Neuromancer combined a cyberpunk storyline with hacking sequences that took you to elite BBSes, bank systems, and other cyberspace destinations.

Better Than Pong

Interplay was a major creative force in computer games soon after its founding in 1983, pioneering a style of role-playing game developed in hits like The Bard's Tale series and Wasteland. But those early games were all published by the fast-growing Electronic Arts. It wasn't until Neuromancer and Battle Chess in 1988 that Interplay struck out on its own to publish its own games, though it still used EA's distribution help with Neuromancer.

Pride in this track record inspired more than a few self-referential jokes in Neuromancer's dialogues. In addition to the not-so-subtle plug that has BattleChess becoming the new standard for international competition by 2058, there are easy-to-find references to Wasteland and other games punctuating Neuromancer's constant flow of rather geeky humor.

Replacing the House of Pong monks' joystick is just one wacky example of the game's geek humor.

Imagine a time long, long ago, before the Web existed, when the Internet was the domain of researchers. Even then, back in the 1980s, cyberpunk authors were thinking about what it would be like to live in a technology-driven, connected world--but it was Interplay that put cyberspace in reach. William Gibson's 1984 novel Neuromancer may have kick-started a vision of cyberspace filled with disenfranchised hackers and giant corporations, but Interplay's adventure game was less about serious and gritty futurism and more about slyly setting you up as the outlaw hacker in a tongue-and-cheek future.

The open-ended design made you move between the real world of 2058, a web of databases, and cyberspace to gather clues, passwords, and software. The core game was a graphical adventure in the Sierra style, letting you move from room to room to chat with contacts for info (and for quest items like the "holy joystick" for the Pong-worshipping monks) and scam for money and equipment. Veer too far to the seedy side, and that could mean a visit from the law--and one of the instant video trials that would inevitably find you guilty. One key to this half of the game was working "social hacking" angles, getting secretaries and attendants out of the room so you could jack into certain regions of cyberspace. Meeting the odd cast of characters in shops, back rooms, and, later, the Zion Cluster space station led to some hilarious dialogue. An assortment of implants for street skills came in handy, from "coptalk" to win over the police in the donut shop to "musicianship" for persuading the Rastafarians on Zion with some good dub music.

Jacked in, the game echoed the fact that savvy computer enthusiasts were already getting on BBSes and paid online services at the time, presenting you with BBS-like messages and file menus. But of course, Neuromancer's software was much cooler, with useful stuff like BattleChess 2.0 (a hacked version that let you easily win some prize money) and a variety of offensive warez (blowtorch 3.0, hammer 4.0) that you could use to battle AI defenses. At some point, you inevitably had to leave the peaceful BBSes and head into cyberspace looking for back doors into powerful corporate systems. You couldn't learn any real skills, but Neuromancer managed to immerse you in the act of futuristic hacking.

Few adventure games have combined a full storyline with interactive action elements, putting you in the middle of the action instead of telling you about it. Neuromancer's hybrid gameplay struck a balance that meant there was usually something to do when the story had you stuck. Interplay didn't try to slavishly adapt the novel's plot and dark tone, which is for the best, given that the blocky graphics of the time were better suited for caricature. That doesn't mean the game didn't push the technical envelope. The Commodore 64 version was exceptional in featuring a solid soundtrack from '80s techno pop band Devo. All this adds up to an adventure that stands the test of time--even if cyberspace isn't quite such a radical idea anymore.

What struck me about Neuromancer was not only the chance for some simulated, dramatized hacking, but also the fact that all this was happening on a home computer, which itself could dial up systems via a modem--albeit at a very slow 300 baud. The best game stories transport you to other settings, but here the computer medium itself seemed a part of the game's fabric. The hacking part of the game required some solid investigation that was involving without being too terribly difficult. So when I played Neuromancer 15 years ago, the best part was feeling some accomplishment mastering fictional computer systems.