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     A few decades ago, I wrote a program for my daughters about a strange beast who lived it's entire life underground, it was called a WAMPUS. I decided to convert my program to java scripts and put it on the internet for others to play. I hope you enjoy it.

     The WAMPUS burrows interconnecting chambers and waits for visitors to drop in. Many of them stayed longer than they had planned, forever. My WAMPUS Caves give you a chance to drop in and try to find a way back to the surface before a WAMPUS has you for dinner.

     You have a few items to help you: 10 Matches, a MIDI player, and your Wits. You'll need all of these items and some luck to get back to the surface alive! The game has easy and normal modes. Normal mode gives you less information, but more options. In easy mode, WAMPUS have no effect.

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     There are a number of different WAMPUS caves. Each one has 8 levels with 16 connected chambers. The object is to find the way to the top level and the exit to the surface. Along the way, you will find ways up, ways down, food, fumes, and of course WAMPUS.

     NOTE: A different cave is chosen when you 'Start Over', if it has been more than 5 minutes since your last re-start. Once you start a cave, it will only change in response to your actions. Food will disappear as you find it, and explosions will change the possible exits, wake up more WAMPUS, or add more fumes.

     Each cave chamber has 3 entrances and 3 exits. Because of the way WAMPUS dig, you can not go backwards to the last chamber you were in. To help you, the chambers are numbered 1-16. Each direction moves you a different number of chambers. If you continually press the 'Ahead' button you will move in a circle back to were you started in 4 moves. When you move beyond chamber 16, you will be back at one of the lower numbered chambers. This makes the actual level seem to have 64 chambers (a virtual maze).

     There is only 1 exit to the surface, and 1 bottomless pit when you start the WAMPUS cave. The number of pits can change if you happen to cause an explosion in the wrong place.

     On any given level you may encounter one or more WAMPUS. At that time, you have 2 options: Light a Match OR RUN (an excellent idea) by pressing the 'Cancel' button.

     The WAMPUS would like you to run, because there is always something he is hiding. It may be

a way up	a way down
some food	or fumes

     In order to find out, you have to frighten the WAMPUS away. In the easy mode the WAMPUS will not harm you, but he won't leave unless you light a match or have music playing on the MIDI player. In Easy mode, any WAMPUS you encounter will run away. You don't have an option! Whatever the WAMPUS was hiding is exposed.

     In the normal mode, a match will scare a WAMPUS away, but be careful, there may be combustible fumes that will cause a cave-in. If you happen to cause an explosion, you will lose health, the chamber caves in, and the chamber below the explosion also changes (you may have just buried yourself alive!).

     If you enter a chamber containing fumes, you automatically run through to the next chamber(in the same direction you were originally headed). If that way is blocked by an cave-in, you will hit the wall, and then automatically return and try a different direction.

|| Top of Page || Caves Information || Game Controls || Done..What Now? ||

     You move by clicking on the direction buttons by the chamber entrances. Once you click, the view will change to show your new location. As you move, the screen will change to indicate your current status.

     The 'Mode' button toggles the game mode. The game starts in the normal mode. Here are some of the features in these modes:

• In Easy mode if the MIDI player is on, it frightens away all WAMPUS; it's as if they were not in the caves.
• In Normal mode the music has no effect (except on you), and you lose health with every WAMPUS encounter.
• In Easy mode when you place the mouse over the direction buttons, a clue is usually given about the next chamber in that direction. (Only works with MSIE!)
  Tip: Move the mouse away from the button, then back over it to see a clue.
• In Normal mode you get NO CLUES.

     You can start over anytime by pressing this button. When you have escaped to the surface (not likely) or die in the cave, press this button to try again.

     The 'MIDI Player' has some of my favorite underground music (stupid pun!) selections.

     To win, all you need to do is get to LEVEL 1 and find the way up.

     There are 3 ways to lose:

• If you fall into a bottomless pit in below LEVEL 8
• If you encounter a WAMPUS and have only 1 health
• If you encounter a WAMPUS and try to light a match when you have none.

     Along the bottom beam, you will find links to 'Help', 'Introduction', and 'E-mail'. Note: If you select any of these links, you will lose your current game and will need to re-load the page.

     If you want to read more about the game select 'Help' (You're looking at it now!).

     If you want to view the animated introduction select 'Introduction'.

     To send me a note select 'E-mail'.

     I hope you enjoy you experience here. If you have any comments or suggestions click to send me an e-mail.

Show me more... View The Introduction

Let's go for it... Enter The Wampus Cave

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