                           The Zork Anthology
                         Reviewed by Nathan Kay


    Some of my favorite computer games I've ever played have been in the
series of Zork games written by Infocom. To say the least, these are
truly classic games. In a way, I learned to thinking constructively by
playing Zork.
    The Zork games are text-adventures, meaning that instead of the
sound and graphics that today's games rely heavily upon, the classic
Zork games use only text to convey the surroundings. The user interacts
with the game by typing commands in normal English. For instance, say
the game told you there was a piece of gold on a table in the room you
had just entered. To take the gold, you would simply type 'take gold'.
    To give a brief history of Zork, this is roughly what happened. In
days gone by, Infocom released Zork One, and it was great. Not content
with a one-time success, they went on to create Zork Two, a masterpiece
that seemed to represent the best in text-adventure games. To the great
wonderment and surprise of their fans, they wrote Zork Three, a game
that made the past two Zorks seem pale in comparison. For a time, they
wrote other games that took the computer world in those days by storm.
Legends such as anetfall, Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy (The Game),
and many others that achieved success and fame in their times.
    But Zork remained a compelling mystery. Fans of Infocom wanted more
of the strange world of the Great Underground Empire. Beyond Zork was
created, and proved that the world of Zork had wonders and dangers yet
to be explored, even for the most hardy player. Never one to rest on
it's laurels, Infocom released what was to be for a long time, the
crowning masterpiece of the Zork series, Zork Zero: The Revenge of
Megaboz.
    Since these games stopped being released several years ago, copies
have been rare and often hard to come by. But the demand for them has
stayed strong.
    Then Infocom was acquired by Activision, who later released the
top-selling multimedia game, Return to Zork.
    The Zork Anthology, which will be free with any copy of the highly
popular Return to Zork until the end of 1994, and will be available
separately at the beginning of 1995, contains the first five classic
Zork games and as an extra, the popular Infocom game, Planetfall on a
single PC and MAC readable CD-ROM.
    Infocom's games have always stood apart from other text adventures
for two reasons. First, they have the easiest to use English interface,
which has a vast vocabulary to draw upon, that makes it easy to interact
with the game. And second, the in-depth plots and well thought-out
problems, traps and puzzles that are scattered throughout the games.
    In Zork One, users take on the part of a young adventurer, out
looking for fortune, fame, and treasure, and in general, something
interesting to do. The adventure starts as the user finds oneself
outside what appears to be a perfectly ordinary white house. However,
the gateway to adventure lies nearby, for those smart enough to find it,
and who are brave enough to enter!  Deal with a cunning thief, solve
strange and wondrous puzzles, and explore the Great Underground Empire.
Filled with puzzles, challen and amazing places, this game is a perfect
way to be entertained while thinking. It's challenging, witty and fun.
    With Zork Two, the adventure continues as the user continues into a
new, stranger, more dangerous and tricky area of the Great Underground
Empire, promising greater fame, greater glory, and more chances to get
killed. Wizards, dragons, princesses to save, and the mysteries of the
tomb of the Flathead Kings are just a few of the challenges this game
provides. As with all the Zork games, the puzzles and challenges it
provides are sure to keep one coming back for more.
    Zork Three presents the player with the final challenge, and the
final section of the Great Underground Empire, with mysteries,
challenges and a land where nothing is quite what it seems.
    In Beyond Zork, the player takes the role of a different adventurer,
who, inexperienced and unwitting, must find the Coconut of Quendor and
get it to a place of safety, where it may lay in wait for the Age that
is coming.
    With Zork Zero, the player is taken back to the time of Dimwit
Flathead himself. With humor, challenges of logic, gentle nudges, and a
very strange and annoying jester, you must search the Empire for the
items and wisdom that will save the Empire from the Curse of the mighty
wizard, Megaboz. See the origins of the white house, and make history in
the Zork world. Just be careful not to become history!
    The Zork games are a well balanced combination of wit, logic, and
cunning, both low and high. With an easy to use interface, well written
and executed plots, and wonderful richness of language and locations,
the Zork Anthology has appeal for both adults and older children. Adults
can laugh and have fun as they travel the Great Underground Empire, and
older children can begin to learn logic, critical thinking, and
problem-solving skills.
    With a suggested price of $19.95 for the Zork Anthology, this is a
good deal indeed. I would have expected such a bundle of good games to
sell for quite a bit more.
    The Zork Anthology needs 512k of RAM, a CD-ROM reader, CGA graphics,
and a hard disk with 2 megabytes of RAM to run on an IBM. For Mac users,
System 6 or 7, a CD-ROM drive, and a hard disk with 2 megabytes free is
needed.

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