ZORK I: The Great Underground Empire confronts you with perils and predicaments ranging from the mystical to the macabre, as you strive to discover teh Trasures of ZOrk and escape with them - and your life. STANDARD LEVEL

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"The Incomplete Works of Infocom, Inc." Catalog

Throw the sack at the troll.

The troll, who is remarkably coordinated, catches the brown sack and, not having the most discriminating taste, gleefully eats it. The flat of the troll's axe hits you on the head... WELCOME TO ZORK I: THE GREAT UNDERGROUND EMPIRE.

It beckons you into a world fraught with danger and discovery. Using all the cunning you can muster, you'll plunge far below the surface of the earth in search of the incomparable Treasures of Zork. But this is no mere treasure hunt. During your amazing journey, you'll come face to face with creatures so outlandish, they defy description. And you'll wander through an underground domain so vast, with so many twists and turns, it can offer you new surprises no matter how many times you explore it.

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Back of box cover

You

are about to see the fantastic worlds of Infocom unfold before your very eyes.

ZORK I This phenomenally popular story plunges you into the extraordinary environs of the Great Underground Empire in search of incomparable treasures. You'll come face to face with outlandish creatures as you make an amazing odyssey with so many twists it can offer new surprises every time you explore it.

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From the first Infocom fold-out catalog, 198?

The ZORK trilogy, Infocom's classic underground odyssey, takes you into the extraordinary environs of the Great Underground Empire. It's a world so vast and unique, it can offer new discoveries no matter how often you explore it, with challenges that change and revitalize the adventure each time you make your descent. The NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW sums up the ZORK trilogy as "remarkable adventure fantasies." And the public agrees, for the SOFTALK READERS' POLL named ZORK I its "Most Popular Adventure," and all three ZORK adventures are among the best-selling computer games in history.

Even the way Infocom puts the trilogy together is unique. ZORK I, II, and III all share a common thread, yet each is a complete and separate story unto itself - so you can play them in any sequence you choose.

ZORK I: The Great Underground Empire confronts you with perils and predicaments ranging from the mystical to the macabre, as you strive to discover the Twenty Treasures of ZORK and escape with them and your life.

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From the 1983 Infocom catalog "OUR CIRCUITS, OURSELVES!"

THE ZORK TRILOGY

Adventure seekers, welcome to the Great Underground Empire, a world fraught with danger and discovery, an underground domain so vast, with so many twists and turns, it can offer you new surprises no matter how many times you explore it. The ZORK TRILOGY has been a top 10 best seller for over 5 years, and it's still going strong.

ZORK I: THE GREAT UNDERGROUND EMPIRE

The ideal starting point for first-time interactive fiction players, ZORK I takes you to the ruins of an ancient empire far underground. You will travel into this fabulous land in search of the incomparable Treasures of Zork. This classic attracts explorers who love the idea of a treasure hunt among exotic creatures, extraordinary sights, and diabolical puzzles.

"With their brain-testing challenge and beautifully written descriptions... it's no wonder that ZORK's I, II and III have become classics in their time."

-Electronic Games magazine

"The program by which all other computerized adventures are judged."

-Playboy

"If it's 2 in the morning, this must be ZORK. Not even Ted Koppel can keep the nation up so late."

-The Washington Post

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From PASSPORT To The United Products of Infocom 1986

**"If it's 2 in the morning, this must be ZORK. Not even Ted Koppel can keep the nation up so late."

-The Washington Post**

Here's the story that started it all! Written by Marc Blank and Dave Lebling, ZORK I is every bit as fun and entertaining as when it first appeared.

This interactive classic takes you to the ruins of an ancient empire far underground, where you travel in search of the incomparable Treasures of Zork. The exotic creatures, extraordinary sights, and diabolical puzzles in the Great Underground Empire are known from Melbourne to Memphis, making ZORK the world's best-selling entertainment software product.

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From The Master Storytellers Infocom catalog, 1987

Here's the story that started it all! Written by Marc Blank and Dave Lebling, Zork is widely recognized as the classic work of interactive fiction. Nearly one million copies have been sold, making it the most popular entertainment software product ever!

Zork I beckons you into a world fraught with danger and discovery. Using all the cunning you can muster, you'll plunge far below the surface of the earth in search of the incomparable Treasures of Zork. But this is no mere treasure hunt. During your amazing journey, you'll come face to face with creatures so outlandish they defy description. And you'll wander through an underground domain so vast, with so many twists and turns, it can offer you new surprises no matter how many times you explore it.

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Back of Box - Amiga/DOS (Mastertronic release) (UK)

You're on the threshold of a whole new experience. For ahead of you is the extraordinary trilogy of the Great Underground Empire. And once you step through the door to ZORK, you leave the world of arcade games and trite fantasies behind, and enter the dimension of your imagination.

You don't just play the ZORK trilogy—you become part of it. Every plot, every puzzle, every personality has been honed and perfected to make your experience uniquely realistic and involving. Perhaps that's why all three ZORK adventures are among the most popular computer games in history.

Even the way we put the trilogy together is unique. ZORK I, II, and III all share a common thread, yet each is a complete and separate story unto itself—so you can play them in any sequence you choose.

ZORK I: The Great Underground Empire confronts you with perils and predicaments ranging from the mystical to the macabre, as you strive to discover the Twenty Treasures of ZORK and escape with them and your life.

ZORK II: The Wizard of Frobozz takes you to new depths of the subterranean realm. There you'll meet the Wizard, who will attempt to confound your quest with his capricious powers.

ZORK III: The Dungeon Master is the test of your wisdom and courage. Your odyssey culminates in an encounter with the Dungeon Master himself, and your destiny hangs in the balance.

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Back of Box - DOS (US)

*## The faint-of-heart need not apply!

As for the dauntless, prepare to encounter the unknown. The long-abandoned Great Underground Empire — a fantastic realm of magic and mystery — is yours for the exploring.

Abandoned, yes — but the Empire is not totally uninhabited. Still lurking in its crags and crevices are numerous creatures with whom you must match wits, skill and bravery — a thief, a troll and other troglodytes of equally ill repute. Your survival depends on how successfully you vie with these denizens and solve the subterranean world's manifold puzzles. But before you can truly emerge victorious from the cavernous quarters of Zork, you must collect its many priceless treasures and safely bear them to daylight.

Courage, cunning and logic. You will need them all to triumph. The Great Underground Empire awaits. We dare you to enter it!*

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Inside of Box - DOS (Solid Gold release)

ZORK

You're on the threshold of a whole new experience. For ahead of you is the extraordinary trilogy of the Great Underground Empire. And once you step through the door to ZORK you leave the world of arcade games and trite fantasies behind, and enter the dimension of your imagination.
You don't just play the ZORK trilogy—you become part of it. Every plot, every puzzle, every personality has been honed and perfected to make your experience uniquely realistic and involving. Perhaps that's why all three ZORK adventures are among the most popular computer games in history.
Even the way we put the trilogy together is unique. ZORK I, II and III share a common thread yet each is a complete and separate story unto itself —so you can play them in any sequence you choose.

ZORK I: The Great Underground Empire confronts you with perils and predicaments ranging from the mystical to the macabre, as you strive to discover the Twenty Treasures of ZORK and escape with them and your life.

ZORK II: The Wizard of Frobozz takes you to new depths of the subterranean realm. There you'll meet the Wizard, who will attempt to confound your quest with his capricious powers.

ZORK III: The Dungeon Master is the test of your wisdom and courage. Your odyssey culminates in an encounter with the Dungeon Master himself. and your destiny hangs in the balance.

What's so different about Infocom games?
To start with, they're 100% prose—all words, no pictures. But it's the way the prose is written that really gives our games a whole new dimension.
An Infocom game involves you in the story more than other computer games do, because our program doesn't come between you and the story. The secret is our special "command parser" which in non-computerese means that interacting with an Infocom game is just about as easy as talking.
Thanks to our parser, you don't have to play guessing games to find the command the program will accept. The game recognizes over 600 words, including adjectives—and should you hit upon a command that it doesn't understand, it'll even tell you which word in your sentence is causing the confusion. The parser even lets you use more than one object in a command. The fact is a command like FLOYD, PUT THE MONSTER AND THE GREEN MONKEY INTO THE IRON CAGE THEN LOCK THE DOOR AND THROW AWAY THE KEY, which would stump any other computer game, is a piece of cake for our games.
All of which boils down to this: When you play an lnfocom game, you're interacting with stories written by master storytellers, instead of fighting with programs written by programmers.

Come up for air and discover these Infocom bestsellers!
DEADLINE™, the first great mystery of the computer age.
The WITNESS™, a hard-boiled whodunit thriller of the Thirties.
STARCROSS™, our astounding science fiction mind bender.
SUSPENDED™, the cryogenic nightmare on the edge of the far future.
PLANETFALL™, the spectacular comedy of the last frontier.
ENCHANTER™, the inception of a spellbinding series in the Zorkian tradition.
INFIDEL™, the original action classic from Infocom Tales of Adventure.

Step up to Infocom. All words. No pictures. The secret reaches of your mind are beckoning. A whole new dimension is in there waiting for you.

Source:

Back of Folio package - Apple II/TRS-80 (US)

(caption)
Buried deep within every ZORK I package: your ZORK I disk, a complete history of the Great Underground Empire and an incredible map not sold at any gas station known to Mankind.

> Throw the sack at the troll.
The troll, who is remarkably coordinated, catches the brown sack and, not having the most discriminating task, gleefully eats it. The flat of the troll's axe hits you on the head . . . . WELCOME TO ZORK I: THE GREAT UNDERGROUND EMPIRE.
It beckons you into a world fraught with danger and discovery. Using all the cunning you can muster, you'll plunge far below the surface of the earth in search of the incomparable Treasures of Zork. But this is no mere treasure hunt. During your amazing journey, you'll come face to face with creatures so outlandish, they defy description. And you'll wander through an underground domain so vast, with so many twists and turns, it can offer you new surprises no matter how many times you explore it.

**GET INSIDE A STORY.

GET ONE FROM INFOCOM!**
It's like waking up inside a story! Load Infocom's interactive fiction into your computer and discover yourself at the center of a world jam-packed with surprising twists, unique characters and original, logical, often hilarious puzzles.
For the first time, you're more than a passive reader. You can talk to the story, typing in full English sentences. And the story talks right back, communicating entirely in vividly descriptive prose. What's more, you can actually shape the story's course of events through your choice of actions. And you have hundreds of alternatives at every step. In fact, there's so much you can see and do, your adventure can last for weeks and even months.
To find the Infocom interactive story that's right for you, just choose any one marked with the level of difficulty listed below that best matches your current level of interactive skill.

Junior: Best introduction to interactive fiction. Written for everyone from age 9 up.

Standard: Good introductory level for adults. This is Infocom's most popular level of interactive fiction.

Advanced: A greater level of challenge. Recommended for those who've already experienced Infocom's interactive fiction.

Expert: For real diehards seeking the ultimate challenge in interactive fiction.

Then find out what it's like to get inside a story. Get one from Infocom. Because with Infocom's interactive fiction, there's room for you on every disk.

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Back of Box - Apple II (US)