Spelunker’s Quest

OK. Another game where I’m trapped in a cave, with a default self-description. But this one has credits, so I’m hopeful. Spoilers ahead.
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It seems very odd that every year there is some theme which repeats itself in multiple entries in the IF comp. Last year it was vampires. This year, trapped in a cave adventures with swords and brass lanterns. Spelunker’s Crawl is kind of fun, even though conceptually it isn’t very original. Another amnesiatic cave crawl. The game includes a number of IF in jokes (a reference to Will Crowther, and a response to the XYZZY command). The game is easy enough that I was able to finish with only one peek at the hints. The hints menus are very well designed, telling you first where to search more carefully, then giving more explicit advice. It’s amusing, and well coded. I just wish it weren’t so cliched. I’ll give it a “3” out of 5.