Hello Reader!

This archive contains the following files:

* scottdec.exe

    A decoder for Scott Adams type games.  It works as a filter, so
    don't forget to redirect input and output, e.g.
         SCOTTDEC < ADVLAND.DAT > ADVLAND.DEC

    Scottdec lists all the actions, rooms and objects (e.g. everything
    that is in the datafile).  In fact, the output is rather redundant:
    for example, all messages are listed twice (in the message list and
    in the actions list).

    The Scott Adams datafiles must be in the TRS-80 format specified in
    the documentation of Alan Cox' interpreter "ScottFree".  (Cp. the
    DEFINIT.TXT file.)  ScottFree is available from the Interactive
    Fiction archive at ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/scott-adams/

* scottdec.c

    ANSI C source code for the decoder.

* definit.txt

    Specifies the TRS-80 datafile format for Scott Adams games.  Taken
    from the "ScottFree" distribution.

* tasdiffs.txt

    Lists the differences between my command names and the ones used in
    TAS.

* advland.dat

    Scott's first adventure.  This datafile was extracted from the
    BASIC version which has been uploaded to the IF archive, which is
    apparently based on the version included in the PC-SIG library.

    I have changed "OXE" back to "OX" because this is the way it is
    spelled in the BASIC version published in the book "BASIC Adventures
    for the TRS-80".

* pirate.dat

    Scott's second adventure.  This datafile was extracted from the
    BASIC version published in Byte 12/1980.

    I have changed a few things.  The Byte version was all uppercase; I
    have converted the texts to lowercase (and checked them against a
    C-64 PetBASIC version of the game).  I changed the interpunction a
    little (adding a full stop here and there for better readability).

* readme.txt

    This one.

Please note that later versions of the two included games are commercial
products which are not in the Public Domain. (Update:  Scott Adams has
declared all his adventure games as shareware in 1997.)


Enjoy!

Paul David Doherty <h0142kdd@rz.hu-berlin.de>          January 15, 1998