~1 minute readMICRO-REVIEWS
Zork
This article may include low-quality writing or editing by the original author or publisher. It is the policy of InvisiClues.org to reproduce articles as they were originally published, including any typographical, editorial, or factual errors. You are forewarned.
ZORK is an excellent adventure game. It has several nice features -- it allows more than two words in a command, it allows multiple commands on one input line, and continually shows both score and turns used. Although it does access the disk, it is quick -- no waiting five minutes for moves.
Strategy for ZORK is similar to that for any adventure game. A map is necessary, as well as a list of where things are. In ZORK, there are more objects to tote around than in most other adventures, so planning is necessary. There are also twenty treasures to find, and the battery-powered lamp gets dim all too soon. There are two other sources of light, but they can be lethal.
There are many puzzles to solve: how to put your treasures away once you find them, how to get west of the timber room (with light, so you don't get eaten by a grue), how to open the egg, how to get the water out of the reservoir (especially without harming yourself), etc. Fortunately, ZORK has an exceptionally large vocabulary to accomplish all this.
If you have trouble finding out where the dungeon is, the trap-door is under the rug in the living room of the house. If you have trouble getting in the house at all, look for a window. Any further clues would spoil the fun, so I'll keep mum from here.
ZORK is a program that is worth the money for anyone even mildly interested in adventure games. Those that like puzzles will have their fill, I'm sure. Master adventurers will even take a while on this one.
This article appeared in
Computer Gaming World
Jan-Feb 1982
These historical, out-of-print articles and literary works have been GNUSTOed onto InvisiClues.org for academic and research purposes.
