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This is a walkthrough for the 350-point version of the Colossal Caves Adventure by Crowther and Woods. It begins at the start of the game outside the building, and is (more or less) the exact commands needed to win the game with the maximum number of points. This walkthrough will not solve any of the versions which have more total points. It assumes that you don't find the first dwarf (the one who throws the axe) before completing the first trip into the cave (else you'll have too many items to carry). It also assumes that you will pick up the axe as soon as you see it, and kill the other dwarves you see as you see them, and retrieve the axe afterwards. It also assumes that the pirate doesn't steal any treasure until you actually get into the maze of twisty little passages, all alike, or else you'll have to modify the chest-retrieval bit to account for it. Due to these random events, and certain other ones like passages occasionally dumping you into the same room you left from, this is not an exact walkthrough, and feeding the inputs shown into the game via input redirection will not work (unfortunately). You have to deal with the extra events as they happen, and maybe try several times before circumstances work out and you win the game.

Notice: some versions of the game do not treat 'get' the same as 'take', and will complain at you if you type 'get x', but will accept 'take x'. In this case, replace all occurrences of 'get' in the walkthrough with 'take' and all will be well.

Now, without further ado, 'You are at the end of a road, outside a small building...'

• e
• get lamp
• xyzzy
• on lamp

• e
• get cage
• pit
• e
• get bird
• w
• d
• s
• get gold
• n

• n
• free bird
• drop cage
• s
• get jewel
• n
• w
• get coins
• e
• n
• get silver

• n
• plover
• ne
• get pyramid
• s
• plover

• plugh
• drop pyramid
• drop coins
• drop jewel
• drop silver
• drop gold
• get bottle
• get food
• get keys
• plugh

• s
• d
• bedquilt
• slab
• s
• d
• pour water
• u
• w
• u
• reservoir
• get water
• s
• s
• d
• s
• d

• pour water
• u
• e
• d
• get oil
• u
• w
• d
• climb
• w
• get eggs
• n
• oil door
• n
• get trident
• w
• d
• drop bottle
• sw

• u
• toss eggs
• cross
• ne
• barren
• e
• feed bear
• open chain
• get chain
• get bear
• w
• fork
• ne
• e
• get spice
• fork
• w
• w

• cross
• free bear
• cross
• sw
• d
• drop keys
• bedquilt
• e
• n
• open clam
• d
• d
• get pearl
• u
• u
• s
• u
• e
• u

• n
• plugh
• drop chain
• drop spice
• drop trident
• drop pearl
• plugh
• s
• d
• bedquilt
• w
• oriental
• n

• w
• drop lamp
• drop axe
• e
• get emerald
• w
• get axe
• get lamp
• nw
• s
• get vase
• se
• e
• get pillow
• w
• w
• w
• d
• climb

• w
• fee
• fie
• foe
• foo
• get eggs
• s
• d
• u
• w
• u
• s
• kill dragon
• yes
• get rug
• e
• e
• n

• n
• plugh
• drop rug
• drop pillow
• drop vase
• drop emerald
• drop eggs

• xyzzy
• get rod
• pit
• d
• w
• wave rod
• w

• get diamond
• w
• s

• e
• s
• s
• s
• n
• e
• n
• e

• nw
• get chest

• get diamond
• se
• n
• d
• debris
• xyzzy
• drop rod
• drop chest
• drop diamond
• plugh

• s
• d
• bedquilt
• e
• e
• get magazine
• e
• drop magazine

• n
• Wait until the cave closes.
• sw
• get rod
• ne
• drop rod
• sw
• blast

The other walkthrough finishes the game in about 243 moves, not countingthe dwarves and waiting for the pirate and getting out of Witt's End.This finishes in around 215 moves with those same stipulations.It could probably be improved by a few moves at least.

[edit] Notes

1. If the pirate hasn't stolen something by now, you are basically screwed, but you can try the sequence se,n,w,w,w,e,e,w,s,n,s,s,s,n,e,n,e,nw over and over to try to find him before your lamp runs out.
2. Don't go West here. Keep trying North and you'll eventually get out. After moving the magazines, I recommend going somewhere with light (either by the grate or in the plover room) and waste some time until the cave closes.