Concept and Storyline
From the leaflet found in the mailbox:
"ZORK is a game of adventure, danger, and low cunning. In it you will explore some of the most amazing territory ever seen by mortal man. Hardened adventurers have run screaming from the terrors contained within! In ZORK the intrepid explorer delves into the forgotten secrets of a lost labyrinth deep in the bowels of the earth, searching for vast treasures long hidden from prying eyes, treasures guarded by fearsome monsters and diabolical traps!"
Spatial Arena
I managed to explore the forests and the house.
Goal
Solve puzzles and find the hidden treasures lost in the bowels of the earth and consequently score points.
Core Game Mechanic
Use keyboard command to navigate through the ZORK world and interact with objects and enemies.
| Move Command | Action |
| north | Move north |
| south | Move south |
| east | Move east |
| west | Move west |
| northeast | Move northeast |
| northwest | Move northwest |
| southeast | Move southeast |
| southwest | Move southwest |
| up | Move up |
| down | Move down |
| look | Looks around at current location |
| save | Save state to a file |
| restore | Restores a saved state |
| restart | Restarts the game |
| verbose | Gives full description after each command |
| score | Displays score and ranking |
| diagnostic | Give description of health |
| Item Command (Argument) | Action |
| take (item) | Removes item from current room; places it in your inventory |
| take all | takes all take-able objects in room |
| throw (item) at (location) | Throws the item at something |
| open (container) | Opens the container, whether it is in the room or your inventory |
| open (exit) | Opens the exit for travel |
| read (item) | Reads what is written on readable item |
| drop (item) | Removes item from inventory; places it in current room |
| put (item) in (container) | Removes item from inventory; places it in container |
| turn (control) with (item) | Attempts to operate the control with the item |
| turn on (item) | Turns on the item |
| turn off (item) | Turns the item off |
| move (object) | Moves a large object that cannot be picked up |
| attack (creature) with (item) | Attacks creature with the item |
| examine (object) | Examines, or looks, at an object or item or location |
| inventory | Shows contents of Inventory |
| eat | Eats item (specifically food) |
| shout | Aaaarrrrgggghhhh! |
| close [Door] | Closes door |
| tie (item) to (object) | |
| rape (item) | Dismisses command as an "ehem, strange idea" |
| kill self with (weapon) | Humorously commits suicide |
Challenge
Puzzles get harder and a thief apparently randomly steals your possessions.
Overall Impression
Unfortunately for me the game mechanics did not promote the experience eluded to in the leaflet found in the mailbox. Given enough spare time (and beer) I possibly could enjoy this game but for me I found it a little to problematic to navigate. I found it annoying that you could not retrace your steps by moving west after moving east for example. This removed a lot of the simple and expected control and consequently detracted from my enjoyment of the game.
My Rating
2 out of 10 stars.
