<!--
	Title: Return to Zork
	Author: Shay Addams
	Source: QuestBusters, v10(10)
	Date: December 1993
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

<p class="article-dropcap">Ten years ago I was in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to
interview the "ZorkMasters of Infocom" for <em>Computer Games</em> magazine.
A few years later, the company was sold to Activision and turned into a brand
name that nearly vanished from the scene as Activision became Mediagenic
and shifted their focus (if they really had one then) away from adventure games.</p>

Now Activision has dropped the Mediagenic name (probably because
consumers confused it with a brand of hypoallergenic soap) and returned to
Zork, so last week I returned to Zork to see what the new Activision had done
with the descendant of the all-text game that blazed the trail for today's multimedia
adventure extravaganzas.

<div class="article-sidebar-box float-right" style="border: 4px double; border-radius: 1em;">
<span class="bold larger">Type</span> Animated adventure<br>
<span class="bold larger">System</span> <strong>IBM Required:</strong> 640K, hard disk with 23 megs,
	3" floppy or CD drive, VGA, sound card, DOS 5.)+
	<strong>Supports:</strong> XMS/EMS, Roland, Ad Lib & Gold,
	Sound Blaster & Pro, SoundSource, ProAudio, Tandy
	<strong>Recommended:</strong> mouse, 386+<br>
<span class="bold larger">Planned ports</span> None
</div>

For the fust time this decade, I was impressed with an Activision game. They
didn't simply try to cash in on the classic *Zork* series by cranking out a
quick graphic adventure, but instead have set the pace for the genre — as Marc
Blank, Dave Lebling and Stu Galley did ten years ago with *Zork*.

The Zorkesque blend of humor and moodiness is captured from the
outset as you begin the quest at the entrance to Valley of the Vultures, a
somber setting that is immediately lightened with the pleas of the Wizard
Trembyle for a battery to power the Tele-Orb in which he resides. He looks
like Gabby Hayes in a Shriner's hat.

As you wander through the land,
aimlessly at first, more characters are portrayed with video-captured
animation and lip-synched voices that are so real, it takes a while to grow
accustomed to not having to read everything. Full motion video also supplements
some transitional scenes (much more so in the CD version), but the
technological advancements are subtly employed and seldom dominate the story or
characters.

## *The vanishing*

<img class="float-right" src="/public/img/articles/questbusters-rtz-review/rtz-screen-shot.jpg" alt="Return to Zork screen shot">

In the tradition of *Zork*, this is one of those adventures in which
figuring out the plot is part of the quest. You won't know what's going on until you
journey about, meet Rebecca Snoot and string various clues and
events together. In the town hall you can read files that relate to recent and
historical events. One particularly amusing file reveals that the Hellhounds
have evolved into vicious poodles, and you also learn more about the history of
that Dwarven Sword that you once lifted from the wall in *Zork I*'s little
white house.

A mission to investigate the mysterious disappearances of almost
every building and person in East Shanbarr soon results in the startling
discovery that the entire town is being teleported underground building by
building. While developing an underground resort, I T & L (a
Zorkian version of I T & T), uncovered the ruins of the Great Underground
Empire, which was shut off long ago at the end of the Second
Age of Magic. If your memory stretches back that far, you'll recall
the Evil that threatened the land then and which could only be
vanquished by the Great Diffusion, in which all magic ceased to work.
(My memory is obviously fading: I remember the story, but not the
name of the game.)

Now you must face off against the impending return of Evil, in the
form of Morpheus, on a quest of mighty proportions. There are
familiar places to visit, such as Flood Control Dam # 3, and new ones
like the Wall of illusion. The Grues are back, and other challenges
include mazes and a masterful mix of all kinds of puzzles. Though there
are relatively few red herrings, some puzzles are of the multiple-stage
variety and others are even more imposing.

## *Beyond intuitive*

The interface is a perfect fit for the story. With a camera, you can take
pictures of significant places and things. Statements from some
people may be recorded with a tape recorder. When you want to ask a
character about something, you show them the picture or play back
the tape. You can also inquire about objects in your inventory, or click on
faces with various expressions to elicit different replies.

When it's time to deal with objects, the interface truly shines.
Your inventory is displayed in a dynamic box that grows or shrinks
as you acquire or drop items. When you click on a person or thing with
an item, another box appears and displays animated icons that "act
out" all the things you can do with the item. Even an eight-year-old can
figure out this interface, which will make adventure games instantly
accessible to those millions of people on the verge of discovering them for
the first time via the imminent convergence of multimedia entertainment
and cable TV.

## *Ya'll quest, ya hear?*

Now let's talk about the special effects. Graphics are great, though
not in SVGA resolution. The still pictures look like realistic paintings,
and the animated video clips bring them to life.

Audio is even more outstanding than the graphics. While the voices
don't always match my ideas of a Zorkian accent — hillbillies and
Southern drawls? — they excel in giving the characters and their lives
unprecedented resonance and depth. (And even with all these memory-consuming
features, the program didn't force me to jump through a
half-dozen hoops or edit any system files — I installed it, I played it.)

You can save and name up to eight games, which may not be
enough. (Rename the saved game files, which begin with "game," and
you can reuse the original ten slots.) Copy protection consists of answering
questions by looking up things in the *Encyclopedia Frobozzica*, an ornate
75-page booklet.<br>
**Conclusions:** Doug Barnett and Michelle Em, designer and writer,
did an admirable job of picking up the *Zork* myth — a cornerstone of
interactive fiction — where the ZorkMasters left off, and spinning it
off in new and imaginative directions. Backed by dozens of others
who worked on various aspects of the game, they managed to retain the
mythical qualities and spirit of *Zork* while making their own imaginative
contributions to Zorkian civilization, culture and myth. And *Return to Zork*
makes the phrase "intuitive interface" obsolete — it's more than
intuitive, it's obvious. Now that Infocom has returned to *Zork*, I can
only hope they stay there for a long time. *Return to Zork* is the best
adventure of the year, so good it's difficult to picture anything released
by New Year's Eve surpassing it.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate-Advanced<br>
**Company:** Activision<br>
**Price:** $79<br>
**QuestBusters** price: $69
