<!--
	Title: (Games for Your Amiga) Zork Zero, Shogun, Journey
	Author: Tom Malcom
	Source: Info, #26
	Date: May/June 1989
	Transcription by Steve Derby
	Transcribed by Steve Derby
-->

<figure class="float-left-half">
<img src="/public/img/articles/info-preview-zork-zero-shogun-journey/shogun-screen-shot.jpg" alt="Shogun screen shot">
<img src="/public/img/articles/info-preview-zork-zero-shogun-journey/zork-zero-screen-shot-1.jpg" alt="Zork Zero screen shot"><img src="/public/img/articles/info-preview-zork-zero-shogun-journey/zork-zero-screen-shot-2.jpg" alt="Another Zork Zero screen shot">
</figure>

My first hands-on experience with a computer was
playing the original *Zork*. Since then. I've seen more
software than I even like to contemplate without ever
finding another title that held as much appeal for me.
*Beyond Zork* tried hard, but somehow didn't have quite
the same flavor as the original series. With *Zork Zero*, I've
come full circle. All the wit, charm, and delight are back,
along with the delicious snottiness and cheerful rudeness.

Steve Meretzky, *Zork*'s author, has done a superlative
job of elaborating on areas of the Great Underground
Empire we've not yet explored. And that's the strongest
point of the game: it connects and intertwines perfectly
with what has gone before, while adding graphics, other
modern conveniences, and letting us in on more of the
lunatic history of the realm of Lord Dimwit Flathead and
the fall of the Empire. What graphics are present are
unobtrusive, consisting mainly of beautifully drawn
borders around the text, illustrated entries in the
Encyclopedia Frobozzica, and some nicely done versions
of classic board games (like the Tower of Hanoi and a
peg-jump game). Thankfully, there are no actual pictures
of the locations: I think everyone who has played *Zork*
has his own personal view of the landscape and I, for one,
would rather not see someone else's idea of what is so
clearly drawn in my own imagination.

With *Shogun*. I have a slight philosophical difference of
opinion. James Clavell's book and the miniseries made
from it are among my favorites, and for that reason. I have
some doubts about the ultimate satisfaction of the game.
Since I already know where the plot, which is set in
feudal Japan, is going, getting to that end seems to me
something of an exercise in anti-climax. On the other
hand. I find that I do enjoy playing it and interacting with
the characters I know so well. It's rather like meeting old
friends again. The look of the game is considerably
different from previous Infocom games, with illustrations
appearing along with the text. The same look is found in
*Journey*, a new fantasy adventure which uses graphics in
the same manner as *Shogun*.

Don't let the pretty faces of these new games fool you.
The parser is still the best in the business, and the addition
of online hints make playing less frustrating and
time-consuming than it used to be.

I feel, somehow, that this is a wonderful, unexpected
gift, a serendipitous surprise for all of us who thought
we'd already played the last of a classic series. With *Zork
Zero*, we now have the absolute pleasure of another one.
