The Colossal Cave Adventure page
Colossal Cave forum A history of 'Adventure' The real Colossal Cave Magic word 'XYZZY' Colossal Cave hints 'Adventure' downloads Colossal Cave links

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Before you give in...


Before you resort to this hints section, make sure you've tried everything you possibly can to figure out your problem on your own.

Have you explored everywhere in the cave that you can? Sometimes wandering around you can find simpler puzzles to solve elsewhere, or certain objects, that can help you with the tougher sections.

If you find yourself going crazy trying to phrase a command or question in terms that the game can understand, and getting nowhere, maybe what you're trying to do just isn't possible in the game.

Although the mazes are maddening, you need to master them before you can solve some puzzles. You can map them by taking objects in with you and dropping them one per room to make the rooms more easily mapped. Or, look for subtle differences between "identical" rooms in a maze that may not be apparent at first glance.

When mapping the cave, be aware that the cave is sometimes non-Euclidian. That is, a north exit from one room to the next doesn't necessarily imply a south exit will return you back to the original room. Also, try all directions looking for exits, not just the directions hinted at by the room descriptions.

When you're really, really stumped, try these
Colossal Cave hints


The Colossal Cave Adventure page
Colossal Cave forum A history of 'Adventure' The real Colossal Cave Magic word 'XYZZY' Colossal Cave hints 'Adventure' downloads Colossal Cave links