THE ORACLE
by Brandon Allen
3/2002

*****

4/18/02
	I have corrected a number of typos and bugs that have been pointed out by a few kind folks who have played the game since its release.
	Many Thanks!
	
*****	

	The Oracle began five years ago, during a three-week break between my second and third years of medical school. Originally it was intended as an entry in the annual IF competition (I think that it would have been the second year the competition was held). As anybody who has created a work of interactive ficiton quickly learns, these things are never quick and never easy. Here it is, years down the road, and it truly isn't "finished" yet.

	I have tried to create a game more or less in the traditional fantasy/adventure genre that could realistically be completed in three hours. I have done my best to make the prose interesting and lively, and set a definite mood for the entire game. I really enjoy "secrets" in games, so there are several objects to be found and areas to be visited which are completely optional and will probably require trying something "different" to discover. I may or may not have succeeded in any of these goals. (I would be happy to hear any opinions either way).

	The game was play-tested several years ago by a few very generous individuals, and many excellent suggestions were made, and many improvements implemented. The game's final sequence is  its least "polished" segment, and ah-well, it will have to do.

	I have included a map of the game in .GIF format which should print up nicely on a single sheet of paper (at 360dpi). You really don't need the map to play the game through. I made it more for my own amusement. It does show ALL locations in the game - i.e. spoilers... sort-of. It doesn't show how to get to them.
	
	Enjoy,
	
	Brandon Allen M.D.
	(At the time of this writing, I am a resident anesthesiologist at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland)
	(e-mail: axaktor@yahoo.com - I would love to hear from anybody who plays the game!!)