A couple of weeks ago I randomly, and rather unexpectedly, picked up Nethack again and had another go at it.

After managing to win it once in 2006 playing the traditional and relatively easy Valkyrie, I tried to beat it again playing a Wizard, and had two near-successes but no joy. I got disheartened by this and stopped playing; but it still niggled at me a little that I'd got so close to ascending a Wizard and not managed it.

It turned out that my feeling of demoralisation wore off faster than that niggling feeling of unfinished business, so somewhat to my surprise I had another go this year. And successfully, this time: after only a few weeks of trying, yesterday a Wizard joined 2006's Valkyrie in the short list of my personal ascensions.

I don't think I have any expectation of playing again, this time. There's no feeling of unfinished business: I haven't seriously tried playing any other role, and none of them gives me a strong urge to do so. And my recent winning game was such a total faff that by the end it was feeling more like a chore than a pleasure. I may of course change my mind in another couple of years, but right now I feel as if I could comfortably stop for ever.

But it's a good feeling to know that I've now managed everything I seriously tried in the game. Even if I don't manage to achieve anything lastingly worthwhile this year, I won't be able to look back at the end of 2008 and feel that I didn't at least achieve something.