“a little dull around the edges? Routine? Predictable? Boring? Maybe all it needs is a little Interlude. Interlude is the most stimulating computer game ever conceived. It combines a computer interview, an innovative programming concept, and a one-of-a-kind manual to turn your love life into exciting, adventurous, delicious fun!”

Above is how Syntonic Software Corp. advertised its 1980 adult-oriented program, Interlude, The Ultimate Experiences, supposedly the first microcomputer-based adult computer program.

In 1980, with magazines filled with advertisements from hardware and software suppliers showcasing a diverse array of computer systems and hardware components, along with an abundance of software applications, readers were taken aback by an advertisement featuring a lightly dressed woman tenderly interacting with an Apple II, accompanied by the headline “How’s your love life?” A quite unexpected approach signaling a shift beyond conventional computer applications and introducing a more personal and provocative dimension to the technological landscape of the time.

Interlude advertisement from 80 Microcomputing magazine.
A lightly dressed woman tenderly interacting with an Apple II, accompanied by the headline “How’s your love life?” would sure get your attention back in the 1980 and 81.

Syntonic’s marketing raised more than a few eyebrows in the industry, and its full-page, vibrant advertisements generated a lot of reactions from readers, both positive and negative. While some expressed displeasure with the use of a semi-nude aesthetic, most readers appeared more intrigued and amused than offended. The prevailing idea that computers were solely dedicated to boring tasks such as spreadsheets, word processing, or basic renditions of popular arcade games was shifting. The era of adult-oriented software for home computers had arrived, courtesy of Syntonic Software. In 1981, On-Line Systems published Chuck Benson‘s Softporn Adventure, another adult-oriented title that demonstrated the market success of content featuring sexual innuendo. Softporn sold more than 50,000 copies, temporarily doubling On-Line Systems’ sales. The title turned into the first Leisure Suit Larry title six years later and spawned one of the most popular and beloved franchises in adventure gaming history.

Syntonic Software, a subsidiary of Software Technology, Inc. published Interlude, on cassette/floppy, for the Tandy TRS-80 and Apple II in May of 1980.
It’s regarded as the first microcomputer adult-oriented software

Despite the promotional material alluding to an X-rated program as a means of capturing people’s attention, Interlude didn’t include explicit graphics, in fact, it lacked any graphics altogether. Essentially, it was a well-structured interview program aimed at delving into individuals’ sexual preferences through ten in-depth questions, after which users were referred to the paper-bound, 96-page volume of interludes containing 106 elaborate sexual scenarios to help you and your partner to a more engaging and fulfilling sex life.

At the beginning of the manual, there’s a caution stating:
“This program was designed as a game. It should not be used in lieu of a professional counselor or as an attempt to solve sexual dysfunctions.”
The included 96-page paper-bound manual contains 106 elaborate sexual scenarios, each with its own creative headline.

The program would, after the interview, refer you to an Interlude in the included book, with each Interlude having its own page with instructions for him or her, or both.

Interlude was a well-structured interview program aimed at delving into individuals’ sexual preferences through ten in-depth questions, after which users were referred to the paper-bound, 96-page volume of interludes containing 106 elaborate sexual scenarios to help you and your partner to a more engaging and fulfilling sex life.

80 Microcomputing magazine wrote the following in its 1981 review of Interlude:

“The software algorithm of this machine language program is straightforward. The interview format is logical, and all questions require a numerical answer, indicative of the degree of enthusiasm the respondent demonstrates.

After answering several of these thought-provoking questions, the computer gets down to the nitty-gritty and quizzes you on specifics, hopefully picking up on your mores, folkways, and taboos. Your scalar answers are then processed, and an interlude indicative of your final tally is suggested.

The program is fairly interactive. Suzy, one of our foxiest secretaries here at 80 Micro, displayed so little enthusiasm during one interview session that she was directed to interlude number 29. The scenario for this interlude instructed her to stay home alone and curl up with a good book.

What’s next? A microprocessor-controlled, RS-232-compatible love doll, perhaps. Welcome to the micro-millennia.

The last page of the book suggests that Interlude II is coming and requests that users send their favorite interlude to Syntonic for inclusion in the next edition. No mention of royalties is made, but the concept is certainly democratic. We may even feature the Interlude of the Month in 80 Microcomputing someday”.

In the October 1981 issue of InfoWorld, Sandra Brown, director of advertising for Syntonic Software announced that Interlude had sold somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 copies and that the company had plans to introduce Interlude II in early 1982.

In 1986, Recreational Technology published Interlude II for the Apple II and IBM PC.

Sources: Microcomputing Sept. 1980, SoftSide Feb. 1981, 80 Microcomputing., InfoWorld Oct. 1980 & Oct. 1981…