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	Title: Pleasing Puzzle Games from 'Zoop' to 'Zork'
	Source: The Chicago Tribune
	Date: August 16, 1996
	Transcription by Steve Derby
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Hot summer days are a perfect time to go underground. And returning
to the Great Underground Empire is no problem at all.

"Zork Nemesis" (Activision; $54.95) is not only one of the most challenging
CD-ROM puzzle games ever designed, but it also is a triumphant tribute to
the original “Zork” series.

During the 1980s, the "Zork" games were Infocom’s flagship series of text
adventures. Infocom was swallowed up by Activision, and text adventures
gave way to graphics-intensive games. Activision tried to revive the games
with "Return to Zork," which sold more than a million units but was clumsy
and didn’t have the trademark "Zork" flair.

“Nemesis” is rich in detail and character, not to mention story. The player
is a free-lance adventurer hired to investigate the disappearance of — get
this — an investigator hired to solve the disappearances of four famous
figures. It seems the four were secretly involved in alchemy, the process
of using nature to learn the world’s secrets.

"Zork Nemesis" is really five games: The player begins in a remote workshop
where the four alchemists are buried. When all four bodies are found, their
ghosts warn the player of an evil demon called Nemesis who will be able to
take over the world if he can unlock the alchemists’ secrets. The adventurer,
of course, has to discover those secrets first.

This means traveling to the alchemists' homes, representing fire, water,
earth and air. This is where the game gets hard: The puzzles are no cake
walk. Even seasoned Zorkers will have to buy the hint book. An example:
One early puzzle has the player click on stars on a map of constellations.
Each star corresponds to other stars. Lighting one illuminates or extinguishes
stars on either constellation. The object is to light one constellation
completely while blacking out of the other. Not as easy as it sounds.

Old-time "Zork" purists will grumble about the death of the text-only interface,
which forced game authors to write well and players to express their thoughts
clearly. There’s also a darker feel than the often-funny early "Zorks."

The art is visually stunning. Activision recruited Hollywood talent for
the visuals, including director Joe Napolitano ("The X-Files," "Quantum Leap")
and designer Mauro Borrelli (“Batman Forever,” “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”).

The bottom line? Get this game if you’re into puzzles (the “Zork” games
were "Myst" before "Myst" was a twinkle in its programmer’s eye). If you
have hours to spend wandering cavernous conservatories and magnificent
monasteries, it's sure to please.