.gz. The file
is a disk image for an Apple ][ emulator.
Comment: Find and bring back the Silmarils from Angband. While doing
that, you will get the chance to kill Gothmog, Ancalagon,
Ungoliant, Sauron and Morgoth himself, among many others. This
must be the all-time low by Sam Ruby.
The Hunt for the Ring
No: Eamon 127
Author: Sam Ruby
Year: 1987
System: Apple ][
Distribution: PD
Comment: The games involves a search for the Lost Ring from the Grey
Havens to Gondor.
Quest of Erebor
No: Eamon 128
Author: Sam Ruby
Year: 1987
System: Apple ][
Distribution: PD
Comment: Join Bilbo and the dwarves on their adventure east of the
Anduin.
Return to Moria
No: Eamon 129
Author: Sam Ruby
Year: 1987
System: Apple ][
Distribution: PD
Comment: Sequel to The Mines of Moria where the player is supposed to
find mithril for Gondor and rouse Durin to unite the dwarves
against Sauron.
Haradwaith
No: Eamon 130
Author: Sam Ruby
Year: 1987
System: Apple ][
Distribution: PD
Comment: Journey into the Southern Desert, to the old port of Umbar,
and uncharted regions beynd the sands, to spy on enemy forces as
they prepare to assault Gondor.
*The Bridge of Catzad-Dum
No: Eamon 159
Author: Nathan Segerlind
Year: 1988
System: Apple ][
Distribution: PD
MUD
---
MUD means Multi User Dungeon and can be described as a text adventure
for several players. This section is probably relatively complete with
regard to the MUDs on the Internet, but there may well be others on
phone-in Bulletin Board Systems and such.
Deeper Trouble
Version: 3.2@265
Author: Claus Skånning Jensen <cl...@iesd.auc.dk> and Michael T.
Schmidt <go...@iesd.auc.dk>
Year: Opened 1990, still running
System: Sun 4-25
IP address: 130.225.48.46 4242
Name address: mud.iesd.auc.dk 4242
Type: LP MUD
Comment: Deeper Trouble has the major theme J.R.R. Tolkien, which means
that the world should be consistent with the works of Tolkien (more
or less). Races and properties of races are as in Tolkien's books,
but the names of places and persons are not.
*Middle-Earth
Year: Opened 1991?, closed 1992
Type: LP MUD
Comment: This game was running in the UK. It is rumored to have been
very good.
Nanny
Year: Tolkien area opened 1991, still running
IP address: 130.236.254.159 2000
Name address: mud.lysator.liu.se 2000
Type: LP MUD
Comment: Includes two Tolkien areas; one first and one third age.
Unlike the other MUDs in this section, this one does not have any
official policy of having a Tolkien area. Those two that still
exist are efforts by individual creators and are only a very minor
part of the total MUD. Walk [7 s], w from the starting point to get
to the Tolkien areas.
Elendor
Year: Opened 1991, still running
IP address: 134.114.138.2 1892
Name address: dana.ucc.nau.edu 1892
Type: MUSH
Comment: Very large and covering most of what is described in "The Lord
of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" and more. Completely dedicated to
Tolkien.
Genesis
Year: Tolkien area opened 1992, still running
System: DEC Alpha
IP address: 129.16.226.142 3011 or 129.16.79.12 2000
Name address: hamal2.cs.chalmers.se 3011 or milou.cd.chalmers.se 2000
Type: LP MUD
Comment: Among other domains, three are based on Tolkien; Gondor, Shire
and Rhovanion. A very good MUD.
MUME: Multi Users in Middle Earth
Version: V
Year: Opened 1992, still running
IP address: 128.178.77.5 4242
Name address: lbdsun4.epfl.ch 4242
Type: DikuMUD
Comment: MUME is set between "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings".
It takes a lot of inspiration from ICE's Middle Earth Roleplaying
game. Only a few areas are open, but those that are open are very
detailed.
*Nemesis
Year: Tolkien area probably opened 1993, MUD closed 1994
Type: LP MUD
Comment: This MUD used to run in Munich and had a Mordor area. It was
closed due to too much traffic. There are plans to reopen it on
some other site, but no date is yet decided.
The Lord of the Rings MUSH
Year: Opened 1993, closed 1994
IP address: 140.142.113.52 4201
Type: MUSH
Comment: This MUSH was completely dedicated to Tolkien. There are plans
to start two new MUSHes based on this one; one with the same theme
but better coded and one based on the fourth age (probably to be
called The Lord of the Rings MUSH II).
Quovadis
Year: Tolkien area opened 1994, still running
IP address: 157.161.1.10 2345
Name address: mud.imp.ch 2345
Telephone: +41 61 9013321 (Switzerland, log on as "lpmud")
Type: LP MUD
Comment: The larger of the Tolkien areas from Nanny MUD is implemented
on this MUD as well. Walk s, w, [7 s], w from the starting point to
get there.
Night's Keep
Year: Not yet officially opened at the time of writing
IP address: 35.8.8.177 7777
Name address: archive.egr.msu.edu 7777
Type: LP MUD
Comment: Night's Keep will be mostly based on Tolkien's world. Because
of problems with finding someone to code the player classes, the
opening of it has been postponed indefinitely. If you know LPC and
would like to help, contact n...@roundtable.msu.edu.
Aurora
Year: Not yet officially opened at the time of writing
IP address: 156.35.41.20 3000
Name address: trono.etsiig.uniovi.es 3000
Type: LP MUD
Comment: A MUD in the building stages with a Middle Earth area among a
few others. It is currently only open for playertesting.
MEFA Mush
Year: Not yet officially opened at the time of writing
IP address: 128.2.22.19 6969
Name address: envirolink2.envirolink.org 6969
Type: MUSH
Comment: MEFA Mush means Middle Earth Fifth Age MUSH, and it is a
totally spaced-out (literally) attempt to mix Fantasy with Science
Fiction. It is set 5,000 years after Tolkien's trilogy, and the
player may face such things as RoboHobbits and CyberOrcs. It now
accepts player registrations and is scheduled to open in February.
The Two Towers
Year: Not yet officially opened at the time of writing
IP address: 36.73.0.68 9999
Name address: empires.stanford.edu 9999
Type: LP MUD
Comment: Is scheduled to open in December or January.
Unreleased
----------
These are, as could be expected, the games that have been planned,
started on or even completed but never released.
*The Lord of the Rings: Journey to Rivendell
Produced by: Parker Brothers
No: PB5950
Year: 1983
System: Atari 2600, Atari VCS, Atari 400
Type: Graphic adventure
Covers: Book One of "The Fellowship of the Ring"
Comment: This game was probably completely finished, but never
released. A likely reason why it was never released is copyright
problems.
*The Tebbit
Produced by: Application Software Specialities
Distributor: Application Software Specialities
Year: 1984
System: ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Atari 400
Type: Text adventure
Covers: Parody of "The Hobbit"
Comment: Satire of British political life in the guise of a parody of
The Hobbit. I have heard that it remained unreleased because of
poor sales of the game Denis Through the Drinking Glass by the same
author. I have also heard that it was withdrawn in the last moment
because of the bombing of the Conservative party conference in
Brighton where Norman Tebbit (who has lent his name to the game)
was injured. This latter reason seems unlikely, however, since
Application Software Specialities ads suddenly vanished from
British computer magazines after May 1984 and the bombing was not
until October.
*Sagan om ringen
Year: 1984
System: Commodore 64
Type: Text adventure
Language: Swedish
Comment: Third prize winner in "Swedish Adventure Game Championship"
that was held by a Swedish computer magazine. The game was
completely finished, but written solely for the purpose of the
competition and never meant to be released.
*Where Hobbits Dare
Produced by: Beam Software
Type: Illustrated text adventure
Comment: This was a planned sequel to The Hobbit. I am _almost_ sure it
was never released. Then again, I used to be almost sure that Crack
of Doom was never released either.
*The Lord of the Rings, Volume Three
Produced by: Interplay
System: MS-DOS
Type: RPG
Covers: "The Return of the King"
Comment: The third part of the abovementioned games has previously been
reported to be in development. However, Interplay has stated that
there are currently no plans of releasing the game.
'El Señor de los Anillos', parte 1, La Communidad del Anillo (Libro 1)
Author: Dimas Caparros Gomez <di...@mazanet.es>
System: Amiga
Type: Illustrated text adventure
Language: Spanish (English version may be forthcoming)
Covers: Book One of "The Fellowship of the Ring"
Comment: This game has previously been listed as Shareware, but will
now be released as a commercial game as soon as the author has
replaced all graphics and music. English version may be PD.
Explanations
------------
This is a brave attempt to list all games that have a direct
relationship with the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of "The Lord of
the Rings".
The games are divided into six different categories: Commercial
licensed, Commercial unlicensed, PD/Shareware, Eamon, MUD and
Unreleased. There also used to be a section with games that almost but
not quite belonged to the list. These are now either moved to other
sections or to a separate list that can be requested from me.
Every game is listed in a separate paragraph. The first line always
states the title of the game. An asterisk (*) before the title
indicates that some important information is missing. Following lines
include different kinds of information, as described:
Version: The current version of the game, if several exist.
Produced by: The company that designed and programmed the game.
Distributor: The company that distributed the game.
No: Usually the distributor's product number, but sometimes ISBN or
other code. In the case of the Eamon games, it denotes the Eamon
Adventurer's Guild's game number.
Author: Programmer, designer or project leader for the game.
Year: The year the game was first released. If several versions exist,
the year refers to the first.
System: The computer system(s) for which the game has been released. In
the US, the ZX 81 was called Timex Sinclair 1000 and the ZX
Spectrum was called Timex Sinclair 2068. That is not the whole
truth, but we need not be concerned with the rest.
IP address: The IP address for the site of an on-line game.
Name address: The name address for the site of an on-line game.
Telephone: International phone number for an on-line game on a BBS.
Type: The type of the game. Text adventure means just that while
illustrated text adventure is a text adventure with pictures for
all or several locations. RPG (role-playing game) is a game in the
tradition of Rogue, either graphic or ASCII-based and usually
showing a view from above the player.
Language: The language that the game is in. If this entry is left out,
English is implied.
Covers: The book(s) or part thereof that the game covers.
Distribution: Distribution form for freely available games (PD or
Shareware) and wherefrom to acquire it.
Comment: General description and comments on the game. Warning! These
are my very personal comments. You may want to disagree.
A missing line indicates either that the information is unknown or
unapplicable.
I would be overjoyed to get any kind of feedback on this monster.
Especially, error corrections and additions for the *-marked entries
are welcome. I can be reached at email ek...@lysator.liu.se.
/Fredrik Ekman
Credits
-------
My thanks to the following persons for valuable help:
Lawrence Abrams <l...@mathlab.sunysb.edu>
Matt Ackeret <unk...@apple.com>
Adanial <CCB...@INDSVAX1.INDSTATE.EDU>
Arwen of Elendor MUSH
Robert Bartz <rba...@nyx10.cs.du.edu>
Johnny Billquist <b...@Minsk.DoCS.UU.SE>
Mary Butler
Massimo Campostrini <ca...@sunthpi3.difi.unipi.it>
Francisco Cotrina <cot...@lia01.unizar.es>
Pier Donini <don...@ellco.epfl.ch>
Olof Eggestig <ol...@mandos.forv.mh.se>
John Elliott <ell...@teaching.physics.ox.ac.uk>
Mattias Engdegård <f91...@nada.kth.se>
Eowyn of Lord of the Rings MUSH
Ross Erickson <Ross=Erickson%New=Prod%Mfg=H...@bangate.compaq.com>
Luis Evaristo <luis.e...@skyship.alce.pt>
Josh P. Gallagher <J.P.Ga...@durham.ac.uk>
Dimas Caparros Gomez <di...@mazanet.es>
Wayne Hammond Jr <Wayne.G...@williams.edu>
Brian Hanechak <hane...@k12.ucs.umass.edu>
David J. Hillier <cia...@ccsun.strath.ac.uk>
Claus Skånning Jensen <cl...@iesd.auc.dk>
Jan Kapala <KAP...@ichn.ch.pwr.wroc.pl>
Paul Lyon <p...@jeeves.la.utexas.edu>
Nancy Martsch
Thomas Meier <Anf...@doom.gun.de>
Kendall Miles <T33...@UNIVSCVM.CSD.SCAROLINA.EDU>
Hans Persson <uni...@lysator.liu.se>
Christopher J. Rasmus <cra...@mailer.fsu.edu>
Michael F. Reid <M.R...@phys.canterbury.ac.nz>
Sam Ruby
Robert Sandberg <e2r...@etek.chalmers.se>
Jose M. Sanz <js...@ccs.neu.edu>
Dag-Erling Smørgrav <da...@infolink.no>
Ed Zielinski <ziel...@egr.msu.edu>
Tom Zuchowski <t.zuc...@genie.geis.com>
I know I have forgotten a couple. Sorry about that.