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Showing All | Show by Page - LoquySSS46 (Longueuil, Québec, Canada), March 27, 2024 - caligula jones, March 24, 2024 - Edo, December 24, 2023 - ENyman78 (Gold Beach, OR), October 30, 2023 - SandwhichMeat, September 9, 2023 - Andrew Schultz (Chicago), September 8, 2023 - Max Fog, May 1, 2023 - Phil Riley, March 24, 2023 - kevlarsen, February 17, 2023 - Alex Leone (Minnesota), January 24, 2023 - Wanderlust, December 17, 2022 - Itsame64 (Mcloud, Oklahoma), December 6, 2022 - aech, November 3, 2022 - RonFromPgh, October 16, 2022 I have replayed this game several times over in order to write this article, and I have found the gameplay to be as absorbing as it is the first time I have played many years ago. While on the whole it is very much a game of "find object and use object in the right place", it does not necessarily mean that it is a doodle. It is not at all! There are some quite tricky puzzles to be solved, and I have been stuck a few times even though that I am playing the game the second time around. Although the treasures in the game are easy to find, getting them back safely to the trophy case can be an entirely different matter. Certain puzzles must be be solved in order, but there is no clue as to what that order is�it is up to you to work it out. In some cases, timing is also important. The text descriptions can either be in "verbose" or "brief" mode. Even in the brief mode, there is still enough to keep pulling you further into the game. For me, the game defines the whole addictive syndrome of "must solve just one more piece of the puzzle" which other imitators never manage to capture.
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| Direct link | Add a comment - Nightmace, June 10, 2022 - RustyBones, May 4, 2022 - cgasquid (west of house), February 13, 2022 4 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
The canonical IF dungeon crawl, February 12, 2022by dvs It was the original mainframe Zork from the 1980's which showed me that text adventures could do more than just the two word commands of the Scott Adams adventures. The breadth of the dungeon was astounding and I loved the variety of puzzles. My eighth grade self loved the experience. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Titania Lowe, January 24, 2022 - archcorenth, January 20, 2022 - Lance Campbell (United States), December 24, 2021 - NorkaBoid (Ohio, USA), November 14, 2021 - morat, November 11, 2021 - Karlok (Netherlands), August 15, 2021 - heasm66 (Sweden), August 10, 2021 - Keybordz (Raleigh, NC), April 8, 2021 - Zape, March 18, 2021 0 of
6 people found the following review helpful:
sucked, March 10, 2021by Kaleb YM I would rather read read the Catcher in the Rye a thousand times than be forced to play this again. Sucked Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | View comments (1) - Add comment
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1 people found the following review helpful:
One more star for the hystorical importance, March 1, 2021by Fosforo This text adventure is essential and it is a must-to-play for every IF fanatics due to its hystorical importance. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Nomad, February 16, 2021 - mifga (Brooklyn, NY), October 15, 2020 4 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
A classic!, October 5, 2020I really enjoyed playing through this game again this year (after having played, but not beaten it back in the 1980s). Yes, I understand how the phrase "Zork hates its player" came about, but at least because the tasks are compartmentalized and getting back to where you last were doesn't take more than a few minutes that it doesn't feel like a major setback to blow yourself up when you weren't expecting it. I had fun puzzling through everything (or at least most things, I had to cheat to figure out (Spoiler - click to show)the secrets of the egg) and even making the maps on my own, though I can see how those can become tedious as well. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- steamfire, September 22, 2020 - The Defiant, June 17, 2020 - Artran (Taipei, Taiwan), May 9, 2020 - eldis (UK), April 11, 2020 - Elizabeth DeCoste (Canada), April 11, 2020 - Vicusol, February 16, 2020 - plutonick, February 7, 2020 - wisprabbit (Sheffield, UK), January 8, 2020 - Durafen, October 1, 2019 2 of
3 people found the following review helpful:
One of the first Adventures I've played., August 20, 2019by Tim Delag (Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan ) This Adventure is something that you have to play. I remember being a young child on my parent's 386. Spending my summer days trying to solve the puzzles. It makes me yearn to be young again. But now I'm a father and my two kids are just discovering Infocom. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Whom (Wisconsin, United States), August 19, 2019 - Otheym, August 18, 2019 - Denk, July 5, 2019 4 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
Look. I have yet to find a game as satisfying as 'Zork 1.', May 6, 2019If you've never played 'Zork 1' before, give it a spin. As for myself, 'Zork 1' is the first interactive fiction game I've ever played. Maybe it isn't the friendliest game for beginners of IF, but I'm personally glad that I began with this clasic masterpiece. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
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4 people found the following review helpful:
I'm grateful for Zork and never want to play it again, May 3, 2019by deathbytroggles (Minneapolis, MN) Yes, Zork was the most important computer game of the early 1980’s. Perhaps even more important than King’s Quest. "You are standing in an open field, west of a white house," is quite possibly the most well-known line in adventure game history. It laid the foundation for many wonderful things to come. And it was an incredibly impressive, engaging adventure when it was released. But other than nostalgia, it has little going for it after all these years. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- e.peach, March 16, 2019 - lcs70, February 20, 2019 - Zach Shifflett (VA, United States), December 11, 2018 - oscar-78, December 6, 2018 - Arrowhead (Edmonton, Alberta), September 8, 2018 - ishashobar, September 4, 2018 - Stas, April 14, 2018 - Guenni (At home), February 4, 2018 4 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
Play it, but don't play it first., December 31, 2017by lastplaneout (Boone, NC) It almost goes without saying that the original Zork trilogy is a must-play for most interactive fictions enthusiasts. As someone who is relatively new to the medium/genre, it was gratifying to play through the first part of the trilogy (and then the sequels) after I had experienced some more recent works first. This set me up to have a whole bunch of "Oh, this is where that came from" moments as I played through Zork's underground that would have been lost on me otherwise. The narrative style of the game works really well for me when paired with a sense of vague familiarity. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Naeemah, December 23, 2017 - stet, November 22, 2017 - beriaearwen, October 10, 2017 - jamesb (San Antonio, Texas), July 12, 2017 - Arkaedi, July 7, 2017 - nosferatu, June 29, 2017 2 of
7 people found the following review helpful:
Heaven in text form, April 24, 2017by H. W. Wiliams (Sweden) One of the finest IF games I've ever played. I remember sitting at my old computer for hours just mapping out this game. If you like massive adventures, then this one's for you. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- ifMUD_Olly (Montana, USA), April 21, 2017 - TheAncientOne, March 25, 2017 - Spike, February 26, 2017 - Greg Frost (Seattle, Washington), February 11, 2017 - Christopher Hall (London, Great Britain), January 27, 2017 - EngineerWolf (India), December 18, 2016 - SciFinn (Alberta, Canada), December 14, 2016 - Xavid, December 7, 2016 - NinaS, July 3, 2016 - Teaspoon, April 11, 2016 - Matt Bates, March 28, 2016 3 of
3 people found the following review helpful:
A nice commercial clean-up of the MIT version, February 3, 2016Until last week, I had no idea that Infocom games were still available on current platforms. After downloading an iPad app, I had the pleasure of trying my first commercial game after 5 years of free interactive fiction. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- electromancer, July 19, 2015 - Pegbiter (Malmö, Sweden), June 15, 2015 - Thrax, March 12, 2015 - cabalia (Ohio), March 2, 2015 - morlock, January 14, 2015 - Oliver Chapman (London, England), January 4, 2015 - Catalina, November 30, 2014 - Janice M. Eisen (Portland, Oregon), November 10, 2014 - Indigo9182, June 13, 2014 - IFforL2 (Chiayi, Taiwan), May 20, 2014 - Captain Sidekick, May 2, 2014 - MattC, April 13, 2014 - guimb10, March 25, 2014 - shornet (Bucharest), March 23, 2014 - ThatFedoraGuy (Indiana, USA), January 26, 2014 - KidRisky (Connecticut, USA), December 20, 2013 - bigotitos, November 8, 2013 1 of
8 people found the following review helpful:
Great Game, October 5, 2013by Bron (Florida) This is one of the best ones out there Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Adam Myers, September 24, 2013 - Hotspur, September 23, 2013 - Egas, August 15, 2013 - DJ (Olalla, Washington), May 9, 2013 - Kuffen Bach (Brno), May 7, 2013 - absentsock, April 27, 2013 - Alycian, April 15, 2013 - hyst3ria, March 23, 2013 - dk101 (London, UK), March 2, 2013 - Stewjar (USA), January 29, 2013 - Gucek, January 17, 2013 - EatenByAGrue, January 3, 2013 - Fantacide (California), December 31, 2012 - Toby DiPasquale (Philadelphia, PA), November 3, 2012 - Puddin Tame (Queens, NY), October 27, 2012 - AADA7A, September 19, 2012 - Lubulos, September 9, 2012 - amciek (Opole), June 14, 2012 - kala (Finland), May 25, 2012 - Neowulf (Sweden), May 16, 2012 - Robb Sherwin (Colorado), March 27, 2012 - Christiaan, March 27, 2012 - Jim Kaplan (Jim Kaplan has a room called the location. The location of Jim Kaplan is variable.), March 20, 2012 - Hywel Dda, February 11, 2012 - katz (Altadena, California), November 25, 2011 - Nav (Bristol, UK), November 24, 2011 - X, November 7, 2011 - AaronP, October 27, 2011 1 of
6 people found the following review helpful:
Zork, October 22, 2011In this game you explore a very intricate world full of confusing paths and underground tunnels looking for treasure to add to your collection.The list of treasures you are searching for is 20 items long and can only be found through exploring. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
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12 people found the following review helpful:
AMAZING!!!, September 28, 2011I am thrilled with this game. It is amazing. This is one of my many favorite text-adventures. FIVE STARS! Note: this review is based on older version of the game. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Hulk Handsome (Carmen Sandiago), August 23, 2011 - iLexor (Vienna), August 18, 2011 - jfang, July 26, 2011 - Xeinok (Cali/Osaka/Pattaya), June 10, 2011 - Ghalev (Northern Appalachia, United States), May 31, 2011 - André St-Aubin (Laval, Québec), May 31, 2011 1 of
13 people found the following review helpful:
:), May 31, 2011This is one of the greatest games in history! Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Rotonoto (Albuquerque, New Mexico), May 16, 2011 - JasonMel (Florida), March 28, 2011 - JohnW (Brno, Czech Republic), March 16, 2011 - Walter Sandsquish, February 2, 2011 - artao (SW Wisconsin), February 2, 2011 - snickerdoddle, January 27, 2011 - Stickz (Atlanta, Georgia), December 14, 2010 - Narcisse, November 26, 2010 - johno158 (New York, NY), August 22, 2010 - Alder (San Francisco), August 15, 2010 - Ziggybee (Italy), August 14, 2010 - Muskie, August 11, 2010 - Xervosh (San Jose, Northern California), August 10, 2010 - karcher, July 11, 2010 5 of
7 people found the following review helpful:
addicting and fun, even for the young generation of IF players., June 26, 2010I enjoyed Zork very much, I thought it was brilliant. It is important to me to emphasize that Zork isn't only good for the sense of nostalgia. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | View comments (1) - Add comment
- RedHatter (Vista, California), June 4, 2010 - GDL (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), May 4, 2010 - o0pyromancer0o, April 23, 2010 - lavonardo, April 2, 2010 - Azazel, April 2, 2010 6 of
8 people found the following review helpful:
Without Which, this page would not be here, March 17, 2010by tggdan3 (Michigan) I played Zork I back in the 80's when it was the new thing. I missed out on the original dungeon and cave adventure until much later when the internet made every game available, but I still go back to Zork time and again for a refreshing review. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Ken Hubbard (Ohio), December 23, 2009 - TempestDash (Cincinnati, Ohio), December 10, 2009 - Mr. Patient (Saint Paul, Minn.), December 6, 2009 - sneJ (San Jose, California), November 15, 2009 - JonathanCR, September 21, 2009 - LuigiThirty, September 18, 2009 - Damon Graff (Boston, MA), September 11, 2009 - ReddestDream (Nowhere Land), September 4, 2009 - Cuxxu (Albany, NY), August 26, 2009 - DallasBrianK (DFW Area), August 16, 2009 - Mark V. (Madrid, Spain), June 2, 2009 - googoogjoob, May 20, 2009 - Mastodon, March 26, 2009 - John D, March 14, 2009 - qwrrty (Carlisle, Massachusetts), February 10, 2009 - albtraum, February 8, 2009 - bolucpap, January 26, 2009 - Cheryl L (Australia), January 9, 2009 - Fredrik (Nässjö, Sweden), January 3, 2009 - Aaron Mumaw (Appalachia), December 23, 2008 - VK, December 9, 2008 - Stagrovin, November 10, 2008 - Nathan (Utah), October 26, 2008 - burtcolk, September 3, 2008 - Wesley (Iowa City, Iowa), September 1, 2008 - Genjar (Finland), August 31, 2008 - Mukeja, August 20, 2008 - schifter (Louisville, KY), August 17, 2008 - The Relentless (Antioch, CA), August 16, 2008 - Anders Hellerup Madsen (Copenhagen, Denmark), July 21, 2008 - Ben Treat (Maine, USA), July 11, 2008 - drh (New York), July 8, 2008 - Nathaniel Kirby (Pennsylvania), June 28, 2008 - Zoltar, June 17, 2008 - Mike Ciul (Philadelphia), June 4, 2008 - reepeecheep (Harare), May 20, 2008 - Mark, May 12, 2008 - TCWT, May 2, 2008 - DrFredEdison (CO, USA), April 17, 2008 - lobespear, March 18, 2008 - paperclypse (Portland, OR), March 14, 2008 - jfpbookworm (Hamburg, New York), February 25, 2008 - Eriorg (Switzerland), February 20, 2008 - incandenza (carrboro, north carolina), January 17, 2008 27 of
30 people found the following review helpful:
A canonical puzzle-fest, January 10, 2008by Michael Roberts (Seattle, Washington) Some modern reviewers have said Zork I is dated, and to some extent it is, although not in the usual way that computer games become dated, which is to say technologically. The technology of IF has improved over the years, certainly, but only incrementally; Zork I is, after all, written on basically the same Z-Machine that a lot of authors are still using today. Sure, parsers have gained a few niceties over the years, but the fact is that even the most sophisticated current parser is still an unnatural computer interface that you have to learn to use; Zork's parser is maybe 10% harder to learn than the current standards. Try digging out a video game from last year, let alone one from Zork's era, and see if they hold up as well. The thing that makes Zork I look dated isn't the technology; it's the genre. Zork is a story-less treasure hunt in a big cave full of wacky incongruities and anachronisms; it's an unapologetic puzzle-fest; it's a slightly unfair, one-sided contest between a smirking author and a frustrated player. This sort of game went of out style years ago (among IF enthusiasts, I mean - the whole of IF went out of style even earlier among the broader gaming population). Some IFers look at it and say, good riddance: this sort of thing went out of style because it was inferior to what IF has evolved into. I tend to disagree; I think this sort of game actually went out of style because it was done to death, in large part by imitators of this very game. Zork I isn't inferior to modern IF; it's just different from modern IF. The appeal of Zork I is that of a crossword, or of one of those evil little entangled-wire-loop puzzles. And the thing is, Zork has a ton of that kind of appeal. Once you get into the game, it's really good at doling out just enough positive feedback to keep you going, while keeping the challenges numerous and difficult. Maybe you have to have the right personality type, but if you do, it can become an obsession to beat the thing, to get that last lousy point. The game is unfair, but just a little; its designers had a good feel for just how far they could push their luck before players would feel cheated. It's the kind of game you really want to solve on your own, without looking at hints or walkthroughs, because it always feels like the answers are just within reach. If you're still convinced that modern IF is just objectively superior to the likes of Zork I, here's something to consider. Modern IF dogma ranks immersiveness as one of the great virtues a work can have. Some look at Zork I's sparse room descriptions and irrational map and scoff. But Zork suggests that there's more to immersion than pretty descriptions. For many IFers, Zork I and its ilk have created some of the most intense subjective feelings of immersion they've had from any sort of game, just because they spent so much time walking back and forth and back and forth across the map. The obsessive play, I think, makes up for the thin text, and then some. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | View comments (5) - Add comment
- Knight Errant (USA), January 9, 2008 14 of
26 people found the following review helpful:
Sic Transit..., January 5, 2008Some people here give Zork four or even five stars. These must be people who have played Zork many, many years ago, when players' expectations were lower than they are today--because, to be honest, playing Zork today is not a four or five star experience. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | View comments (4) - Add comment
- oddgrue (California), December 30, 2007 - Miron (Berlin, Germany), December 11, 2007 - Matt Kimmel (Cambridge, MA), November 29, 2007 - David Schweinsberg (Pasadena, California), November 21, 2007 - anj tuesday, November 18, 2007 - ErWenn (Bloomington, IN), November 18, 2007 - jgerrish (Ann Arbor, MI), November 18, 2007 - Benjamin Sokal (Elysium pod planting enclosure on Mars), November 14, 2007 9 of
18 people found the following review helpful:
Perfectly Balanced, November 6, 2007by AmberShards (The Gothic South) Zork I holds a special place in my heart. Although I had played Adventure and enjoyed it, I fell in love with Zork I. Adventure was ultimately frustratingly random and obscure, but Zork I was descriptive, challenging, and intriguing. It kept you hungering to find out just what was around the bend, and what the next puzzle would reveal. If you factor in the state of the technology at its release, when moves would occasionally cause the floppy disk drive to whir, you can get a feel for the fun that playing IF was then. You never knew just what would happen when that disk whirred. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
- Jer, November 2, 2007 - Stephen Bond (Leuven, Belgium), October 29, 2007 - Shade (North Carolina), October 25, 2007 - Corey Arnett (British Columbia, Canada), October 19, 2007 Baf's GuideThe first Zork to be published commercially, this game essentially consists of a large chunk of dungeon carved from the central area of the original Zork. A decent dungeon crawl, and many adventurers' first experience with IF. The Hugo port is of questionable legality, but considering that Activision made the entire Zork Trilogy available for free download a few years ago, I wouldn't be too worried. -- Carl Muckenhoupt
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