Portal (1986 video game)

Portal is a text adventure game created by Brad Fregger and published by Activision in 1986. It was initially released for the Amiga and later ported to other platforms including the Commodore 64, Apple II, and MS-DOS.

The game casts the player as a retired astronaut named Guy Gardener, who awakens from a cryogenic sleep in a deserted space station orbiting Earth. The station's computer, P.O.R.T.A.L. (Programmed Operations, Resource, Tasking, Allocation, and Logistics), is the player's primary interface and source of information.

Gameplay centers around exploring the space station, interacting with P.O.R.T.A.L., and uncovering the mysteries of why Gardener was put into cryogenic sleep and what happened to the rest of the crew. The game uses a parser-based interface, requiring players to type in commands to navigate the environment and interact with objects.

A significant element of the game is the use of digitized speech, primarily for the P.O.R.T.A.L. computer's voice. This was a relatively advanced feature for the time and contributed to the game's atmosphere. The game is known for its complex plot, challenging puzzles, and a somewhat melancholic tone. The ending provides a degree of ambiguity, leading to interpretations regarding the true nature of the events.