Dungeons & Desktops Review
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Chapter one is an introduction to computer role-playing. Besides introducing the rest of the book, Barton tackles the ever-slippery subject, (What is a computer role-playing game?) attempting to differentiate it from other, similar game categories. While his will hardly be the final word on the subject, he takes a pretty good stab at it. Ultimately, he notes that it all comes down to (family resemblances) rather than strict categorical definition.
Chapter two discusses the origins of computer RPGs, including the usual suspects as Strat-O-Matic baseball, tabletop wargaming, J. R. R. Tolkien, renaissance fairs, Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop role-playing games, Colossal Cave Adventure, and others.
Chapter three deals with the (Dark Ages) of Computer RPGs principally the era before home computers and the commercial computer game industry. His name for this stage of history is fairly apt in many cases, we have very little information about these games, as their code has been lost to the fickle enforcement of university system administrators, known only through the dim memories of a few players.
