Zork III

"Well, this can't get weirder. I fell down some stairs and had a dream about this old geezer...."

Welcome back, young review-readers. Today we will be looking at an old game from the days of Atari and mainframe, the third in a great series... No, not Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi!!! It's Zork III: The Dungeon Master!! Okay, Zork is one of those old gems from way on back, and it is text-based. Yeah, let go of that game pad, we're using the keyboard this time around. Anyway, er, getting off track.

Graphics: N/A

Yep. We're still talking good ol' solid detailed writing from the people at Infocom. Here's an example, a really BAD one, don't sue me if it rips off any Zork games, Infocom:

Office

You stand in the former executive office of King Dimwit Flathead's main advisor's office. Red fluffy carpeting covers the floor, and a solid oak desk is in the center of the room, accompanied by a chair made of the same wood. Several papers litter the top of the desk. Everything is covered in dust. A doorway is behind you, leading east.

look at papers

Picking up the papers, you find that they are covered with the expenses for Flood Control Dam #3. The papers crumble away into little bits due to age. You suddenly realize there is a small button where the papers lay.

push the button

As your finger comes to rest on the tiny wooden button, you suddenly fall through a cleverly concealed trapdoor in the floor.

Yet another shining example of Zork's brilliance.

Story: 10/10

You just tumbled down a set of endless stairs (wonder how they got like that) and you're supposed to find a treasure or two so you can impress the Dungeon Master and become his successor. Simple but charming.

Challenge: 9/10

Made it really hard. Just a tiny bit TOO hard. But I still love this game, as in every game in the series.

Gameplay: 10/10

Yep. You still gotta think really hard. In Final Fantasy, all you had to do was decide which weakness an enemy had. In this game, you have near-impossible puzzles, strange figures in dead ends, sailors with vials of strange liquids, and much much more.

Sound: N/A

Yep. We still got Infocom's famous stereo silence. If you don't like it, turn on some music. I prefer making up the music in my head as I play.

Rent/Buy:

As far as I know, neither. You can download it if you search hard enough. Very fun game, I'd advise you to get it now. HEY, you, put down the joystick!! I thought I said this game was for the KEYBOARD!!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/21/03, Updated 01/21/03