<!--
	Title: InfoNews Roundup
	Source: The New Zork Times, v4(1)
	Date: Winter 1985
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

## InvisiClues Appear in Stores

Infocom stories are hard: they have puzzles, mazes, conniving bad guys,
twists, double-twists, red herrings, and hidden clues. And that's what
makes them so much fun.

But sometimes you can get stuck — not just momentarily
stumped, but really, truly, hit-yourhead-against-the-wall,
rip-the-disk-into-tiny-little-pieces stuck. That's
when you need an InvisiClues hint booklet.

InvisiClues hint booklets are available for all Infocom games. The
clues are printed in invisible ink, so you'll never see a clue accidentally.
A special marker is included with each booklet, and with it you can
develop only the clues you want to see. The clues generally progress
from a gentle nudge in the right direction to a full answer.

Until recently, you could buy InvisiClues only through the mail,
directly from Infocom. But now you can go to your friendly neighborhood
software dealer and buy your InvisiClues there! Every InvisiClues hint
booklet tells you how points are scored, includes amusing suggestions,
and comes with the special marker and a complete map of the
game. (*Suspended*™ and *Seastalker* hint booklets don't come with maps
since maps are included in the game package.) Each InvisiClues hint
booklet retails for $7.95. That's a small price to pay, especially when
you can't eat, sleep, or get on with your life because you can't solve a
puzzle.

## Omni Magazine Lauds Hitchhiker's Guide

The December 1984 issue of *Omni* magazine called Infocom's version of
*The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy* "riotous" and selected it as one of the
Ten Best Computer Games of 1984.

## A Dazzling Dozen

In mid-October, Infocom was shipping 12 stories. And 13 of them were
on the top-30 Hot List™!

The Hot List shows the best-selling software week by week, and is published
by Softsel Computer Products, Inc., the country's largest software
distributor. All of our stories had been on the Hot List before, and we
see most of them on the list every week. But the week of October 15,
1984, was a record for us: never before have we had so many products
on the same list. Since most companies are delighted to see even
one of their products on the Hot List every now and then, you can imagine
how proud we are.

How did we manage 13 out of 12? Commodore distributes *Zork I* for
the Commodore 64, and Infocom distributes *Zork I* for all the other
major personal computers. Both made it to the Hot List, so *Zork I*
actually appeared twice!

When this issue of the NZT went to press (in December), *Zork I* had
enjoyed 118 weeks on the Hot List (the Hot List is only 118 weeks old),
*Zork II* 114 weeks, and *Deadline* 116 weeks. And if you think that's
impressive...

## InvisiClues Disappear from Stores

That's right! InvisiClues have been disappearing from store shelves so
fast that the InvisiClues hint booklets have been the *number 1 book* on
Softsel's Hot List ever since their debut on October 8, 1984. When this
issue went to press, InvisiClues were number 1 for 10 straight weeks.

## New Infocom Games Hit Charts

It didn't take long! *Cutthroats*™, *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*,
and *Suspect* are already on several best-seller lists, including Softsel's in
the United States and Frantek's in Canada.

## Infocom Wins Award

With so many products on the Softsel Hot List, Infocom should win
some sort of an award, don't you think? Well, we did!

At the Fall 1984 COMDEX (Computer Dealers' Exposition) held
in Las Vegas, Nevada, Softsel and *Business Week* presented Infocom
with an award inscribed "Most Titles on the Hot List (Recreation)." This is
the second year in a row that Infocom has received that coveted award.

Infocom is displaying the award in its now-famous Trophy Case, which
is located in the reception area of Infocom's headquarters in Cambridge,
Massachusetts.

## Games Survey by Family Computing Reveals All!

The results of a "Games Survey" were published in the December
1984 issue of *Family Computing* magazine. Readers were asked to
name their favorite game-making companies. Not surprisingly, Infocom
garnered more votes than any other company. And we didn't even
vote!

Respondents to the survey also chose Marc Blank as one of their
favorite game designers. As author of *Deadline* and co-author of *Zork I*,
*Zork II*, *Zork III*, and *Enchanter*, Marc ranks as one of our favorite
game designers too.

## Max Sacks Yak Facts

A recent poll by *CompuNews* magazine reveals that a staggering 97
percent of all interactive fiction gamers have no interest in reading
about yaks. Only 0.4 percent indicated a slight interest in reading
about yaks, and a mere 0.1 percent liked to read "a significant amount
about yaks." Two-and-a-half percent of the respondents refused to answer
the question. Infocom Product Manager Michael "Max" Dornbrook
immediately announced that Infocom would continue its long-standing
policy of not printing anything about yaks in *The New Zork Times*.
(Actually, Michael Dornbrook's nickname is "Mike" or "Mikey." But
"Max" made a better headline.)
