Text Adventure Commands | How to Play Cheat Sheet

A text adventure describes a place in words and waits for you to say what to do. You answer with short commands, usually a verb and a noun: TAKE LAMP, GO NORTH, OPEN DOOR. The game reads them with a part called the parser.

Most text adventures understand the same core set of commands, and a handful of one-letter shortcuts save a lot of typing. This cheat sheet lists them, explains what each one is for, and ends with tips for when you are stuck.

Play Lantern Deep free, a text adventure in a flooded mine. You can type every command below, or just tap the words.

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The core commands

The shortcuts worth learning first

• X for examine. You will type it more than anything else.
• N, S, E, W, U, D for moving. Some games also take IN and OUT.
• I for inventory, so you never forget the key in your pocket.
• L to look again after something changes.
• G to repeat, handy when pulling a lever three times.

How the parser reads you

• Verb first, then the noun. TAKE LAMP, not LAMP TAKE.
• Articles are ignored. TAKE THE LAMP and TAKE LAMP are the same.
• Use the words the game used. If the room mentions a *grate*, call it a grate, not a gate.
• One action at a time works everywhere; some games also accept chains like TAKE KEY THEN GO NORTH.
• Short is fine. Most parsers only need the first few letters of each word.

Commands in Lantern Deep

Lantern Deep understands the classic commands and a few of its own:

• LOOK, X, TAKE, GO (or N, S, E, W) work as above. Looking and examining are free; moving, taking and using burn lamp oil.
• USE key ON lock, for example USE CRANK ON LIFT CAGE. You can also type the shorter USE CRANK when there is only one thing it could go on.
• SET DIAL TO 3 1 4 for number locks, once you have found where somebody wrote the numbers down.
• CLIMB OUT at the rope line banks your relics. UP and LEAVE work too.
• I opens your bag, MAP opens the map, HINT gives a nudge, UNDO takes back any number of moves.
• It autocompletes as you type, and if it cannot match a command it suggests the three closest ones instead of saying "I don't understand".

Not keen on typing? Every highlighted word in the text is a button, and the bar at the bottom has the moves and the verbs.

Stuck? Try this

1. Examine everything. Every noun in a room description is there for a reason, or a joke.
2. Check your inventory. The answer is often already in your pocket.
3. Draw a map. Box for each room, line for each exit. Unvisited exits are where the answers hide.
4. Read the failure message. "The hinges are rusted solid" is the game telling you what it wants.
5. Try the item on the obstacle. A key in your bag and a locked door in front of you is a strong hint.
6. Use the hint button if there is one. A good hint system nudges first and only spells it out if you ask again.

Where to play

Start with Lantern Deep: free in the browser, no download, and it cannot be put into an unwinnable state. For a story you steer with choices instead of commands, try Valebound. For more picks, see our list of the best free text adventure games.