<!--
	Title: (Adventure) Sorcerer
	Source: Zzap!64, #2
	Date: June 1985
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

<img class="float-right-half" src="/public/img/articles/zzap64-sorcerer-review/sorcerer-screen-shot.png" alt="Screen shot of the opening screen of Sorcerer">

Finally this month the White Wizard waves his
wand over another disk-only game. Seriously,
tape users, how much longer can you go on
before you start saving up for a disk drive?
Read on, and eat your hearts out ....

Most 64 owners will have heard of Infocom,
and most disk drive owners will have cottoned
on to the fact that although Infocom games
change hands at more than £30 a time, Commodore have
started releasing them at an earth-shattering £11.99. You can
already get hold of the *Zork* Trilogy, which was the series
originally responsible for forging Infocom's world-leading
reputation, and recently *Deadline*, *Starcross*, and *Suspended*
have been added to the list. The White Wizard will be looking
at some of these next month, but this month we'll splash out
on a fully-priced Infocom game -- Sorceror. Can it really be
worth paying over £45 for an adventure?

Whether or not you've braved the earlier Infocom titles and
defeated the infamous Krill, you'll find Sorceror a
tremendous challenge and full of surprises. The game comes
excellently packaged with a copy of the Enchanter's Gazette
and an Infotater.

The gazette is really only there to add a bit of variety to the
package, but the Infotater is essential to playing the game
since it contains various code patterns that you will need to
refer to during the game.

The plot is simple. Belboz, master enchanter, has
disappeared. There is every indication that something is
seriously wrong and as a young enchanter of reknown you
must sally forth, locate the errant wizard, and set the world to
rights.

Like all Infocom games *Sorcerer* is text-only, but don't let
that put you off. The vocabulary is enormous and the
program can understand extremely complex inputs. Even if it
can't give you a direct response, it will often suggest a way of
finding out what you want to know, although there are limits
to what you can find out by asking questions directly (as
indeed there should be.) For example, entering *Where is
Belboz?* will get the reply: *You last saw Belboz a few days
ago. You can't begin to guess where he is now.*

The game features numerous spells, including the
notorious Meef spell (causes plants to wilt), not to mention
the Gaspar Spell, the Izyuk Spell, and many others, all of
which can be experimented with -- often with hilarious effects.
Even if you use a spell in circumstances which are not
appropriate you will often be treated to some highly original
sequences -- for example, trying to dry up a moat (thereby
stranding the horrible creatures that inhabit it) doesn't help
much, but does reveal details of the moat's automatic
refilling system!

*Sorcerer* is not one of Infocom's best known titles, and at
£45.30 a throw it's certainly not cheap. However, if you have
an unexpected windfall you can be sure of a tremendous
game, with lengthy location descriptions, great atmosphere,
and highly addictive qualities.

You'll meet a number of quirky characters, face some
extremely tricky (but entirely logical) puzzles, wander
through locations that are so well described they could
almost be real, and have tremendous fun, whether you
decide to look for Belboz, or simply want to wander around
exploring.

Nevertheless, the White Wizard has to say that £45 seems a
very high price to pay. The sad truth is that, although many
disk-based games offer a great deal, they do more than
extract their pound of flesh for the privilege.

<p class="larger tight"><strong>SORCERER</strong><br>
Infocom, £45.30 disk</p>
<table style="font-weight: bold;"><tbody>
<tr><td>Atmosphere</td><td>94%</td></tr>
<tr><td>Interaction</td><td>92%</td></tr>
<tr><td>Lasting interest</td><td>88%</td></tr>
<tr><td>Value for money</td><td>65%</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
