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Salvaged Copy
The source files and a precompiled ZMachine storyfile of this adventure were recovered from a salvaged "Infocom hard drive", and made publicly available on GitHub in an effort to preserve them.

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The Lurking Horror

by Dave Lebling

Horror
1987

About the Story

A winter night at the G.U.E. tech campus with most students away on vacation serves as the backdrop for this tale of Lovecraftian horror.


Game Details

Off-Site Reviews

Innsmouth Free Press
A Pistol and a Flashlight
Beyond its mere descriptive power, however, there’s a way in which IF’s very obsoleteness contributes to the Lovecraftian atmosphere in a way Lebling couldn’t have anticipated when he wrote the game. Lovecraft was obsessed with the archaic, stylistically and technologically, as much as the arcane. Even the eldritch manuscripts that were often the bread and butter of his stories can be viewed as forgotten technologies, much like the time-obscured words on Lebling’s DOS program.
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SPAG
The writing is excellent; the game is firmly rooted in the Gothic horror used by Lovecraft and Poe. Dave Lebling has captured the essence of the genre well. The plot, however, is not as well developed. It contains some nice elements, but at times the disparate plot elements felt unconnected. (Stephen Granade)

The only weakness that I found with Lurking Horror was the NPCs. I feel that they could have been developed to a greater extent, especially the hacker. I was also disappointed with the ending; it was a climactic let-down from what had been built up during the game. (Brian Reilly)
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SynTax
This is an exciting story for the lover of text adventures. The game is well-written and the parser, as in the other Infocom games, works well, avoiding smart Alick replies. The puzzles are logical and not too difficult and there is a good feeling of suspense. (Laura Gow)
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SynTax
On your way you will encounter a mad maintenance man, a professor who is an adept of occultism, a strange shape, all of them wanting to kill you ... and don't forget the rats! Not a game for the faint-hearted but truly an adventure to have you glued to your computer for hours. (Claire Dyard)
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Page Update History

  v.10: 05-Jan-2022 00:48 - Dan Fabulich (Current Version) - Edit Page - Normal View
Changed development system
v.9: 23-Aug-2020 02:26 - Zape
Changed download links
v.8: 21-Apr-2019 05:20 - Tristano
Changed download links
v.7: 05-Mar-2013 15:52 - Edward Lacey
Changed external review links
v.6: 20-Jun-2011 13:45 - Emily Short
Changed external review links
v.5: 16-Jan-2010 19:18 - Grey
Changed forgiveness
v.4: 19-Feb-2008 21:24 - Emily Short
Changed IFIDs, cover art
v.3: 18-Oct-2007 13:59 - AmberShards
Changed description
v.2: 18-Oct-2007 13:58 - AmberShards
Changed author, publication date, version number, description
v.1: 17-Oct-2007 23:02 - AmberShards
Created page