Girlfriend

Girlfriend is a single-player, keyboard-controlled, relationship simulator.

When it was sold it was advertised as "The World's First Artificially Intelligent Virtual Woman". The game boasts artificial intelligence, a vocabulary of over three thousand words and VGA video of 'a real woman'. A rolling demo was released to promote interest in the game. The product consisted of:* The Girlfriend Environment kit: all the following Personality kits need the Environment kit installed if they are to run.

• Girlfriend Lisa Personality Kit: this came free with the Environment kit.
• Girlfriend Suzy Personality kit: this was only supplied if the purchaser included a signed statement saying they were over twenty-one.
• Girlfriend Teri kit (PG-13)
• Girlfriend Teri Personality kit: also requires a signed statement of age.

All of the above were available in 1993.* Girlfriend Tracy Personality Kit: Tracy came along later in 1995.

Conversation with the women is limited. The developers are keen to point out that the virtual woman lives inside your computer and knows nothing about the outside world so conversations about clothing, her 'cute little body' or trying to initiate virtual physical interaction are OK but talking about football scores, Brexit or anything in the real world are out.

The women live in multiroom apartments so they can be asked to go from one room to another to change the mood, which by the way is indicated by a convenient thermometer. When asked she will change her clothing and pose. All pictures are full body until the girlfriend is in a room on a piece of furniture that has not been photographed so lying on the bed is probably in but sitting on top of the wardrobe is not and will result in a full face picture. There is no nudity in the basic package with Girlfriend Lisa so any situation which leads to her disrobing also results in a head shot. This is NOT the case with Girlfriend Teri and other adult add-ons.

Conversation has restrictions too and must be kept to short simple sentences as the girlfriend cannot handle anything with more than nine words. She does not understand idioms, the example included in the game documentation is quaint and appropriate, they say:* Don't say: "WHAT A BODACIOUS SET OF GAZONGAS!"

• Do say: "WHAT SIZE IS YOUR BRA?"

As at version 1.5 (March 1993) all input and output was via text making this game something of an interactive novel, however the order form did refer to a Soundblaster module being in development.