~2 minute readMARKETALK: Reviews
Enchanter
Enchanter. By Marc Blank and Dave Lebling.
John John Morrison Morrison
Weatherbee George Dupree
Took good care of his mother
though he was only three. . . .
John John said to his mother,
"Mother," he said, said he,
"You must never make friends with a fire-breathing dragon
without consulting me."
Where is Zork? Alive and well in magic school. The result? Enchanter, the beginning of a trilogy sequel to the Zorks.
No longer is Zork condemned to subterranea. Enchanter takes place in a natural â if fanciful â world, a sunlit world. Well, at first it's a sunlit world. But the powers of darkness would have it otherwise. As the apprentice enchanter pursues his quest, the days grow alarmingly shorter. Soon the sun is rising at noon and setting at 2:00 p.m. Only the young apprentice's quick study and apt use of powerful magic can prevent the world from perpetual night.
Can magic be logical? Darn tootin'. Determining when and where and how to use which spells provides puzzles as clever and logical as those in any Zork. Without clear, innovative thinking, the enchanter's magic is useless. Or sometimes when it's useful it's misguided. Several spells can be cast only once; exactly the same number of puzzles can be solved only one way â with those spells. But the spells work in plenty of other places and even solve other puzzles that seem to be insoluble otherwise.
In line with Infocom's new mysteries and recent science-fiction adventures. Enchanter expands interaction with other characters beyond that of earlier Infocom games and of most other games. Even animals become confidants â or informers â when you have the right magic.
Enchanter is not chock-full of breakthroughs. It is simply a delightful adventure that takes advantage of the niceties and expertise Infocom has been nurturing at such a fast clip.
Zork's world isn't forgotten. The period is the same, or very close to it, and, although these people live above ground, they remember Zork even if you don't. Check the portraits in the castle gallery; see yourself azorking in the hall of mirrors.
And don't make friends with dragons.
Enchanter, by Marc Blank and Dave Lebling, Infocom (55 Wheeler Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; 617-492-1031). $49.95.
This article appeared in
Softalk
Sep 1983
These historical, out-of-print articles and literary works have been GNUSTOed onto InvisiClues.org for academic and research purposes.
