[Goober5000]

It is the text adventure game that Battuta and I were discussing in IRC a few weeks ago.

It is awesome.  I highly recommend that y'all simply download it and play it, but if you need more convincing, read the spoiler text below.

Game file: devours.z5
You'll need an interpreter, such as Windows Frotz, with which to open the game file: zip installer

If you're on the ball, the game can be solved in an afternoon -- it requires some heavy thinking, but it should be possible to untangle the parts of the main puzzle in an hour or so.  If you're not on the ball, you may need to sleep on it.

Spoiler:

It's a time travel adventure!  And it's the best one I've ever played.  There are no artificial restrictions on what areas you can walk to or how far you can travel back in time.  It's all free-form, controlled by the player.  Yet there's a solid clear-cut goal that must be accomplished, and you're never in doubt about what must be solved.  (You may, of course, be a bit flummoxed about how to solve it, but that's part of the game.)

[General Battuta]

Seriously, play it, it's ingenious.

Here is a non-spoiler tip that solves a UI issue I got hung up on:

You can interact with the security desk by saying 'examine desk'.

[StarSlayer]

Do I not need experience in the genre to pick this up or is there a steep learning curve/expectation of veterancy in the style of game?

[General Battuta]

Do I not need experience in the genre to pick this up or is there a steep learning curve/expectation of veterancy in the style of game?

Aside from the above issue I doubt you'll have any trouble picking it up.

Just know how to 'examine', 'pick up', 'inventory', 'use', 'go north/south/east/west', 'exit room', so on.

[Mongoose]

It won't let you 'get ye flask,' though.

[Locutus of Borg]

It won't let you 'get ye flask,' though.

I guess I'm out then

[Goober5000]

for awesomeness.

[Topgun]

How would one go about playing this on linux? Im not familiar with text games.

[Rodo]

I dwnloaded it at work, I got lost after going to the automatic door

I'll check on it later when I have some free time again.

[Topgun]

Never mind. I see there is a unix port of frotz.