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ZZT
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(Written 1999-2000)
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You need ZZT v3.2 to play ZZT games

So just what is ZZT?  ZZT was the first-ever release from Tim Sweeney, then the only member of Epic MegaGames.  The graphics were made up of computer text ASCII characters (like the little smiley face, and 254 other small "characters").  This was primitive even for 1991.  The full version, which has since been released as freeware, featured four different game "worlds" designed by Sweeney.  However, what has really made ZZT stand the test of time is its game design utility built into the program.  Over the years, hundreds of ZZT files have been released over the internet, and game design techniques have become better and better.  ZZT was a great introduction to game design for me, as it featured a simple interface and easy-to-learn programming language, ZZT-OOP.  I quit working on ZZT games back in April of '99 after two and a half years.

NOTE: You'll probably need DOSBox to run ZZT these days.