Remember Zork? Sure you do. It was great. The grues, that scary white house, the keys, the puzzles… it was the ur-game, the game that defined many of our childhoods and the game we’ve been trying to find ever since. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished that the latest 3D RPG for XBox 360 or PC was more like Zork. There is only so many Hobbit knock-offs you can take before you yearn for the gnome of Zurich. Sadly – or maybe luckily – Activision decided to regurgitate the old game in on-line form, sell “turns” to addicts, and generally destroy Zork for an entire generation. Oh well. Things change and kids these days don’t care about good text-based adventures what with their Nintenders and PlayStations 3.
Lengends of Zork is clearly aimed at folks who haven’t played an online game in decades. It’s quite simple – you wander around, fight other characters, and generally recreate most of the boredom inherent in poorly-made online games and none of the beauty of Infocom’s original work.
Honestly, I’m sure someone might enjoy this game. It’s just a run-of-the-mill RPG. However, it is not Zork. They could have called this Legends of the Hirsute Dwarf Princess and reduced all expectations for greatness, thereby saving their investment.
And maybe I’m just being a crank. The guys who made this thing clearly cared enough to familiarize themselves with the game and perhaps hoped to share it with a new generation. However, the gaming style they chose, the casual RPG with automatic combat, is even more stilted than typing “LOOK AT ROCK” into an Atari 800XL.
Want a real Zork-esque online adventure game? Hit up Kingdom of Loathing or just download the the originals for Mac or PC or just play it in Flash. Just steer clear of Legends of Zork. It will just upset you.
Photo Gallery by Picturesurf
Hey John
Thanks for mentioning our game. I’m sorry you don’t like it, although that was always the risk we ran with trying to bring a new Zork game into the world. We wanted to appeal to the folks who played the original but just don’t have as much time any more (which is a lot of us) and also introduce a new generation of gamer (who is frequently pretty busy playing Warcraft or similar). So we took the ‘casual hardcore’ approach, which is really what we specialize in at Jolt, but completely understand that there are people out there who just don’t like those games. It’s cool, we really don’t think you’re a crank at all :)
But you should definitely avoid the iPhone version which is in development as well ;)
dc
You came at this with a lot of baggage in place, at least for oldsters like me. I’m sure someone out there likes this stuff and at the very least it makes Zork fresh again.
The problem is, though, that LoZ isn’t Zork- it’s an RPG that has a lot of Zork references. Zork is cave crawls and ridiculous things happening and treasure and Coconuts of Quendor and silly storylines, not just heavy use of the words “zorkmid” and “Frobozz”. I was so excited when I heard this was coming out, but I’ve been completely disappointed with it. It’s not a Zork game at all.
And if you can’t make a Zork game that appeals to everyone *and* original fans, then you need to take a good long hard look at why you want to make the game in the first place. Are you honestly trying to make a worthwhile contribution to the legacy of Zork games? Or are you just trying to ride on the coattails of their fame so you can get money?
Annie Moose:
“And if you can’t make a Zork game that appeals to everyone *and* original fans, then you need to take a good long hard look at why you want to make the game in the first place.”
Ok, Annie, I would love to point you at something that makes me think you haven’t thought out that statement:
Basically what this sentence is saying is: “NOBODY SHOULD EVER MAKE ANY GAME EVER!” because of the simple fact that no-one can please “everyone”.
Making a game for the “original fans” might appeal to some who haven’t played such games before, but it will be a niche product. Trying to get such a niche product in a place that the mainstream gamer can find is a bit tricky and generally not the brightest of ideas in a business sense.
Yes, I have played Zork. Yes, I play Legends of Zork. Personally, I find it quite enjoyable and the humor is definitely present in the game.
Sit back, turn your ego down a notch and just enjoy the product for what it is: A browser-playable game with plenty of Zork tie-ins.
If you can’t do that, you’re a sad, sad person and should go out to get yourself a life.
OR do better by creating your own Zork game.
Wow, maki, that was an incredible assumption to make right there: “ego”? I don’t see any ego in Annie’s comment whatsoever. This has nothing to do with ego, and you’re quote-mining excursion shows quite clearly that you (whether deliberately or not) had to ignore huge swaths of what she said to come to that conclusion. Let’s clean that up and show the quote you stripped from context…back in context:
+–
And if you can’t make a Zork game that appeals to everyone *and* original fans, then you need to take a good long hard look at why you want to make the game in the first place. Are you honestly trying to make a worthwhile contribution to the legacy of Zork games? Or are you just trying to ride on the coattails of their fame so you can get money?
–+
This has *zero* to do with “nobody should ever make any game ever,” and everything to do with **WHY did they choose to use the “Zork” name on their game**? That’s a huge and very important difference between Annie’s actual comment and your disingenuous interpretation of it, and I happen to agree with her on principle alone (whatever my feelings about the Zork games specifically).
The name was chosen specifically to grab the attention of Zork fans…and, as the mixed reviews are showing, folks who are really into Zork (the original games) are not, on the whole, quite so into this…or, at least, those who are still quite readily admit that it has next to nothing to do with Zork, aside from some window dressing that seems very like “Oh, okay, here we’ll throw in one of those silly names you old-timers love so you’re appeased and, blinded by your slavish devotion to the original franchise, you’ll give us a good review.”
This isn’t “they changed it now it sucks” (hat tip to TV Tropes). It’s “they took advantage of the name that they legally acquired to promote a product that has absolutely nothing to do with that name.” Is it legal? Sure. Is it, for lack of a better term, allowable? Yep. Is it frequently done? Absolutely.
But is it a particularly cool move? Nope.
That seems to be the crux of the majority argument against the concept. Add to that the folks who have played it and actually just found it to be full of problems (true, you can beta those out), plus solipsistnation’s quite on-target observation of the “offerpay” crap (which you can’t beta out – you just have to get rid of that crap, if you want to be totally above-board), and it’s such a transparent attempt to make money trading on a popular brand that it should ring warning bells whether you’re a fan of the original Zork games or not.
And *that*, maki, is sad. Not Annie’s fondness for a product invoking in her an irked reaction when the product’s name is used to promote a largely unrelated product. And not her apparently accurate assessment that it’s really just an attempt to cash in on the product name.
Ego? Man, I hate when people on a forum like this have to go there. Make your argument, back it up, and be done with it. Don’t ascribe Annie’s (or anyone else’s) motivations for her. That’s incredibly twisted and ineffective.
Maki.
Just from reading the comment you posted, it is clearly a fact that you are a loser. LoZ is a lame-o game, and it basically has nothing to do with Zork. You fail in your argument, and you fail in writing. Give up your blog, and stop writing forevermore. Stop noobing, pl0x.
That is my main and only complaint about the game: it’s absolutely passive. It’s the exact contrary of every other Zork game, where it was your wits and skills that saved the say rather than an automatic dice roll.
It is obvious that the guys at Jolt poured a lot of effort into this, but I’m afraid that the gameplay mechanics will keep a lot of old timers away from it. As it is, it’s little more than a ProgressQuest with a fancy interface.
I think LoZ needs a bit more variety: keep the fighting for those who want it, but also put up mind-bending puzzles for those who are more into that sort of thing. RPGs do not have to be only about hack’n’slash.
I like it and I’m playing it(played some beta aswell). I never played the original and frankly; I don’t wanna play text based rpg in this day and age.
We actually have puzzles, mazes and traps which are going to get rather more interactive over the next while…
Why aren’t they interactive to begin with? Zork is INTERACTIVE fiction, not point-and-click!
Annie… It is because of people like me who wanted it sooner rather than later.
I would rather play part of it now, and then they add updates as we go along, it basically makes everyone a beta tester.
I know a lot of people who were very very impatiently awaiting this release…. and in all honesty it did come quick :wubs: thanks Jolt
This new iteration is certainly different, but as a browser based game meant to occupy a bit of your time each day it’s fun.
The art is nice, and the Zork humor is there for the most part. Plenty of item and spell upgrades keep you wanting to click “Continue adventuring” through that next encounter, and experimenting with cards and the occasional arena battle offer a nice break from adventuring.
The prospect for expansion, more in depth puzzles with heightened interaction are incentive to keep playing. Not to mention the folks at Jolt are obviously vested in the game, friendly, and dedicated to interacting with the fan base.
Is there a point to the video in this post? The quality is so bad you can’t read what’s being typed anyway…
I have to assume you didn’t play a lot of BBS door games in the 90’s. I would not be the first among my former boardmates to mention how strongly the game felt like Legend of the Red Dragon. That’s a huge complement. LoRD was addictive as hell and had arguably less depth than ‘Legends of Zork’ seems to have.
It hardly seems fair to hold ‘Legends’ up to the original Zork. They’re completely different types of games.
It’s like saying “Mario Tennis destroys ‘Mario’ for an entire generation”. That’s nonsense — it’s a tennis game set in the Mario universe that lives and dies on it’s own merits.
‘Legends of Zork’ no more ruins the original Zork than, say, ‘Fly Fishing Pinball’.
“Oh!”, one might cry, “I hate pinball, and the idea they’d make one based on my favorite thing, fly fishing, is a horrible idea and somehow makes fishing as a whole /slightly less/ as a result. I will never be able to wear my waders in public again.”
But you’re right; if pinball (or tennis, or web-based BBS door games) isn’t your bag, and didn’t realize you were stumbling into that kind of game when you first heard about it, it’s easy to be disappointed.
But, for those of us that DO like that kind of thing, Jolt did a fantastic job and I look forward to what the future brings from them.
Nice post Fortyseven. I personally like this little game. It’s a pleasant, relaxing diversion that nicely fills in 15 to 20 minute breaks. I loved the original Zork games and I do look forward to some more interactivity for the puzzles with this iteration. But the interface and art are beautiful and lend nicely to humorous atmosphere. I think fans sabotage their own expectations by bringing too many preconceptions. Just enjoy it for what it is.
I followed this game for a few months before it came out. I voiced some concern in regards to using this game model for a Zork game, but to no avail. The choice to go with a shady ad partner for “free” coconuts makes the whole thing worse. After claiming they only had the gamers in mind with this game, going that route ruins any claims of anything other than $$$. They are willing to drag the Zork name through a ditch of tricks and deceit to make a buck. I could have lived more easily with a LotRD remake, maybe, but to include this is an insult.
Zork itself represents a bit of an oddity for me, personally. I’m only 26 years old, and so wasn’t exposed to the text-based originals, yet during my teen years I was able to play the graphical versions – Zork Nemesis and Zork Underground, which I enjoyed immensely. And so I had been looking forward to another Zork incarnation.
I have a workmate who did grow up with the Zork originals and I pointed him in the direction of LoZ. His reaction is quite the opposite than John Biggs’ whereby he moans at me there aren’t enough action points in the new one (suggesting he wants to keep playing) but when he tried out the Flash based originals again, he was, like I was, simply frustrated by the continuous ‘I do not understand that word’ type of comments, and not knowing what phrases are actually accepted by the game.
I look forward to spending the odd daily moments in the new Zork universe, in between my WoW addiction (or perhaps my lunch break at work), which is exactly how the game is intended.
@Kraft: Well, the ’shady ad partner’ (Offerpal, who we don’t think are in the least bit shady but rather generally quite brilliant), provides a way for players to get coconuts (for premium features) without spending any money if they happen to see an offer they’re actually interested in. It’s very transparent and we certainly don’t pretend it’s anything else.
We’re trying to give as much access to players as possible while also trying to grow the game with new features etc.
Everyone and their brother knows that offer companies like that sell your email address and personal information to spammers. Trust me, I’ve been the victim of that, and actually had to close down an email account because of the hundreds of spam letters I was getting. Don’t play dumb and act like this isn’t real.
You may think that offerpal is “brilliant,” but that kind of affiliate program system has such a bad reputation that it’s tainting you by association. Many of the offers they have are for subscribing to other services, and some of them are really shady-looking “Take an IQ quiz! (Coconuts awarded after submission of a valid mobile number and PIN confirmation.)” Really? Or I can get “free” coconuts after applying for a Discover card? With an 18.99% interest rate? It’s at least not too jammed with fees, but it’s still not a very good card. Plus, should you be encouraging people to apply for credit cards they don’t need? Or to sign up for subscriptions to services that (on the legit side) charge a monthly fee and actually tell you so up front or (on the shady side) sell you ringtones with a monthly subscription charge, or sell your personal info EVERYWHERE so you can get a discount on a laptop? How does this turn into “Coconuts for nothin,” as you describe it? “Coconuts awarded after submission of valid personal information and navigation to the final offers page where you must click on one offer.” That’s not “nothin.” Everything on there will end up costing _something_. It just won’t be obvious until somebody’s cell phone bill comes in later. Even the legit ones (the month of free Netflix, for example) only work once.
Seriously, sell action points or give them as prizes or whatever, but don’t lower yourself to the level of affiliate programs. Or if you must, don’t make it a one-time purchase! Good lord, I blew through 30 action points just clicking around the navigation interface. Heck, I hit a bug when I clicked on that said “Click the Back button” and I did, and it took me to a combat screen and used another! (And my mailbox has 18 messages and is still growing. Who is sending me mail?) And do you seriously expect people to go off and apply for a credit card in exchange for another 20 minutes of mostly non-interactive gameplay? Maybe I’m wrong and people are into that– offer
In the end, the affiliate program business is bad news. It makes you look like, well, shady scammers. I realize you’re not, but consider this– do you know who makes heavy use of affiliate programs and “Get stuff for free by clicking on these links” offers? Porn sites.
Seriously, I’d like to like the game. (Yes, I’m that solipsistnation from RPS.) I’m interested enought to check in later and see how it develops as you hammer out bugs after seeing real user input, but man. It’s not much of a game right now.
I prefer this online version http://thcnet.net/zork/index.php
Well, I’m playing LoZ right now. I went into it expecting exactly what it promised – a casual MMO with a Zorkian flair. And I’m having lots of fun with it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge IF/point and clicker fan. I’m very much one of the fans whom Jolt was weary about not pissing off. But I certainly don’t feel my childhood was raped, or a treasured legacy has been defiled beyond recognition. On the contrary, its a joy to see such interest and excitement being generated over a franchise that has lied dormant for the best part of a decade, and while it may not be in the game genre I wanted it for, it’s certainly one I can accept and enjoy on its own merits. I certainly hope that in the future Jolt will add more of an exploratory/puzzle solvy element to it, but since they’ve expressed an interest in doing so, I really do think they’ve got the interests of the classic adventurer in mind, as well as the casual gamer. Which I see as nothing but a good thing
But clearly there is something wrong with me and all of the others who are enjoying it just as much. We should therefore hurl this back in Jolt’s faces and say ‘THIS DISGUSTS US, GO BACK AND MAKE US A ‘TRUE’ ZORK GAME’. Because, you know, text based adventures are totally cornering the market nowadays.
Well congratulations, you’ve just graduated to being a grumpy old man:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1_NhnXMCKw
Next thing you know, you’ll be telling us that you used to brush your teeth with sticks, and you liked it.
You have walked into the fangs of a slathering Grue!
*** You have died ***
I can’t imagine more than 30% of TechCrunch readers know what Zork is. This post makes me feel old. ;)
LOL, I almost spit out my lunch when I read “Nintenders”.
I’m probably smack in the middle of the target audience for LoZ. I played the original Zork games back in the 80s (and several more Infocom games as well) and have played the graphical adaptations of the 90s as well.
I agree with critics who complained that Zork Nemesis wasn’t much of a “Zork” game at all, but it was still a fun game with a good bit of depth. ZGI had less depth but I thought hit the mark of “Zorkiness” better.
But neither were really ZORK. Point and click/graphical games always will pale to each of our individual Zork experiences — at least for those of us who played the original text games.
LoZ is the same. It isn’t much for “Zorkiness” as it’s a totally different style of game. But I really enjoy it.
As I indicated, I’m the guy they made this for (I’m guessing). I don’t play many online games and I have around 10-15 minutes per day to give to something like this. The interface isn’t overly complicated but seems to provide a good amount of depth.
I agree with Fortyseven – I thought of LoRD as well. And I also agree with D_C, the game is delivering exactly what I thought it would. Casual online gaming using Zorkian terms and locations.
I’m enjoying it. It’s brought me back for a little gaming each day since it went online.
I enjoy this game so far. It is a fun way to waste some time each day and giggle at the creatures you are fighting. There actually is some thinking involved for those who want to invest the time – figuring out the best combinations of Fanucci cards is a fun challenge. If you use the wrong combination of cards in your Gambit, you could actually hurt your chances.
I also don’t have a problem with paying for coconuts for perks. After all, they have to pay for the servers and employees somehow, and this way it keeps the game free for those who do not wish to donate. As for their partnering with Offerpal, just set up an email account to just use for offers like that. That is what most tech-savvy people recommend anyhow, to help protect yourself from spammers.
If you have problems with how the game is played, make a suggestion to fix it on the forums. The game is just starting out, so there will be lots of changes as issues come up or suggestions are made. This game is what it first said it would be – a casual browser based MMO set in the world of Zork. It was not intended to recreate the original games, just offer something new. I played the original games and am quite happy with what LoZ has done. ^_^
I’ve been pretty close to this game, and to the Zork universe from all the games, for several months now. I still find myself enjoying it even though I know what’s happening under the hood.
I did try my best to make the LoZ world follow the history and atmosphere of all the Zork games, including the more recent ones. It was a challenge to track down every little piece of information about what should go where, confirming and cross-referencing, consulting the original games and avoiding errors.
The game will develop from what it is now, but there is an element of casual puzzle-solving in working out the best combinations for Fanucci stacks. I find myself deliberately forgetting my own documentation as I try out the different cards. And I’m looking forward to coming across a new card as much as anyone else.
The artwork is slightly different from the vision of Zork which has come before, but I hope that I stayed faithful to the ideas and atmosphere when giving instructions and guidance to our excellent art team (led by Jim Zubkavich – http://zubby.deviantart.com/gallery/).
I find that a little imagination goes a long way with LoZ. And when it comes to the coconuts – players who buy action points are just choosing to play the game a different way. Some prefer to spend a few minutes each day collecting loot and developing a character, others prefer to have their fun over the course of a few hours. I think of it as similar to watching a TV show each week, waiting for the next episode, compared to waiting until the DVD boxed set comes out. You get the same experience either way, just that you choose how you want to enjoy it.
The artwork is horrible. It looks like it was made for children. This isn’t how I picture zork when I play the originals, and im sure most ppl don’t either.
I don’t know, I like the artwork a great deal. It’s distinctive and very similar to Curse of Monkey Island, which apparently they were shooting for.
One person’s view of good style may vary drastically from another’s, but that’s entirely subjective. Right now, I think the visuals are one of the best things about LoZ.
Actually, I have to disagree. I love the artwork, and as D_C said, it reminds me of the Monkey Island games.
Interesting game, certainly worth to take a closer look at it. Bringing out a game that was a success in the past isn’t easy.
As if a successful game series is limited to a single genre. I like a wide variety of games, including both interactive fiction and Kingdom of Loathing-style casual browser-based RPGs. There is nothing wrong with a game set in the Zork universe that is not simply a black screen with white text. I know this is heresy to the curmudgeonly crowd, but I think it would be neat to see a modern-day graphical remake of the original Zork series. There are a lot of fun possibilities with an idea like that (I’m imagining a character running around underground with a flickering lantern, searching desperately for an exit while you hear growls from grues lurking nearby, ready to eat you at a moment’s notice).
Legends of Zork is the kind of game that you play for 10-15 minutes in the morning, between checking your e-mail and reading the news. It’s an entertaining diversion.
Now, all that said, I think it would be brilliant if someone created a massively-multiplayer interactive fiction game, perhaps with static graphics to set the scene, like Zork Zero (and Legends of Zork). Maybe it could be called Legends of Planetfall. ;-)
= _= planetfall … that game makes me so mad.
I play build 59, … hitchhikers still lol
I also fall into the disappointed camp. I tried it for about an hour any gave up. Even to “explore” anywhere else on the map, I had to climb a whole bunch of levels. That’s just silly. And don’t get me started on the “new coconut currency”.
Just putting a bunch of Zork verbiage in the game does not make it a worthy Zork game. What do I mean by that? I don’t mean the thing had to be a text adventure (hey Zork Grand Inquisitor didn’t, and I thought it was really good), it just has to have the spirit of Zork… Good, humorous writing, a little more freedom to get into trouble (not be stuck at the white house or in the forest) and for Implementor’s sake, NOTHING MUNDANE AND BORING.
Sorry guys, you failed (unless you goal was to make a shallow representation of a rich universe that could save you some time by not having to come up with anything creative yourselves).
LoZ stood a chance of being a fun, simple, web-based click-n-leveller thing in its own right, but I’m afraid I have to side with Annie Moose on the offerpal sliminess situation. There really isn’t much of a connection to Zork with LoZ, and the affiliate stuff is a cheap smelly polyester suit to have put on what it is.
thats where the arena is
I agree there has always been Zork crap, even back in the day (remember ZorkQuest?)
But the point is, the highs were really high. And that made the Zork name what it is.
What will this game *add* to the beloved Zork Universe?
Nothing.
Where would anyone rank this as a Zork game except last or very close to last? That’s the pity.
2 things.. where are the grue? and Why does it look like idk it looks like it was made for children. I like it and all just those 2 things really bother me. I still play the original Zork games along with some other infocom games. I grew up on this stuff, i’m only 25. Huge huge fan of interactive fiction. I remember my first encounter with Zork on the tandy.
So in a way it kind of feels like they just tried to take something that was perfect and turn it into a kids game. I hope they have plans to hire and new artist or something, soon. And I hope that I will run into the grue. So yeh thats all i have to say.
okay one more thing. Cuz I read some of the other replies to this.. Anytime, from the first time you open the mail box and take leaflet and then because you are lost and dont know what to do (i dont like reading guides when embarking on a great adventure) and you type kill self with leaflet and it tells you that suicide is not the answer. Zork made it feel like greatness and epic times were being had. This new zork is lacking that… a lot.
This looks creepily like a stripped down version of Dragon Tavern without the originality, and a bunch of zork references crammed in for fun. Could definitely use some balancing, which I understand is part of a fresh game, and needs a lot more interactivity. Rather than spells just being something you equip, why not fill up your spellbook and be able to cast the spells in combat to make them actually do something? Rather than leaving 100% of the encounters up to a set of bonuses and a simple random number generator, why not hide the numbers and come up with some original and humorous combat descriptions, and make the quest more interactive than just throwing together some random group of adventurers that you have no control over and showing what they’ve done nightly? Kingdom of Loathing is a perfect example of a good interactive RPG, there’re entirely too many of these type of far too casual RPG’s out on the net, no deatils, no real descriptions, just crunch and crunch and crunch some more. I was honestly expecting at least some basic plot, something you could loop through similar to KoL with multiple paths and various other adventures, not something that looks like you somehow got the dragon tavern source code, took the originality out of it that makes dt half interesting and crammed a bunch of zork into it. Odds are I’ll still play if things get rebalanced, a lot, cause even I have patience for a solid undetailed grinder now and then, and I never got much into the zork games themselves, but what I did play showed a lot more promise than this. Obviously there’re plenty of people who like it though, so complaining here or even on the forums probably does no good since there’re always be mindless drones eager to increase their virtual penis size.
I love Legends of Zork so far… I’ll admit that I’ve only beaten two Zork games, but I think that this is a fun and cute online RPG. Not everyone wants a really deep, thorough, in your face experience that demands a lot of strategy and planning.
I like it because it’s simple. I never really feel overwhelmed. I can log in, play for a little while, and have some nice, relaxing fun… Most of the people have clever little comments in their profiles. It has a very friendly and mature community behind.
I really want to support the people who made it because I think that they did a really good job.
Episode 1 was dink, ‘New’ Coke sucked, She-Ra was never as good as He-Man… Blah blah blah, bitch bitch bitch, moan moan moan…
If you don’t like it, tough boots (on a roof) GTFO and do something else.
Well, to be fair, at least I can probably BEAT Legends of Zork :V
In any case, since it’s very clear we’re not getting anything else Zork any time soon, we might as well try to drive the game toward more and more Zork, eh? They do take suggestions, now.
I was weaned on Zork I-III. LoZ is a nice concept, but feels like it wasn’t quite ready to roll out the door.
The developer has some good games under its belt, including Utopia. They’ve been doing browser-based games for a long time. They have some smart folks on their team.
Despite the Ajax, however, this is kind of a boring, shallow browser-based game, even before delving into issues of honoring tradition, or failing to. LoZ is lightly Zork-flavored, but the core game play, tried and true as it may be in forming habits, lacks anything novel to hold my interest, and grinding mobs wasn’t exactly the mainstay of old-school Zork games in any case.
Like many others, I was briefly excited about this game, but would like to see some deeper game mechanics and better balance at higher levels. If you’re not buying coconuts, it’s pretty close to impossible to keep your gear up to snuff.
I played Zork first in 1983. It was a revelation compared to the Scott Adams adventures I had been used to.
Then the Zork games got graphics. Then they went point and click. The quality was still there but the Imps had long gone.
Now this. Where once you bought a complete game and sent in for the witty Invisiclues or New Zork Times, now you sign up for something called ‘Offerpal’.
To the old timers out there: don’t play this rubbish. It will just make you sad to see something you once loved so much murdered.
This is not Zork. This is Offerpal.