<!--
	Title: (From Fantasy To Video Game Reality) Zork I
	Author: Richard Cook
	Source: PC Magazine, v1(8)
	Date: December 1982
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

<div class="float-left" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; padding-right: 1em; border-top: 4px solid var(--mdgrey); border-bottom: 1px solid var(--mdgrey);">
<p class="larger tight"><strong>ZORK I</strong></p>
Infocom<br>
55 Wheeler St.</br>
Cambridge, MA 02138<br>
(617) 492-1031<br>
<strong>List Price:</strong> $39.95<br>
<strong>Requires:</strong> 48K, one disk drive<br>
<strong>Age-group:</strong> 14 to adult<br>
<strong>Number of Players:</strong> One
</div>

*Zork* is a clever, complex program recommended for teenagers or adults, though
some children may outperform older *Zork I* players.

*Zork I* pits the individual against the terrors of "The Great Underground Empire."
Although *Zork I* is usually played by one person, sideline players often become
involved, offering useful advice.

*Zork I* is basically a treasure hunt. The player must thoroughly explore a vast underground
world, eons old and inhabited by mysterious forces, to locate the treasures
and secure them in a safe place. Various objects, including deadly weapons,
must also be located by the player to aid in the quest. Becoming a *Zork* master is no
easy task: *Zork I* requires real brain power to overcome obstacles and gather all 20
treasures.

## Ease of Use

The *Zork I* program gives descriptions of places and things and asks for instructions.
The player types in directions and suggests answers. There's no clock to race,
so the player can thoroughly consider each move. The interaction between user and
computer is more personal than in video arcade-type games that leave the player
with damp armpits and bleeding hands. *Zork I* is a combination of *Lord of the
Rings* and a grand master chess tournament — lots of action, mystery, adventure,
and a constant intellectual challenge.

<blockquote class="float-right larger" style="border-top: 4px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid; text-align: center; padding: 1em 0.25em;">
<em>The places and and creatures in</em> Zork I <em>are right out of your dreams and nightmares.</em>
</blockquote>

*Zork I* is fun to come back to again and again. The best strategy is to play until
completely baffled, and then retire for a few minutes, hours, or days. This strategy
allows fresh ideas and solutions to germinate.

A player who is unable lo solve certain problems may want to buy *Invisiclues*,
produced by the Zork Users Group, *Invisiclues* is a booklet of questions about getting
somewhere or overcoming obstacles while exploring *Zork* land. The answers are
written in invisible ink and are made to apptear by being rubbed with a special
felt-tip pen. (The pen is included with the booklet.) The idea is to give only as much
help as is needed. Each answer is more revealing than the previous one. The complet
answer is given last.

*Invisiclues* is almost as much fun as *Zork*, but a player should refrain from
reaching for an invisiclue until help is desperately needed — the fun in *Zork* lies in
using one's own powers of logic and reason to solve problems. *Invisiclues* is sold at
computer stores or can be ordered by sending $9.95 plus $2 postage and handling
to Zork Users Group, Dept. Z0. P.O. Box 20923, Milwaukee, WI 53220-0923
(Wisconsin residents add 5 percent sales tax).

Software and documentation for *Zork I* are sold in a sealed packet that contains
an instruction booklet, disk. IBM PC Interlogic Reference card, and warranty card.
Read the *Zork I* manual before playing. It is short and easy to understand and includes
instructions for using the programs that are not revealed during play. The
instructions include numerous examples, suggestions, troubleshooting tips, and a list
of commands and abbreviations. The game is a genuine challenge and is played
exactly as explained in the manual.

## Use of Graphics

The pictures inside the players head are what's important in *Zork I*. The designers
have wisely refrained from including any graphics, leaving each player free
to imagine horrible adversaries and appealing rewards.

The program responds as it should, but not always the way one would prefer. *Zork
I* has the advantage of allowing multiple commands per turn to be entered with
periods or the word then between individual instructions.

## Error Handling

Whenever *Zork I* doesn't understand or can't use an instruction in a specific
context, it lets the player know in a variety of ways. The instruction booklet lists many
of these responses, but not for bizarre commands such as "Walk through the
wall" or "Eat the door." Sometimes a weird command will produce an unexpected,
helpful result. If not, *Zork I*'s reply is usually good for a laugh.

## Warranty Support

The warranty is very limited. The disk is the only item covered, and replacement
is guaranteed to only the original owner and disk, only if the warranty card was
sent in, only after Infocom, Inc. determines the disk was not tampered with or
misused, and only for 90 days from the date of purchase. Program errors are not
covered. The warranty states, "The entire risk as to the quality and performance of
the computer software program is assumed by the user."

## General Appeal

*Zork I* is appealing on many levels. It is imaginative — the places and creatures in
*Zork I* are right out of your favorite dreams or worst nightmares. It is addicting — *Zork
I* grabs your attention and runs away with it. And it is challenging — tougher than the
*New York Times* crossword puzzle and more baffling than Rubik's Cube.

Perhaps *Zork*'s greatest appeal is the excitement of exploring the unknown and
the thrill of discovery, particularly for people who grew up reading science fiction,
fantasy, and adventure stories.

As one of the new genre of "Sword and Sorcery" computer games, *Zork I* is a must
for anyone's software collection. It is surprising, impressive, and entertaining. If
you divide the purchase price by the number of hours spent enjoying iti it is also a
great value.

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*Richard Cook is a free-lance writer based in San Francisco.*
