''Tunnels of Doom'' is a role-playing video game programmed by Kevin Kenney for the

TI-99/4A The TI-99/4 and TI-99/4A are home computers released by Texas Instruments in 1979 and 1981, respectively. Based on the Texas Instruments TMS9900 microprocessor originally used in minicomputers, the TI-99/4 was the first 16-bit home computer. ...

home computer and published by Texas Instruments on December 31, 1982. It was available in two formats: cartridge with accompanying disk and cartridge with cassette. Based loosely on the

tabletop role-playing game A tabletop role-playing game (typically abbreviated as TRPG or TTRPG), also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a form of role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech. Participa ...

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...

'', it is a dungeon crawl in which players control the fates of 1–4 characters as they navigate a maze of tunnels.

Texas Instruments Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is an American technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that designs and manufactures semiconductors and various integrated circuits, which it sells to electronics designers and manufacturers globa ...

used the game in its marketing, citing it as entertainment software involving "strategy and logic".

Gameplay

The game has four character classes: hero, fighter, rogue, and wizard. In a single character game, only "hero" is used. Upon encountering an enemy, the game transitions to a separate, graphical, overhead battle screen, where a tactical turn-based combat system is used that allows for movement and positioning. It's possible to listen at doors for sounds of monsters, which can be negotiated with in combat as well.

Legacy

In 2008, Howard Kistler of DreamCodex developed a revised version of the game with the permission of Kevin Kenney.

Notes

References

* * * * * {{refend Video game cleanup Role-playing video games Cooperative video games TI-99/4A games 1982 video games Texas Instruments games