[Interactive Fiction] Zork

Okay, not sure if this is even permitted, but I suppose the worst that can happen is that the topic is removed.

Type:
The Zork games are a type of game called interactive fiction, aka text adventures. This is a surprisingly resilient genre, dating all the way back to a 1975 game called Adventure (originally just ADVENT, because the OS it ran on only supported six-character filenames).
I say "surprisingly resilient" because interactive fiction games are still being produced today (check out the date on the "Master-Index" file).

If you're like me and are oddly attracted to this kind of game, then hurrah! If not, I don't blame you.


Description:
Have you ever heard someone refer to "It is pitch black. You are likely to get eaten by a grue"? That's from Zork. These games are some of the most famous text adventures, and there are some other notable quotes from at least the first game (such as the maze of twisty little passages, all alike).

Basically, the objective of the game is to solve puzzles, slay monsters and collect the Twenty Treasures of Zork. (Congratulations! You now know more than I did when I started.) If you want it, there is more information (and some spoilers, don't say you weren't warned) at its Wikipedia article.



Download:
In its heyday, Zork was actually a commercial game... But I did find some download links. A direct link to Zork I is here; Mac OS X download here. After unzipping the archive, run the .BAT file.

Have fun, and don't get eaten. And please tell me if I did something wrong in posting this.

I don't see anything wrong in this post unless Zork was always supposed to be bought. On the other hand, Portal was free for a few days and got a topic here, locked when the offer ended. I have no idea whether or not this is allowed, but I don't see why it wouldn't be.

I haven't downloaded Zork I yet, but it seems interesting. I've head about grues, but never where they came from. Thanks!

Well, that's no problem. o: I just wanted to bring to light something I like, as is the purpose of this board. :3

Zork, to me, is actually surprisingly hard if you're not equipped with a walkthrough or hints. Just keep that in mind!
also, you WILL die if you "attack self". Be careful. Save often. Make a map!

I have finally found someone who won't give me strange looks when I say I like text adventures!

Zork...eh, I've got some mixed opinions about it. It's a pretty good game, but I have never beat it! Not even with a walkthrough! As you say, it is quite hard.

I'm not sure if running the .BAT is a good idea: usually, whenever I try that, the screen gets all messed up. I recommend using DOSBox for Infocom's .BATs.

=|=