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	Title: Gameline: Zork II (By Dave Lebling and Marc Blank.)
	Author: Tom Repstad
	Source: Softline, v1(5)
	Date: May 1982
	Transcription by Steve Derby
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Once again the master adventurers at Infocom have thrust
us into the titillating, terrifying, and sometimes intimidating
world of Zork. *Zork II* takes up where *Zork I* left off (although
you need not have played *Zork I* to play *Zork II*), starting
you out deep in the land of Zork. Here you'll meet the
Wizard of Frobozz, a formidable foe who'll appear randomly
to thwart your efforts at solving the many riddles in the game.

This is an ambitious adventure, replete with volcanoes,
dragons, princesses, unicorns, and a myriad of other creatures
and objects that will extend your imagination. In this
totally (and classically) text game, the descriptions of the
rooms are fascinating and detailed. A well-balanced mix of
humor, wit, and wry puns makes reading them almost as
pleasurable as solving the game itself.

The riddles and puzzles are intricate but, for the most part,
their answers are logical and succumb to rigorous application
of the principles of deductive reasoning. Some of the
puzzles are astounding in their ingenuity; watch for a doorless
bank vault that you must figure out how to enter. Very
few will be able to solve it without assistance or at least extremely
careful scrutiny of the clues and of the workings of
the bank. Some may even stumble into the vault, but true
gratification will be achieved by those who solve the puzzle
by themselves. The solution is completely logical, but no one
ever said logic was easy. As in *Zork I*, keys to solving many of
the puzzles are not in the same room as the puzzles themselves
and solutions may require combinations of objects or
knowledge gained from your travels. Pay careful attention to
possible relationships between the objects and creatures you
encounter and the puzzles you will have to solve. Very seldom
will brute force prove useful; for the most part you will
have to rely on your gray matter to provide the solutions.

*Zork II* is an adventure fit for master adventurers; those of
you who are new to adventuring may find the game more of a
challenge than you bargained for. Though it is not impossible,
with some perseverance, for a novice to master Zork *II*.

A few more technical notes: *Zork II*, like its predecessor,
has an extensive vocabulary (some five hundred to six hundred
words) and has a superior command parse. You will not
find yourself limited to simple one or two word commands;
*Zork II* allows you to use complete sentences. The *Zork II* instruction
manual is very complete and well written.

As a matter of fact, *Zork* is such a popular game that a
Zork user group has been formed. They offer various *Zork*
paraphernalia, including very handsome maps that enhance
playing both games. You can contact the group at Zork Users
Group, Box 20933, Milwaukee, WI 53220.

*Zork II* is recommended to any novice or master adventurer
who wants a feeling of satisfaction upon completion of a
well-thought-out and imaginative adventure. And, once
you've finished, you'll be hard put to wait for *Zork III*.

Apple II, Apple III (emulation mode), Atari 400 or 800, IBMpc, NEC,
8-inch CPM; 32K, disk. $39.95 from Infocom, 6 Faneuil Hall Marketplace,
Boston MA 02109; (617) 492-1031.
