<!--
	Title: (Hard Copy) Zork: The Interactive Novels
	Author: Charles Adai
	Source: Computer Entertainment, v3(5)
	Date: May 1985
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

<em>By S. Eric Meretzky<br>
Tor Books / $1.95 each</em>

<img class="float-left" src="/public/img/articles/eg-zork-the-interactive-novels/zork-forces-of-krill-cover.jpg" alt="Zork: The Forces of Krill book cover">
<p class="float-right-narrow article-sidebar-box center" style="font-size: 1.25em; font-weight: bold;">These books are pure Infocom from start to finish</p>

For years now, Infocom's *Zork* games have maintained their status as the most
popular computer adventure games of all time. Even novice computer users who
know nothing about the world of adventure games have heard of *Zork*; in fact,
many of those novices cite *Zork* as one of their reasons for buying a home computer
in the first place. So it made sense for Infocom to branch out, and convert its
famous games into the perfectly suited "Choose-Your-Own-Adventure" book
format. Now that they have finally done it, only one question comes to mind:
Why did they wait so long?

The *Zork Interactive Novels* are part of Tor Books' "What-Do-I-Do-Now"
series of adventure novels for young adults. As it characteristic both of the
publisher and of Infocom, they are excellent. One factor that raises them
above the level of most interactive fiction is the variety of action which the books
allow. Obviously they can't be nearly as intricate as the computer games, but
they are complex and non-linear enough to approximate the atmosphere of a
computer adventure game very well.

These books are not merely adventures that have nothing to do with *Zork*
except a licensed title; written by Steven Meretzky, award-winning author of
Infocom's *Planetfall* and *Sorcerer*, they are pure Infocom from start to finish. Not
only do they take place in *Zork's* Great Underground Empire, but they actually
lead the reader/player into some of the same locations that are found in the
games. Veterans of *Zork* have an advantage over newcomers to the magical
realm, and they will enjoy the many subtle references to other Infocom games.

<img class="float-right-narrow" src="/public/img/articles/eg-zork-the-interactive-novels/zork-malifestro-quest-cover.jpg" alt="Zork: The Malifestro Quest book cover">

The four books of the series are titled *The Forces of Krill*, *The Malifesto
Quest*, *The Cavern of Doom*, and *Conquest at Quendor*, and each one follows the
adventures of two ordinary kids, Bill and June, as they get transported to the
world of *Zork*. The two are known as Bivotar and Juranda, the brave and
courageous adventurers whose quest it is to save their "uncle" Syovar's kingdom
from a variety of evil beings (Infocom fans may recognize Krill as the evil warlock
from *Enchanter* and Jeearr, the villain of *Conquest at Quendor*, from *Sorcerer*).

As each adventure unfolds, the reader is drawn right into the action by Meretzky's
felicitous use of the present tense for narrative. At important plot junctions,
decisions are left up to the reader, and the choices that the reader makes
influence the outcome of the story. However, unlike most interactive
novels, there isn't always one right and one wrong choice, and when there is, the
wrong choice doesn't always mean certain death. Many choices are surprisingly
broad ("Should we use magic or weaponry in this adventure?" for instance),
giving the reader a real feeling of control over his fate. Open-ended
prompts encourage imaginative responses rather than passive page turning,
and add to the overall enjoyment of the stories.

<img class="float-left-narrow" src="/public/img/articles/eg-zork-the-interactive-novels/zork-cavern-of-doom-cover.jpg" alt="Zork: The Cavern of Doom book cover">

All of the books are good, and it is hard to single one out as the best. However,
my personal favorite was *The Malifestro Quest*, an excellent example of Meretzky's
innovative writing style and unique sense of humor. In *The Malifestro Quest*,
Bivotar and Juranda have to rescue Syovar and the entire land from the
clutches of the evil wizard Malifestro. En route to the castle of this nefarious character,
you must cross the Great Flathead Mountains, avoid a band of thieves,
conjure up a demon, outwit a cyclops, and try to control a bizarre flying carpet,
courtesy of the Frobozz Magic Flying Carpet Company.

*The Malifestro Quest* is logical and enjoyable, much more so than many
other interactive novels which have uninteresting choices for the reader to
make like "Should we go right or left?". What's more, it has the best climax of the
four -- a wild wizard's duel between Syovar and Malifestro.

The illustrations that are sprinkled throughout the stories are very good,
and the cover paintings are magnificent. And if you've always wanted to know
just what a lurking grue looks like or how Krill looks bedecked in all his finery, you
have to look no further.

<img class="float-right-narrow" src="/public/img/articles/eg-zork-the-interactive-novels/zork-conquest-at-quendor-cover.jpg" alt="Zork: Conquest at Quendor book cover">

The only problems with the series are the inconsistencies. There aren't too
many, but when they do crop up they detract from the stories. For instance,
the cover of *The Forces of Krill* shows Krill to be human, while interior
illustrations depict him as a fiery demon. Krill gets killed at the end of the book despite
the fact that he is alive and well in *Enchanter*. A Frobozz Magic Wizard Escape
Potion in *The Malifestro Quest* invokes the presence of a gnome if Bivotar
drinks it but not if the demon does.

More importantly, there are some instructions in the books, most notably in
*Conquest at Quendor*, that are simply incorrect. A prompt may tell the reader
to turn to page 114 when in fact page 114 has nothing to do with the situtation in
question.

Other than that, the series is excellent, It is certainly far superior to
most other books of the same kind. But now there's another question that needs
to be answered: How long will fans have to wait for the next installment? And
what about Planetfall?
