DND © 1975 Whisenhunt & Wood.
A role-playing video game. players create a character and venture into the multi-level Whisenwood Dungeon (a portmanteau of the authors' last names) in search of two ultimate treasures: the grail and the orb. The game presents players with an overhead view of the dungeon, but also implements many basic concepts of Dungeons & Dragons. The Whisenwood dungeon consists of multiple maze-like levels. As players complete each level, they are allowed to advance to the next; however, players may return to previous levels and leave the dungeon altogether making dnd one of the first video games to use non-linear progression. As players complete levels, they acquire new spells, weapons, and items that aid them in their quest to find the ultimate treasures.
Teleporters move characters between dungeon levels. High level monsters, including a Golden Dragon that guards the Orb, are found at the end of each dungeon. Leaving the dungeon allows one to recuperate and regain spells and return later.
Developed at Southern Illinois University in 1974 and 1975.
The name dnd is derived from the abbreviation "D&D" from the original tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, which was released in 1974.
Dirk Pellett of Iowa State University and Flint Pellett of the University of Illinois made substantial enhancements to the game from 1976 to 1985.
Developed by: Gary Whisenhunt, Ray Wood