The Zork Anthology

I still remember when I first played Zork 1 and started to realise almost instantly just what gaming could do. This game opened up channels to endless worlds for me that would see me eventually leave the Great Underground Empire, and travel to Morrowind, San Andreas and the far reaches of Mass Effect's galactic empire. It took me from my first battle with an angry Troll and crazed Wizard, to fights against a power mad Jon Irenicus, a demonic Diablo and a loco Anna Navare. I may have left the lands of Zork a nameless adventurer and treasure hunter but I went on to find fame as JC Denton and Codename 47. Zork was a simply a revelation to me and Infocom's dungeons have remained far more vivid to me than many grand 3d vista's of modern games. This is in part because Infocom were masters of instilling a real sense of place and character in thier games. I still remember my first trip to the gates of Hades, and my utter joy at realising that I could with a few items and words used in the right sequence seemingly have real consequence on this digital landscape. I sure as hell remember the very real fear of finding myself trapped deep underground without any light and only that most terrible of companions a Grue! I recall the endless hours of carefully drawn and redrawn maps that may seem so archaic to many a gamer now, but added a real sense of accomplishment when playing these games. Zork part taught me to read and think and along with Infocoms many other treasures inspired in me a love of gaming that has never died. Without Zork I would never have laughed with Guybrush and Manny Calavera, I would never have known Fallout's vision of a Post Apocalyptic Earth and I may never have shed real tears with The Nameless One. Zork hooked me on gaming and the trip has been wild ever since, but I have never forgotten my first my love. This game spoke back to me, it often knew if I was fooling around and at those times it spoke with derision. Sure this ode to Zork is part nostalgia, but I have to emplore anyone who has not played these games to do so. Partly because games of this era are histroically important to gaming, but mostly because they can, and do provide great entertainment still. Even if one has to scratch a little under the surface...just make sure you bring your lamp!

While I've never beaten these games, I wouldn't feel complete if I hadn't wasted countless hours trying. You can't appreciate where we're at unless you know where we've come from. Don't get me wrong, these games aren't some old relic to be tolerated. They are rich, enjoyable, and well written. That said, you will want to punch your monitor... frequently. I recommend getting a notebook and taking notes. It helps.

This is the last thing i EVER expected to find on GOG! ... a collection of TEXT adventures?... That's right... games you have to actually TYPE in commands... and actually MAP out on paper! ... ... included are some of the trickiest, most puzzling games ever released... ranging in difficulty from nail-bitingly tough.. Zork I, Zork II, Zork III ... to relatively simple .. Beyond Zork (the only game with auto mapping ...) ... also thrown in is Planetfall ... where you control a robot on a puzzle-filled space station ... and finally, my favorite text adventure of all time! ... Zork Zero ... a huge, totally fun game, with just the right difficulty ... which is augmented by some very cool old school graphics ... (which were quite innovative at the time) ... all of these games force you to truly think... and to be creative... and to imagine ... and to try a million different things ... it is guaranteed you will be thinking about these puzzles when not sitting at your keyboard, as well! ... most of these games took me months to play back when i played them ... once you finally emerge victorious from these dungeons, you feel like you have truly been on an adventure... and have challenged every single brain cell you still manage to possess ... ... highly recommended!

While I love the Zork games half of this package is already free. Zork 1,2 and three have been released to the public domain by Infocom.

Let's just get this out of the way: Infocom made text adventures cool, and Zork was what started it. Sure, there were text adventures that came before, but none had the style, the humour, or the depth of Infocom games. While I'd played a few of those early text adventures (Scott Adams adventures, Colossal Cave, etc.) it was Zork with which I could say I was truly hooked on the genre. Lets be clear here: There are no graphics. (Well, not until Beyond and Zero) These are not like the Sierra adventures, though Sierra's games owe much to Infocom for their genesis. These are more like interactive novellas. The graphics are made in your head. Which in their own way made them superior to graphical adventures because the scenes could be imagined with unlimited detail. The games are hard, too; don't mistake their simplistic presentation for simplicity. Some of the puzzles are devious and hair-pullingly frustrating, but they were almost never without some degree of logic to them. Infocom never manufactured difficulty with nonsense. I'm not really sure why Planetfall is included in this anthology, nor why it was not bundled with its equally excellent sequel, Stationfall, but it's one of my all-time favourite text adventures, and any Steve Meretzky-penned Infocom game is welcome in my book. Honestly, if you like text adventures, or if you've never played but the concept intrigues you, this is THE seminal bundle to get. Don't even bother with the later Zorks (Return, Nemesis, Grand Inquisitor), those are nothing to do with Infocom and are Zork games in name only, trying more to be Myst than Zork.