[Note: This article no longer appears at the Computer Shopper website (probably since it is so old.) Here is an excerpt.]
Fowler Bids Farewell With a Look at His All-Time Favorites
by Dennis Fowler
Originally published in the April 1997 issue of Computer Shopper
In the five years that I've been writing this column, I've often been asked to identify the best bulletin board service. I always give the same answer: I don't believe there is a single best BBS. Callers must rank boards by their own interests and expectations. That said, there are some BBSs that, by my standards, measure as first-class.
I'm inclined toward the quirky services, the ones that offer special content or use technology in new ways. I like boards that demonstrate creativity and style, boards whose sysops take risks and make them pay off, or boards that tap technology to provide a service that's wholly unique.
Some of my favorite BBSs are gone now, victims of economics or sysop burnout. The Neutral Zone, with its marvelous Star Trek-based interface and content, was gone almost before my review saw print back in March of 1994. Fun University Network (FUN) was a RIP graphics system aimed at children; it floundered because kids don't have the money to subscribe to online systems. Today its sysops have migrated FUN to the Web, letting the dial-up side of the business languish.
But most of my all-time favorites are thriving, either because they're so outstanding, or because they've adapted to a changing world by reaching out to the Internet.
King of the Cats is my absolute all-time favorite. I've never seen
another service like it, either dial-up or on the Internet. The entire
concept behind King of the Cats is uniquely exciting and pure fun. The
board runs Searchlight software, which has arguably the best RIP
graphics implementation of all BBS packages. Searchlight's mastery of
RIP is one reason the King of the Cats concept is so well-executed.
To sample the board, you'll need a client such as RIPterm that can read RIP 1.54 graphics. You can dial in with any terminal program and download DOS, Windows, or Amiga client software. If you're running OS/2, download WinRIP, as RIPterm 1.54 won't run in a DOS session.
King of the Cats is a full-featured BBS concealed within a role-playing game. Your alter ego, which you create the first time you log on, is that of a cat. You never see yourself as an avatar, as you do on some Internet sites, nor is your feline representation seen by other callers, but you experience the board through your cat's senses, navigating by clicking around with your mouse.
For example, by sniffing (clicking on) the left banister post in the living room of Ethyl's house, you'll discover that this is the conference area where messages are left. Similarly, clicking on the television set gives you access to the latest news (brought to you under the guise of the Cat News Network).
As a new visitor, you're limited to 10 minutes a day, which you'll spend going through a number of instructional screens. Once you traverse these, you reach the subscription pages. Subscriptions cost $5 a month; you can subscribe for as little as one month by mail, but the minimum credit-card bill is $20, or a four-month subscription.
Once subscribed, you can pick your starting point, but Ethyl's house is the best place to begin. When you get used to how things work, you can venture into the town outside with some know-how under your collar. There's an entire city outside, including a mortuary, a graveyard, a church, a museum, and a school.
There are rewards and dangers everywhere--not all the townspeople treat cats nicely. And, just as in the real world, Ethyl's house and the town are constantly changing, which makes it impossible to get bored. The time of day at which you call determines how you see the town, and the dangers you face. (A bit of advice: Stay out of the graveyard at night.)
By exploring, you build up experience points, usually at the expense of appearance or health points. As you acquire experience, you move up through nine levels, gaining privileges as you go. Experience points can be traded for strength and agility points. If your health points drop to zero, you lose a life; if you lose all nine of your lives, you lose your subscription, so be careful. Eating and sleeping restore health points, and grooming restores appearance points. Fighting is not good for your health.
King of the Cats is more than just a game--it's a full-fledged BBS. You can chat with other cats at the Kit Kat Klub, and the system offers e-mail (e-mew), news bulletins, and files. There are also games within the game, such as "dead bird lotto." However, the ultimate challenge is the irregularly scheduled run to determine a new King of the Cats. No matter what your level, you can compete for this crown. If you win, you get free access and a voice in how the environment evolves.
Running King of the Cats obviously demands a monumental amount of creativity and effort on the part of all involved, which may explain why the board is one of a kind. And this feline fiefdom is not on the Internet; it's only available via dial-up (206-763-7440). The EGA-level RIP graphics are a bit primitive by today's SVGA standards, but the cartoonish ambiance that results fits the service's whimsical nature perfectly.
If you visit only one dial-up BBS in your life, make it King of the Cats.