<s>
Breakers	B-Application
is	O
a	O
science	O
fiction-themed	O
interactive	O
fiction	O
video	O
game	O
published	O
in	O
1986	O
by	O
Synapse	O
Software	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
then	O
a	O
division	O
of	O
Broderbund	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
series	I-Device
,	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
and	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
seven	O
Lau	O
who	O
are	O
supposed	O
to	O
perform	O
the	O
ritual	O
are	O
attacked	O
on	O
the	O
surface	O
of	O
Borg	O
by	O
"	O
Breakers	B-Application
"	O
—	O
intergalactic	O
smugglers	O
who	O
conduct	O
their	O
business	O
through	O
an	O
orbiting	O
space	O
station	O
operated	O
by	O
the	O
United	O
Mining	O
Combine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Breakers	B-Application
kill	O
six	O
of	O
the	O
seven	O
Lau	O
,	O
but	O
are	O
then	O
surprised	O
by	O
a	O
squad	O
of	O
Gaks	O
,	O
the	O
security	O
forces	O
of	O
the	O
United	O
Mining	O
Combine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
other	O
Breakers	B-Application
in	O
the	O
bar	O
also	O
consider	O
the	O
Lau	O
one	O
of	O
their	O
own	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
synthesis	O
of	O
analog	O
books	O
and	O
computer	O
games	O
reached	O
its	O
height	O
of	O
popularity	O
between	O
1984	O
and	O
1986	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
numerous	O
literary	O
text	O
adventures	O
such	O
as	O
Amnesia	B-Application
,	O
Dragonriders	B-Application
of	I-Application
Pern	I-Application
,	O
and	O
The	B-Application
Hitchhiker	I-Application
's	I-Application
Guide	I-Application
to	I-Application
the	I-Application
Galaxy	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1986	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
trend	O
already	O
subsiding	O
,	O
Broderbund	O
no	O
longer	O
used	O
the	O
term	O
“	O
electronic	O
novel	O
”	O
when	O
marketing	O
Breakers	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
other	O
literary	O
text	O
adventures	O
,	O
Breakers	B-Application
was	O
not	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
work	O
of	O
a	O
well-known	O
author	O
,	O
but	O
on	O
a	O
40-page	O
novella	O
written	O
by	O
Rodney	O
Smith	O
,	O
an	O
acquaintance	O
of	O
several	O
Synapse	O
employees	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Breakers	B-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
1986	O
,	O
there	O
was	O
little	O
media	O
coverage	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
sales	O
were	O
disappointing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
its	O
Synapse	O
Software	O
predecessors	O
Brimstone	O
,	O
Essex	O
,	O
and	O
Mindwheel	O
,	O
Breakers	B-Application
used	O
the	O
BTZ	O
(	O
"	O
Better	O
Than	O
Zork	B-Application
"	O
)	O
engine	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
been	O
developed	O
in	O
1982	O
by	O
Synapse	O
programmers	O
Cathryn	O
Mataga	O
and	O
Steve	O
Hales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
engine	O
's	O
parser	O
understood	O
about	O
1200	O
words	O
,	O
almost	O
twice	O
as	O
many	O
as	O
Infocom	O
's	O
1980	O
game	O
Zork	B-Application
,	O
hence	O
the	O
name	O
"	O
Better	O
Than	O
Zork	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
result	O
was	O
that	O
Infocom	O
's	O
Trinity	B-Application
,	O
released	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
as	O
Breakers	B-Application
,	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
parse	O
over	O
2100	O
words	O
,	O
significantly	O
more	O
than	O
BTZ	O
's	O
outmoded	O
parser	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Neil	O
Randall	O
,	O
English	O
professor	O
at	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Waterloo	O
and	O
director	O
of	O
the	O
university	O
's	O
Games	O
Institute	O
,	O
analyzed	O
the	O
literary	O
content	O
of	O
Breakers	B-Application
and	O
saw	O
in	O
the	O
40-page	O
printed	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
an	O
"	O
allusive	O
,	O
thought-provoking	O
(	O
...	O
)	O
invitation	O
to	O
science	O
fiction	O
myth	O
formation	O
,	O
"	O
giving	O
the	O
player	O
an	O
immersive	O
insight	O
into	O
the	O
myths	O
of	O
a	O
fictional	O
people	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graham	O
Nelson	O
,	O
inventor	O
of	O
the	O
interactive	O
fiction	O
programming	O
language	O
Inform	O
,	O
called	O
Breakers	B-Application
a	O
“	O
story	O
about	O
identity	O
work	O
“	O
,	O
and	O
said	O
the	O
technique	O
of	O
communicating	O
with	O
NPCs	O
was	O
reminiscent	O
of	O
interrogations	O
.	O
</s>
