A Mind Forever Voyaging and PRESTAVBA

It's Infocom and Iron Curtain classic text adventures from the final years of the Cold War!

With special guest Ana Meisel (ana.help), Nick and Jason take on two entertaining political-statement classics of the 1980s. First up is PRESTAVBA, aka PERESTROIKA, a once-anonymous satire set in the Prague Spring of 1968 and published (very carefully and also anonymously) in the former Czechoslovakia for ZX Spectrum. Then it's a not-so-distant flash-forward to Rockvil in the year 2031 for A Mind Forever Voyaging, Steve Meretzky's immersive statement on Reagan-era socioeconomic policies in the United States.

Does Perry Simm have free will? Is a Soviet lighter reliable in a pinch? It's the first (and last?) time both our games are the standout selections of Aaron Reed's 50 Years of Text Games project: are they worthy? Join us and find out!

A Mind Forever Voyaging (IFDB)

A Mind Forever Voyaging docs (code table for Simulation Mode on p31)

A Mind Forever Voyaging (playable online)

Přestavba, original Czech and English translation downloads (ZXArt)

Prestavba (IFDB)

50 Years of Text Games (features both games as the standout of 1985 and 1988, respectively)

Gaming the Iron Curtain

London Permacomputing Club

Our Friend the Computer podcast

Bonus - 1980s Czech film recommendations from Ana:

Rozpuštěný a vypuštěný (https://www.oneplay.cz/film/1102-rozpusteny-a-vypusteny)
Vážení přátelé, ano (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vážení_přátelé,_ano)
any Cimrman movies (https://www.themoviedb.org/collection/134221-divadlo-jary-cimrmana-kolekce)

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Episoder(50)

OPEN MAILBOX October 2026

It's our 50th episode! Jason, Nick, and Tim make it a working holiday with news on the peak of competition season (Ectocomp! Introcomp! Iron ChIF! And of course IFComp!), news on developments for Z-Ma...

29 Sep 30min

OPEN MAILBOX September 2026

Contest deadlines, international reviews, and some Ramsberg groveling lead our news coverage for text adventure enthusiasts this month. Tim, Jason, and Nick bring you the latest for one of the oldest ...

30 Aug 25min

Invincible Island and Adventure in the Fifth Dimension

Pack your phrasebook and get ready to defend democracy as Ben and Jason take on a pair of quirky early 1980s adventures. For an appetizer, we order Infocom legend Brian Moriarty's early effort, a type...

26 Aug 53min

OPEN MAILBOX August 2026

No rest for retro adventuring news this summer as Tim and Jason bring you lots of news: contest developments (don't delay, some deadlines are very very very soon!), Visible Zorker updates which aren't...

31 Jul 29min

Gruds In Space and Steve Silver Adventure #1

"I don't want to suggest this is a more obviously American game than some others, but I will say you do solve one problem by shooting a tree." - Dudley of Yesterzine Jason and special guest player Dud...

23 Jul 1h 5min

OPEN MAILBOX July 2026

Classic text adventure news so late-breaking that we have to interrupt our news to bring you new news about that news! Presented again this month by Retro Adventurers Nick, Tim, and Jason. University ...

30 Jun 19min

Fahrenheit 451 and Buckaroo Banzai

Unofficially official text adventure sequels to beloved media properties both published in 1984. That's what these two have in common. Laugh While You Can, Monkey Boy! because this John Lithgow Apprec...

21 Jun 1h 17min