The game was presented as part of Dr. Smith's article: 'Write your own computer fantasy simulation'.
Nellan is Thirsty is an adaptation of a standard Enchanted House framework. As the article explains:
The Nellan is Thirsty version of The Enchanted House computerized fantasy simulation (CFS) is intended for children to play. The program Enchanted House is general and was designed for easy modification. The present article describles the program and gives ways of making simple modifications; a later article will go into major changes.
The Internet Archive holds a copy of the page where the author posted a retrospective on his games & the associated articles.
The game also exists in several unofficial versions:
It was ported to the C64 by Steven C. Darnold.
A point-and-click modern remake by Geoffrey M. Draper, entitled Thirsty Nellan was released for Linux; and later made available for PC, Python, Android & Blackberry.
[+] Users who have solved this game
[+] Users currently playing this game
A BBC Micro port is here: http://bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=3361