Escape from Rungistan

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Escape from Rungistan software cover

Escape from Rungistan is an interactive fiction computer game by Sirius Software's Bob Blauschild and released in 1982 for the Apple II. Rungistan is an adventure game similar to other such as Mystery House and Gruds in Space.

The background is as follows, as described in the instructions at the opening of the game:

You are about to cross the border into the country of Rungistan in Central Africa. They don't like foreingers, especially ones that play on computers! If you cross the border they will probably throw you in jail and shoot you at sunrise. Your only hope in that case would be to escape from the cell and make it back across the border.

Rungistan combines graphical elements with text-based commands. The game begins with the player sitting in a jail cell and one is asked to enter a command. Rungistan was the first text adventure game to introduce the element of time; in certain situations, the player was required to perform a certain action before the time ran out, such as defusing a bomb. Also, it was the first text adventure to feature arcade-like sequences, such as skiing down a hill and avoiding trees.