After 21 Years: The Fool’s Errand Sequel

Cliff Johnson’s 1987 Mac game, The Fool’s Errand, was featured at GDC today in a panel entitled “Stories Best Played: Deconstructing the Best Interactive Storytelling.” The game was an example of how to tightly integrate storytelling and gameplay.

The integration is so tight in this game that you won’t be able to continue reading the tale without first completing puzzles to unlock the text. The memory of poring over the scrambled Sun Map was fondly recalled, and you can have a go yourself by downloading the game from this website.

Then as an extra tidbit, they mentioned that the game’s sequel, The Fool and His Money, will ship this year. Johnson’s website corroborates this fact, adding that if you pre-order, “…your name shall be immortalized in the Compendium of True Believers inside the game.” Does Duke Nukem have one of those, too?