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MobyRank
100 point score based on reviews from various critics.
3.4
MobyScore
5 point score based on user ratings.

Description

Zork: The Great Underground Empire is a classic text adventure game. The player begins as an "adventurer" standing near a white house in a nice forest, but soon descends into the Great Underground Empire, where most of the game takes place. The player's quest is to collect the Nineteen Treasures of Zork.

As was typical for adventure games of its era, Zork does not use graphics. Instead, it communicates with the player via text, and the player interacts with the game by typing commands, such as "examine mailbox" or "take torch". For movement, the player types in geographical directions (such as "north" or "east" - or just "n" and "e"), and can check what items are being carried with the "inventory" command (or just "i").

The game was ported over from mainframes in the late 1970s, and is one of the first examples of its genre.

Alternate Titles

  • "Zork: The Great Underground Empire - Part I" -- Alternative Apple II media title
  • "Zork I: The Great Underground Empire" -- Re-release title
  • "Zork I: Le Grand Empire des Ténèbres" -- Canadian (French) title
  • "Zork I" -- Renamed title (after second and third Zork games were released)
  • "Zork" -- Personal Software published name

Part of the Following Groups


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User Reviews

There are no reviews for the Apple II release of this game. You can use the links below to write your own review or read reviews for the other platforms of this game.


The Press Says

Retrogaming.it May, 2008 9 out of 10 90

Forums

Topic # Posts Last Post
Be honest about Zork 13 Indra was here Bronze Star Contributing Member (14330)
Oct 23, 2007
You are likely to be eaten ... 5 hydra9 Bronze Star Contributing Member (3855)
Sep 16, 2007

Trivia

The first commercial release of Zork I (for the TRS-80, distributed by Personal Software) was simply called Zork. The game disk was packaged in a plastic bag with a large manual showing an adventurer outfitted in barbarian guard attacking the troll, with the white house in the background. Such early versions are quite difficult to come by and are highly prized by collectors.


This entry was contributed by Brian Hirt (10059), Slik Bronze Star Contributing Member (870), Riemann80 (16958), Droog (462), Kabushi (88401), Pseudo_Intellectual (40579), Terok Nor (15622), LepricahnsGold Bronze Star Contributing Member (65567), koffiepad (10097) and Belboz Bronze Star Contributing Member (6599)
 

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