🧭 THE ARCHIVES

Quote of the day

Gravity is very light here and you practically zoom into the air. Unfortunately gravity is not entirely non-existent, soeventually you begin to fall, faster and faster, in a lovely curve produced by the rotation of the artifact. You make a gorgeous but fatal swan dive into the surface.

-- Starcross

Factoid of the day

The phrase "Feel Free" occasionally made it's way into Infocom's games. It is engraved on a door near the end of Zork II and is the origin of the FILFRE spell from Enchanter.

*Once you've defeated alien armies, solved murders, and overcome curses, real life seems like child's play.*
Feb 1993

Family Computing, v2(8)

~1 minute read

Aug 1984

WHAT'S IN STORE: SOFTWARE REVIEWS

Enchanter

James Delson

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: Apple II Series, 32K (disk). Also for Atari, Commodore, IBM PC/PCjr, TI-99/4A, and TRS-80 Models I/III/4.
MANUFACTURER: Infocom
PRICE: S49.95

Your hands tremble with the excitement of the moment as you break the seal on the parchment document. Lo! Here are the words of some powerful and ancient magic users, commanding you, a fledgling enchanter, to undertake a most dangerous and exciting quest. Using only the spells you know and those you discover on your travels, you must seek out and vanquish the ultimate caster of evil. Here, in Infocom's Enchanter, good can only triumph over evil if you have the patience and will to prevail.

This is yet another text-only adventure from the folks who gave us the Zork series, Suspended, and a host of other games for the nimble of mind and fleet of finger. No hand/eye skills required here. Nothing but your imagination, a pad and pencil to map your way and uncover the numerous puzzles, and clues that will ultimately steer you towards your goal.

I would have preferred accompanying pictures to illustrate the journey. But plumbing the depths of their player/readers' imaginations (with out the help of on-screen pictures) is what has put Infocom on the map. Enchanter is a stimulating mental exercise that conjures up images of wizards and creatures that have been lurking in my subconscious ever since I read Tolkien and the Brothers Grimm.

Like all Infocom games, Enchanter is difficult to breeze through. Take your time and try to work with a group of people so several minds can work at unraveling all the clues and puzzles together. Playtesters had different opinions of the game — many missed the visual stimuli, while others were unfazed by the screens full of text. If you haven't tried this breed, Enchanter would make a good introduction. Appropriate for ages 12 and up.

This article appeared in
Family Computing
Aug 1984

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