Game Creation tutorial project idea:

I think the best way to acquire and display the ability to create basic 
computer adventure games would be to program a Nethack/Angband-type of 
game.  The premise is simple: the player is wandering around a randomly 
created dungeon labyrinth acquiring items and power by exploring the world 
and defeating monsters.

Loose schedule:
Week 1: World creation and basic actions.  Look into some maze creation 
algorithms and get a player-controlled character to move through it.

Week 2: AI implementation.  Place monsters in the world and give them a 
variety of behaviors, from 'chase and attack' to 'avoid and shoot' (since 
attacking, shooting, etc. don't yet exist, these behaviors would only deal 
with movement).

Week 3: Assign attributes.  Assign the player and monsters hit points, 
attack strength, etc.  Have these attributes fluctuate in response to 
events in the world.

Week 4: Advanced world and attributes.  Place items in the world and give 
the player the ability to pick them up, store them, and use them.

Week 5: Advanced actions.  Give players and monsters the ability to shoot 
with bows, cast spells, search for hidden doors, etc.

Week 6: Make it pretty (or try).  Add graphics and sound.

Though I don't plan for this project to take the entire semester, some of 
these steps will take shorter or longer than a week.  As I said, this is a 
loose schedule.

Possible due date: The Friday after Spring Break (April 4th).