Return to Zork

I still own this game and bought another copy from GOG as it runs smoothly on my win7 and ubuntu box. I love what GOG is doing resurrecting these games from my childhood and I for one will buy any of the Zork games as they come out. Well done guys :-)

I got this game when I was 12 years old (far from my first computer game, as I was playing public domain games since I was 5) and I was completely enthrallllled for a long time. This came with an encyclopedia of information, and the CD allowed you to listen to the soundtrack of the game, which to this day I have in my mp3 player and love when a random song comes on, it takes me back. Tons of puns, strategy puzzles, quirky characters, AJ Langer (whom I am still infatuated with to this day, thanks to this game...People Under the Stairs and Escape from LA, anyone?) And of course, lots of death by grues. I think I'm going to throw in the old cd-rom and play this today for old times sake. GOOD STUFF!

I love this game. I always come back to it, mainly for the brilliant atmosphere and soundtrack. The only flaw I can think of are the difficult puzzles that make no sense. Also, the puzzles that make you restart the game (if you kill the root in the beginning you have to start over when you really need it later on in the game). As I said, the soundtrack and atmosphere are amazing. I used a strategy guide the whole time but played it for the adventure part.

As far as puzzle adventures go, this one is by far my favorite of all time. The puzzles are incredibly creative, and just the right difficulty to give you a sense of accomplishment as you make your way through the vast world. I first played it before the internet was available to cheat. The acting is top notch, and the characters are hilarious. Even the puzzles themselves will have you laughing. You can't fault a game for being technically dated, that is the whole point of GoG, but it does have some unfortunate dead ends. I did get stuck once and had to start over, but with puzzle games, the second time through is quick. Just be careful where you save and you should be fine.

This is one of my vavourite games when it was released all those years ago. The thing I really like about it that both the video sequences and the interactions interface were really well thought-through for that time. If you liked Zork and enjoy games like Mysy or the Last Express then you really ought to give it a go!