Zork II

"A wand!! Look, I'm making this vase float!! *CRASH* Never mind..."

Yes, I finally found this game for download, and Zork III as well!! Yet again, this is from the Neanderthal days.. Okay, okay, maybe not THAT far back. Think late 1980s. Here's some more history upon Zork. The good ol' people at Infocom originally intended to make the Zork trilogy one thrilling adventure. Of course, that would have been a bit big, so they had to do something else. So sit back and hear about Zork II: The Wizard Strikes Back!! Oops, wrong name. Anyways.

Gameplay: 10

Pure simplicity, as explained in my Zork I review. But this time, we have wizards and dragons and demons, not to mention a unicorn and a princess! But for those people that skipped over to the second saga, another demonstration:

Cavern

You stand inside a cavern, many fathoms tall. The ceiling is almost lost in its sheer height, and sparkling gems are embedded in the stone wall, some the size of your head. The floor is very dusty, layered about an inch thick. There is a hole above your head, showing cloudless blue sky above, and a shimmering gray rope dangles from the edge. Aside from that, there are no other exits.

>.inventory

You are now carrying:
A brand-new broom
A brass lantern (lit)

>.sweep floor with broom

Doing so reveals a raised stone platform on the floor, one yard circular.

>.step on switch

Bottom Floor, On Elevator

The switch sinks down with a low grating sound, and you sink down into a circular pit. As the platform stops, a small room is visible through the doorway to the north.

Thank you, folks. Another amazing demonstration!!

Graphics: N/A.

Once again, folks, it's black background, grayish-white text. But the detail is just as appealing as ever.

Challenge: 6

*sigh* They made this one a bit easier. A bit TOO easy, in my opinion. Oh well, it's still fairly hard, and a cage midway in gave me some grief.

Controls: 10

This thing responds as fast as a bitten tiger!! YEAH, THE ACTION THRILLS!! Yes, I'm being silly. It's turn-based. You type in commands, the game responds. Simple. Plus Zork knows about 600 words, including a few swear words. If you type those in, the game says a really funny verse which I won't reveal.

To Buy Or Rent:

Neither. This one's a bit rarer than Zork I, but still not too hard to find.

Resolution: 8/10

I took a point off for easyness, and another for the especially annoying ''Ferment'' spell the wizard casts. Still a good game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/05/02, Updated 12/05/02