Nellan Is Thirsty was originally published in 1980 as a type-in game for the TRS-80 and Heath H89 in the July/August 1980 issue of Recreational Computing magazine.
The game is presented along with an article in the magazine entitled; “Write Your Own Computer Fantasy Simulation” in which the game is meant as an example of a system in which other games can be written for. Both the article and the game were written by Dr. Furman H. Smith.
The program is aimed specifically for young children and it is the first of it’s kind that I’ve encountered in this period. Dr. Furman would go on to release a sequel using the same system entitled CAKE (or Deliver the Cake) which was published by Recreational Computing a year later. Dr. Furman recounts: “It took my daughter’s fourth grade class about twenty minutes to solve this CFS (computer fantasy simulation). Wizard’s Castle was also in this magazine as well as an article by Donald Brown who was the author of Eamon.
Twenty minutes is about the length of time it took me to solve Nellan Is Thirsty but I must say I was quite taken with it’s build and charm.
The game is an adaptation of an Enchanted House framework and meant for children to play. The program was designed for easy modification.
When you first begin the game you find yourself in a yellow room and there is a MAP that you can pick up. When you obtain the MAP you are then allowed to CONSULT the map which allows you to graphically see a representation of the Enchanted House and potential areas to explore.
The object of this game is two-fold: items of value can be found and deposited in a bank vault after which you are awarded points while the main object of the game is to alleviate Nellan’s thirst. Nellan is a giant cat who would like nothing more than a cold bowl of milk. So your quest is to do just that. Find Nellan a bowl of milk. The problem is that you have to find a bowl to hold the milk AND you have to keep the milk cool. There is a very hot room you have to traverse to get to Nellan and taking the milk through that room would warm it so you have to puzzle through an alternative solution.
Once you find all four treasures and deposit them in the vault and deliver the milk to Nellan than the game has been won.
I found the game to be quite charming and a fantastic way to introduce a child to both the wonders of interactive fiction and computer games. The game mechanics were simple, the graphical representation of the map wonderful, and the entire setting and characters whimsical. I didn’t have to spend much time with this offering but it was time well spent.