Zork III
The Dungeon Master
| Implementers |
Bruce Daniels Dave Lebling Marc Blank Tim Anderson |
| Release Year | 1982 |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Difficulty | Advanced |
An old, oddly youthful man turns toward you slowly. His long, silver hair dances about him as a fresh breeze blows. "You have reached the final test, my friend! You are proved clever and powerful, but this is not yet enough! Seek me when you feel yourself worthy!"
ZORK III: THE DUNGEON MASTER draws you into the deepest and most mysterious reaches of the Great Underground Empire. Nothing is as it seems. And the one responsible for the shadow and darkness -- the Dungeon Master -- embodies the greatest mystery of all.
In this test of wisdom and courage, you will face countless dangers. But what awaits you at the culmination of your odyssey is well worth risking all.
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From the Library (13 articles)
Zork: A Computerized Fantasy Simulation Game Tech
Is magic real? Do swords glow if the enemy is nearby? In the demonic world of Zork, a simulated universe entices the player into a new form of problem solving. . . .
~25 minute read
Zork and the Future of Computerized Fantasy Simulations Tech
CFS (computerized fantasy simulation) games are a new art form: the computerized storybook. Instead of reading the story, you play it. The author presents the story, but only as you squeeze it out of him by wit and brute force. It's lip to you to figure out what's going on, and the satisfaction of doing so depends on how well thought out the story is. To be fun to play, the story must be more or less consistent and complete. To a large extent, this means that the program that embodies the story must simulate the universe well. . . .
~17 minute read
Zork III Review
A Softalk reviewer recently reported the ringing of the death knell for the text adventure. This review is out to prove that he was hearing things, and Zork III is the ideal example for making the point. Zork III, along with its Zorkian predecessors and the recent mystery hit Deadline, is very much alive and totally text. . . .
~3 minute read
Infocom announces two new games: Starcross and long-awaited Zork III News
A year in the making, Zork III: The Dungeon Master is the climax of the first Zork trilogy. If you enjoyed Zork I and Zork II, you'll love Zork III â it's the most mindboggling of them all. . . .
~1 minute read
Zork! An Overview Feature
The Zork trilogy is a series of three enjoyable, exciting-to-experience, text-oriented adventures. Unfortunately, describing an adventure, without revealing clues, is like trying to describe a treasure chest without saying exactly what's in it. You'll just have to believe me, Zork is filled with many valuable jewels, and forgive me if I inadvertently slip you a clue to solving one of its many, many mysteries. . . .
~8 minute read
Zork III: As told by Scorpia Walkthrough Spoilers
Welcome back! A chair is waiting for you by the fire, and Fred is pouring out a tall one (Spelunker Beer; only the best for my customers!) Now, settle in, and I'll tell you a little about ZORK III. . . .
~7 minute read
Zork III Review
Zork III, the sequel to Zork I and Zork II, starts at the bottom of an endless staircase: "As in a dream, you see yourself tumbling down a great, dark stairway. All about you are shadowy images of struggles against fierce opponents and diabolical traps. These give way to another round of images -- imposing stone figures, a cool, clear lake, and an old, but oddly youthful man." . . .
~4 minute read
Zork I, II, and III Review
The Zork trilogy, which chronicles happenings in a vast realm known as the Underground Empire, is the most famous of the all-text adventure games. Fantastic creatures, magic spells, and diabolical traps abound at every turn, and each room or area is described in long paragraphs of rich detail, helping the player visualize the setting. . . .
~1 minute read
The Challenge of Zork Feature
Time is rarely kind to computer games. Advances in hardware, software and programming science come so quickly that older games often pale in comparison with titles boasting the latest in graphics and sound. The current hit titles have a way of pushing last year's favorites into the background. . . .
~7 minute read
Subterranean Adventures in Zork Review
INFOCOM ADVENTURES are a special breed, and have become a real cult in the United States. Three of Infocom's games, Zork I, Zork II and Zork III have generated so much interest that they have been published as game books. . . .
~4 minute read
Zork I, II and III Review
For this month's look at the disk based adventures the White Wizard has turned his wand to Infocom's excellent Zork series as marketed by Commodore in the UK. Be prepared for more Infocom information next month, but for now ... . . .
~5 minute read
Genuine Zorkmid coin minted for the Zork Trilogy News
In the beginning, three little Zorks lived happily together in one big mainframe computer. They flourished under the loving care of Marc Blank, Dave Lebling, and a lot of other nurturing computer types, and grew up to be humorous, challenging, and full of riveting puzzles. . . .
~2 minute read
In the Box (11 images)
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Historical Sales Data
Weekly Sales Ranking
Top weekly ranking: #9
Weeks in top 20: 3
Source: Billboard's "Top Computer Software" charts, ostensibly prepared from retailer-provided sales data. Billboard began publishing software charts on 8 October 1983 and published the charts weekly until 31 August 1985, then biweekly or monthly beginning 14 September 1985. Billboards editors considered computer games a vulgar art and never took them seriously, making many typographical and factual errors in the retail charts, eventually discontinuing them on 27 September 1986.
Units Shipped By Year
| 1982 | |
| 19831 | |
| 19841 | |
| 1985 | |
| 19862 | |
| 87-893 |
Total units shipped: 131,460
Overall ranking: 5 of 32
Accounts for 5% of units sold
1 Includes units manufactured and sold by Commodore
2 Data for 1986 includes units shipped through June 1986 only
3 Data for April 1987 - March 1989
Source: Internal Infocom documents, archived by Steve Meretezky
