Windows

Zork: Grand Inquisitor

Zork: Grand Inquisitor is an extraordinarily entertaining game that can be replayed time and time again. It's like watching a Mel Brooks movie; you pick up on something new each time. The end sequence is nicely done and sets up the characters for a future Zork game, which sadly, doesn't seem to be in our future. I had read on a fan site that Activision had planned ZGI as being the first in a series of three games that would follow AFGNCAAP through modern Zork history, including the Magic Wars. (There was even a rumor that Zork: Nemesis was going to be made into a movie! Gasp!) The Zork series is proof that high quality entertainment can be found in the world of adventure games, that you don't need to blow up things with a big nasty gun to get a laugh. But (sigh) I suppose that we Zork enthusiasts will have to wait until the fates align to bring us another installment of this series. Until then, enjoy this one.

Zork Grand Inquisitor is the last (a subject bemoaned by Zork devotees) of titles in the venerable series and, for me, by far the most enjoyable. There was literally not one aspect of this game that I did not find aligned completely with my personal tastes as far as graphic first-person adventure games go.

Most of the puzzles make some sort of sense, in a Zork kind of way but sometimes you must take a specific action simply to net you a new spell. It's not a bad tradeoff, and even the most difficult puzzles make some sort of sense. Zork: Grand Inquisitor is truly an excellent game. It brings back all the cherished memories and humor of Zork back to your computer in an entertaining and very funny package. Zork is back - long live the great underground empire. Bottom Line: An excellent game, an easy contender for best adventure game of the year. The original humor and general "Zorkiness" are back with a vengeance. Puzzles range from moderate to killer. Highly recommended for all but the most novice adventurers.

You are sitting in a room. Before you is a computer, outdated by today's standards. To your right is a mouse (the point & clicky kind). To your left are three games: action, formulaic adventure, and Zork Grand Inquisitor.

Bom, o tipo é louco. Roubar-nos fadas e elementais, tirar a magia poética à vida, ainda por cima, erradicar os humanos inimigos mentendo-os, qual técnica criogénica, em caixões estanques à prova de tudo... nã... isto nã pode ficar assim.

Although ZTGI may seem to be yet another of these interminable Myst-clones (all glossy graphics and no game), it's as far a cry from the ethereal nonsense of the Mac-loving favourite as Stan Collymore is from an effective strike force. Mainly it's fun. The intro is brilliantly edited and sets the style of the game perfectly, the performances throughout are flawless (including a welcome appearance from The A-Team's Dirk Benedict!) and the puzzles are well designed. Unlike a lot of adventures, you actually have to think about how to solve challenges.

Zork: Grand Inquisitor has finally restored the sense of whimsy that made the original text adventures so much fun. The challenging puzzles, detailed environment, and clever story and dialogue will give both new players and seasoned adventure gamers plenty to sink their teeth into. Definitely the best Zork game ever, this is a must-have for any Infocom fan.

I grund och botten är det här ett överraskande spelbart och emellanåt inspirerat spel. Det finns ett suveränt parti där du går igenom en spegel och allt blir spegelvänt, t o m kontrollerna. Och ett kul skämt om röstbrevlådor. Och det finns ett slott med ben. Ett slott med ben. Urkul.

Zork Grand Inquisitor is a funny, solid, well crafted, well-written, well-acted adventure. All in all, it's a bit too short, and the three sub-quests (which really should present the bulk of activity, since their solutions ultimately solve the main quest) are terse and anticlimactic. Expanding on the ability to play three additional (and extremely engaging) characters would have really put this game over the top. Nonetheless, it has more going for it than many adventures on the shelf today, and for Zork players or the non-initiated, it's a must-do. After all, you get to play (and win) Strip Grue, Fire, Water (like Rock, Paper, Scissors), with Antharia Jack! And as his clothes drop slowly, piece by piece, you'll find - that the whole thing is censored. Oh well.

It's a thoroughly enjoyable game that is not too difficult as far as Zork adventures go. So if you haven't done so already, you can join in and sample this series without putting your sanity at risk. I only wish that it was just a bit longer (I don't think it rivals Zork Nemesis or Return to Zork in this respect) but, nevertheless, it is a worthy addition to the Zork saga ... and may there be many more.

In the first of many clever references to its predecessors in the Zork series, Grand Inquisitor opens with a bald foppish dictator banning the use of magic throughout the Great Underground Empire. For gamers who plodded through the rather tedious Return to Zork and oddly humorless Zork Nemesis, the plot device is an obvious metaphor for what has happened to the longest-running series (20 years!) in computer gaming. Zork's signature wit and absurdity seemed to have been lost in the jump from text to graphic adventuring. Well, the magic may be gone from the land, but it has not vanished from the game. Grand Inquisitor is the best graphical Zork yet, and one of the most consistently entertaining adventures of the year.

Zork Grand Inquisitor occupies just two disks and has an option for network linking to another computer and playing along with a friend. It's a thoroughly enjoyable game that is not too difficult as far as Zork adventures go. So if you haven't done so already, you can join in and sample this series without putting your sanity at risk. I only wish that it was just a bit longer (I don't think it rivals Zork Nemesis or Return to Zork in this respect) but, nevertheless, it is a worthy addition to the Zork saga ... and may there be many more.

Auch der achte Zork-Wurf ist gelungen: Die Reise durch den magischen Untergrund sprüht nur so vor Witz, ständig nimmt das Spiel seine Vorgänger, sich selbst und das gesamte Adventure-Genre kräftig auf die Schippe. Mir gefällt die Mischung aus Fantasy und heutiger Zeit – per U-Bahn gondele ich von Schauplatz zu Schauplatz, in der Zauberschule stehen Getränkeautomaten. Die Rätsel sind abwechslungsreich, logisch und fair. Anstatt tonnenweise Krimskrams mit mir herumzuschleppen, komme ich mit wenigen Gegenständen aus. Die Grafik ist nicht die allerschönste, besonders die Übergänge zwischen Standbildern und Rendersequenzen fallen negativ auf – ein Rückschritt im Vergleich zu Nemesis. Auch die Bedienung hätte ich mir einfacher gewünscht; um einen Gegenstand zu untersuchen, muß ich ihn erst umständlich unter die magische Lupe legen. Doch witzige Einlagen und gehaltvolle Rätsel versöhnen mich schnell wieder.

Die Mischung aus "1984", "Der großte Diktator" und Monty Python geht voll auf: Der Großinquisitor macht Spaß. Vorbei sind die düsteren, inventarlosen Nemesis-Tage, die jedem alteingesessenen Zork-Fan graue Haare wachsen ließen. Schon in den ersten Minuten darf sich jeder kringelig lachen, der den Lautsprecherdurchsagen des Inquisitors lauscht.

Hou je van een stevige portie puzzels of ben je een grote fan van de Zork reeks, dan zal je je wel kunnen vermaken met Zork: Grand Inquisitor. Ben je echter op zoek naar een steengoed adventure, wacht dan nog even op Monkey Island 3.

Zork fans should be pleased with this title, especially since it is a promising start to a new trilogy. I was impressed and I'm a first timer. Grand Inquisitor is a good adventure, but it could have been better. It's a solid game: there's nothing really wrong with it, but it doesn't have the makings of a 'revolutionary' game.

Die Standgrafiken sind durchaus gelungen, auf die Darstellung von echten Bewegungen wurde aber leider verzichtet. Eine 3D-Engine, welche annähernd so schöne Grafiken liefert, die gleichen beschränkten Interaktionsmöglichkeiten bietet und ebenso langsam ist, hätte Activision bei jedem Sharewarehändler erhalten. Mit der Grafikengine macht Zork dem Spieler das Leben unnötig schwer.

Among the next generation titles in the venerable Zork series, Zork Grand Inquisitor bears the closest resemblance in both tone and style to the original Zork text adventure. To the delight of many Zork fans, there is now the ability to explore in full color graphics the many infamous Zorkian locations featured in the original text series. Finally, the infamous White House can be seen in its full glory!