<!--
	Title: InfoNews Roundup
	Source: The New Zork Times, v4(2)
	Date: Spring 1985
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

## Party Tricks

A sumptuous mansion in Las Vegas, once owned by Elvis (Presley, not
Flathead). A party with nearly a thousand guests, sipping drinks and
discussing everything from politics to local scandals. A band serenading
the crowds in the ballroom.

Suddenly a scream, and shots ring out. Moments later, a body is found,
shot twice in the chest, near the indoor swimming pool. Examination
reveals that the victim has a knife wound in his back; yet strangulation
is indicated by marks around his neck. A red drink nearby turns out to
be a banana daiquiri with red food coloring added.

Everyone at the party immediately becomes a suspect. Other
guests' arguments with the victim are remembered and denied. Clues,
motives, and accusations are exchanged.

Is this another Infocom game, where you play the detective or the
dupe? Is Sergeant Duffy waiting in the wings? Can you buy *InvisiClues*
to figure this one out?

Hardly. The party was hosted by Infocom (who else?), to promote its
most recent mystery game, *Suspect*™. Retailers, distributors, and lots of
press were in town to attend the January 1985 CES (the Consumer
Electronics Show, not the Convention of Enchanters and Sorcerers).
With the help of a New York troupe of actors named Murder To Go, Inc.,
Infocom staged a crime and let the party guests become participants in
solving the murder.

Sound like fun? It was; it was *almost* as much fun as *Suspect*.

## Kudos

Sure, you've heard it a million times: Infocom is the best. Well, be warned:
you're about to hear it again.

*The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy* has been called "without
doubt the best adventure ever seen on a computer." Who said that? Not
Binky O'Leary (he hated the game). Not Mozart (he died before he could
figure out the babel fish problem). No, it was some little-known start-up
newspaper called *The Times of London*, on March 12, 1985. Cheers!

Admit it: you read *People* magazine. You read it at home; you read it
at the dentist's office; you read it while waiting on (or in) the checkout
line at the supermarket. So in the March 18, 1985, issue, you saw the
article about Infocom games in the "Picks & Pans" section (we were,
you remember, a "pick"). You read that (in the reviewer's words) "there's
a refreshing side to interactive fiction: It lets you use your imagination,
instead of reflexes, and stimulates you to build pictures in your
mind, instead of leaving them in flat dimensions on the screen."
Infocom is glad you saw that article, so it doesn't have to tell you
about it.

Finally, this headline from the November 22, 1984, Salt Lake City
*Tribune*: "[New Software By Infocom Isn't Boring.](/library/slt-infocom-isnt-boring)" Oh well; you can't
please everyone.

## Wave Bye-Bye, Junior

A very, very long time ago (Spring 1984), Infocom announced its first
"junior-level" game: *Seastalker*™, an adventure in the tradition of Jules
Verne's *20,000 Leagues Under the Sea*. *Seastalker* was a success.
*People* magazine (remember them?) called *Seastalker* "a first-class introduction,"
and said "Though pitched to the junior set (9 and up), *Seastalker* can just as easily
enthrall an oldster."

But some people didn't like the designation "junior-level." It
sounded like it was for children only. Adults didn't want a kid's game; in
fact, kids didn't want a kid's game. So Infocom went back to the (all-text)
drawing boards.

Introducing (drumroll, please) "introductory level"! Infocom's first
introductory-level game is *Wishbringer*, a new fantasy story in which
your home town becomes a living nightmare. It's not just for kids:
*Wishbringer* is a great introduction to interactive fiction for everyone
from age 9 up. So tell your friends — whether they're macho
linebackers, adventurous grandmothers, or just someone looking for
a challenge and a thrill.

## New Caverns

Recent improvements in lighting technology have reduced the number
of Infoworkers eaten by grues. Infocom thus needs more spacious
caverns to accommodate its growing staff. A new cavern has been found,
at 125 CambridgePark Drive, Cambridge, MA 02140. Mapping of
the new cavern has not yet been completed, but early reports indicate
a large number of oddly-angled rooms. The offices of chairman Al
Vezza and president Joel Berez are rumored to have been designed by
Lord Dimwit the Excessive.

## Zork Convention

Infocom may be hosting a Zork Convention later this year, open to
all adventurers, sleuths, wizards, and Stellar Patrol members. Meet a real
live Dornbeast; call Marc Blank "Mark Blanc" to his face; learn all
sorts of Infotrivia; hobnob with the game writers, the Infopeople, and
your fellow fans. Interested? What else would you like to see or do? Let
us know, and we'll see what we can do. Write to: InfoConvention, 125
CambridgePark Drive, Cambridge, MA 02140.

## Stan’s Ban Stands

"*The New Zork Times* is a specialty newsletter, not a high-class
magazine." So said Infocom Product Manager Michael "Stan" Dornbrook,
defending his controversial decision to keep yak news out of the
respected Cambridge-based journal. Despite public outcry, protest letters,
and a petition from WOOLLY (Women Of Outer Latvia Loving
Yaks), *The New Zork Times* will continue its policy of no yak facts.
"Yak fans will just have to make do with the yearly yak issue of *Sports
Illustrated*," said Stan. (Actually, Michael Dornbrook's nickname is
"Mike" or "Max." But "Stan" made a better headline.)
