Simple demonstration of using Python's stdlib "cmd" to make an interactive game.

wordguess.py

"""Console-based guess-the-secret-word game."""

import cmd
import random

class WordGuess(cmd.Cmd):
    """REPL for a guess-the-secret-word game."""

    prompt = "\nWordGuess > "
    intro = "Guess the secret word! (Control-D quits)"
    doc_header = "Commands (type 'help <name>' for help)"
    misc_header = "Concepts (type 'help <topic>` to read)"
    
    def preloop(self):
        """Set the secret word --- called at start"""

        self.secret = random.choice(["apple", "berry", "cherry"])

    def help_rules(self):
        """Print rules."""

        print "It's easy. Guess a word and I judge your worth as a human."

    def help_strategy(self):
        """Print strategy."""

        print "It's always good to guess fruits."

    def do_guess(self, arg):
        """guess <word>: Make a guess"""

        if arg == self.secret:
            print "You win!"
            return True
        else:
            print "Nope"

    def do_hint(self, arg):
        """hint: Ask for a hint"""

        print "It starts with %s" % self.secret[0]

    def do_EOF(self, arg):
        """EOF (Control-D): Quit"""

        print "Goodbye."
        return True

WordGuess().cmdloop()

Some notes:

• methods with names like do_something become commands

• methods that names like help_something provide a help topic

The arg parameter is needed for all do_ functions; it's whatever is typed after the command. For example, if the user typed "guess apple", arg becomes "apple".