The Dreamhold is an interactive fiction

Interactive fiction

Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...

 game by Andrew Plotkin

Andrew Plotkin

Andrew Plotkin , also known as Zarf, is a central figure in the modern interactive fiction community. Having both written a number of award-winning games and developed a range of new file formats, interpreters, and other utilities for the design, production, and running of IF games, Plotkin is...

 released in 2004. Its primary purpose is to be a tutorial to IF, and because of that the "core" of the game is relatively easy to finish.

However, as an attempt to make it more appealing for seasoned IF players, Plotkin added an "expert mode", which can be activated early in the game and makes certain puzzles harder.

It won the 2004 XYZZY Award

XYZZY Award

The XYZZY Awards are an event to recognize extraordinary interactive fiction, serving a similar role to the Academy Awards or Grammy Awards but for a far smaller community. The XYZZY Awards have been presented yearly in the early spring since 1996 by Eileen Mullin, the editor of XYZZYnews...

s for Best Puzzles and Best Use of Medium.

External links

• The Dreamhold on Plotkin's official website
• Baf's Guide entry for The Dreamhold
• I Had a Dream Which Was Not All a Dream — a review by Dan Shiovitz
• Magic Memories — a review by Magnus Ollson
• Review of The Dreamhold at SPAG