''The Edifice'' is a 1997 work of

interactive fiction Interactive fiction (IF) is software simulating environments in which players use text Command (computing), commands to control Player character, characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narrati ...

by Lucian P. Smith about the evolution of an early anthropoid in stone-age times. It is distributed in

z-code Z Code (like Q Code and X Code) is a set of operating signals used in CW, TTY and RTTY radio communication. Distinct versions There are at least three sets of Z codes. : There are other sets of codes internally used by Russia's ...

format as

freeware Freeware is software, often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines ''freeware'' unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for the free ...

. The game won the 1997

Interactive Fiction Competition The Interactive Fiction Competition (also known as IFComp) is one of several annual competitions for works of interactive fiction. It has been held since 1995. It is intended for fairly short games, as judges are only allowed to spend two hours pla ...

, and went on to also win that year's XYZZY Award for Best Puzzles and XYZZY Award for Best Individual Puzzle. It gained plaudits for its famous "language puzzle".

References

Game entry at Baf's Guide

External links

* 1990s interactive fiction 1997 video games Video games developed in the United States {{adventure-videogame-stub