<!--
	Title: Do You Believe in Magic?
	Source: Softline, v3(3) (St. Game #1)
	Author: Roe Adams
	Date: March-April 1984
	Transcription by Steve Derby
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**Sorcerer**<br>
By Steve Meretzky.

*Most computers.*

*Sorcerer* is the second part of Infocom's magical trilogy (no, not *Zork
V*!). Much like the first program of the series, *Enchanter*. *Sorcerer* requires
the player to become conversant in matters arcane. Magic is everywhere.
Quick wits are rarely as useful as the casting of an appropriate
spell. Before long, mere mortals are quite at ease blasting open doors
with Rezrov spells, floating in the air courtesy of Izyuk, and eavesdropping
on minds through Yomin. (After all, what kind of dreams do
gnomes really have?) Even the future may be pierced via the Vezza
oracle spell.

The plot: Guildmaster Belboz has been abducted by a powerful
demon and must he rescued. The player must first determine how to
magically leave the building within a certain time limit, or else suffer
eternal torture at the hands of the demon.

The game is divided into a series of unconnected modules. Once you
go from one setting to another, the doorway slams shut behind you forever.
Save the game often, or you will be constantly restarting it to seek
out something you did not find in a previous module and now need. Also,
pay strict attention to subtleties of descriptions and events. Some puzzles
are only solvable if these nuances are observed and their import correctly
interpreted.

The world of the Sorcerer is rich in detail and wonderment. The
magical experiences resemble the exotic adventures of Carlos
Castaneda. Steve Meretzky, who also wrote the hilarious sci-fi adventure
comedy, *Planetfall*, has crafted several diabolical traps and puzzles.
Marvel at the three-dimensional, transparent, glass cube maze! Commit
hara-kiri for points and profit! Make extra money parting the Red Sea
and waxing floors! Speaking of red, red herrings abound in every puzzle.
Often the false trails appear more logical than the actual solution
path. Meretzky has really achieved considerable design subtlety.

One very clever new addition to the Infocom parser is the ability of
the program to remember exactly the manner in which you performed
an act. Later, the program will give you a replay of certain acts, but
from a different perspective. This feat brings the concept of true interactive
fiction one more step toward reality. "Interlogic Marches On!" intones
the Movietone newsreel.

Plan on spending many delightful evenings and weekends playing
Sorcerer. The final solution is like a delicate orchid achieving full bloom.
Long after the game is over, the heady fragrance stays with you.

Apple, Atari, Commodore 64, DEC. IBM, NEC. Osborne, TRS-80. $49.95
from Infocom, 55 Wheeler Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; (617) 492-1031.