Carl Williams writes, "Zork is an iconic title in the realm of computer gaming. No one really knows the date it was released but that is not stopping us from discussing it a bit. If you have never played Zork I: The Great Underground Empire, then you are seriously missing out. Just don’t be surprised when there are no graphics and it is only text. Some of the best, longest lasting games in history had no graphics. Zork being the biggest of the bunch."
This is a very clever idea. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has sent a new marketing event out. Part of which involves running a DOS prompt of the old Infocom game Zork and has a working interactive included.
neat. we were forced to use those to learn assembly. i played it on an Apple 2e
IIc for me. We user to spend hours playing games like this. Look how far we have come.
We only had a couple of Apple 2s in the school. They only showed in my third term of programming and only 3 of us were even allowed to touch them. The rest of the class weren't deemed worthy :)
I did later get a 2c, that's the first and last Apple product I ever bought.
Back to the ruins of the Flathead empire. I hope I have a lantern and some Frobozz Magic Grue Repellent. I really Miss those Infocom games. I might still have the glow in the dark "rock" from Wishbringer floating around in a box somewhere.....
VGChartz's Taneli Palola: "We ended the first part of this look at the history of video games at the threshold between two eras. The first video and arcade games had been born and the development of video games was rapidly accelerating. The foundations had been set, now someone just had to build upon them and push the industry into a new age. That someone would turn out to be a man already mentioned in the previous article, Ralph Baer."
Michael Crisman takes a unique approach to such an iconic game in this celebration of Zork turning 35. We are not sure of the exact date on this one but it was 35 years ago this month when the PC version first went out to customers. Enjoy and let us know your favorite Zork moments in the comments.
I'm feeling ancient right about now. Zork on the c64 was good times. Word games really stimulated my imagination like no other type of game.
What is your favorite text adventure? I am partial to the Sorcerer or something- the name escapes me now. It was like a darker Zork.
Pretty much all the Infocom text adventures. There was one called Wizard's Castle that stands out in my memory as well. Windham Classics developed Wizard of Oz and Treasure Island text adventurer games that were very enjoyable. Melbourn House's "The Hobbit" is what actually turned me on to "The Lord of the Rings" when I received it as a Christmas gift back in the early 80's. Ah, memories...
"your likely to be eaten by a grue"
without a torch or a lantern, the darker areas of the Flathead empire were a feeding ground for the light sensitive Grue. If you were fortunate, having some Frobozz magic grue repellent couldn't hurt.
yes I'm that old.... :P
