🧭 THE ARCHIVES

Quote of the day

The idol is looking around the room, searching for something. No doubt it's you! It looks a little stiff, but for former basalt, it's pretty supple.

-- Spellbreaker

Factoid of the day

FROTZ is a common spell in the Enchanter series of games that turns objects into servicable light sources. The name FROTZ has its origins in 1970's computer and electronics jargon. FROTZ was an informal contraction of the obscure term FROBNITZ, which referred to arbitrary objects, similar to "thingamajig" or "doohickey". FROBNITZ is also the origin of the well-known Infocom term FROBOZZ.

Link of the day

The Retro Adventurers Podcast

A podcast that explores classic text adventure games from legendary publishers and authors including Magnetic Scrolls, Level 9, Infocom, Scott Adams, and Interplay.

If you have an Infocom, interactive fiction, or adventure game link you'd like to see here, let me know.

New Zork Times Puzzle Number 5

Take a piece of graph paper. Make a grid eleven boxes tall and fifteen boxes wide. Starting at the top left corner, number the horizontal rows from 1 to 11, and letter the vertical columns from A to O.

Below are 165 statements, some true, some false. The "coordinates" before each statement correspond to a box in your grid. The number is the row and the letter is the column. If the statement is true, color in the corresponding box in your grid. If the statement is false, leave that box blank.

When you have finished, your grid will contain a picture, message, or graphic of some kind that evokes a particular location in a particular Infocom game. To correctly answer the puzzle, just put the name of the location and the name of the game in the answer space below.

1,A	The unicorn is never seen in the Carousel Room.
1,B	The first rod you find on the alien artifact is the black rod.
1.C	There is only one exit from the Room of Nephthys.
1,D	Baxter is Marshall Robner's brother-in-law.
1,E	The KULCAD spell can be used only once.
1,F	The parrot in the Shanty has a peg leg.
1,G	The lever in the Cryogenic Area revives a clone of you.
1,H	The thief will never steal the platinum bar.
1,I	Infocom released five new games in each of 1983 and 1984.
1,J	The rainbow turtle is discovered on the beach.
1,K	The Glass Maze has 27 compartments.
1,L	Floyd's friend Lazarus was a cleaning robot.
1,M	The Chamber of Ra has an altar and five exits.
1,N	The orange cable is found inside Fred.
1,O	There are four tents in the encampment in Infidel™.
2,A	Waldo, Poet and Whiz all think Iris is cute.
2,B	Marshall Robner was killed on the night of July 8, 1982.
2,C	Mr. McNabb's first name is Alvin.
2,D	The famous Gabrillic Hyphenated Woman can be found on Accardi-2.
2,E	Seastalker is a collaboration between Stu Galley and Jim Lawrence.
2,F	The Winding Stair climbs the northeast tower of Entharion's castle.
2,G	Bozbarland has two roller coasters.
2,H	Richard Ashcroft is Veronica's older brother.
2,I	The Summer '84 New Zork Times was printed on white paper.
2,J	McGinty smokes a pipe.
2,K	Enchanter InvisiClues is the longest of Infocom's hint booklets.
2,L	The two chalices in the temple alcoves have the same weight.
2,M	The number of the escape pod you use in Planetfall™ is 42.
2,N	The Mary Margaret and the Night Wind are identically equipped.
2,O	Three people have solved the "Impossible" version of Suspended.
3,A	Deadline was released before Zork III: The Dungeon Master.
3,B	Monica Linder has a friend named Terry.
3,C	The Planetfall package contains three post cards.
3,D	Frank Webster was your boss in Infidel.
3,E	Infocom's technical hotline is (617) 576-3190.
3,F	Cochrane went to the ball costumed as an astronaut.
3,G	Tricia MacMillan is a native of Earth.
3,H	Transit Control Area and Skywalk Gamma are joined by a sloping corridor.
3,I	The GONDAR spell quenches fire.
3,J	Zork III takes place in the year 948 GUE.
3,K	Zoe Bly is the Commander of the Aquadome.
3,L	The gold coin in Cutthroats depicts King Peter II of Spain.
3,M	King Duncanthrax was an ancestor of Lord Dimwit Flathead.
3,N	Gurthark-tun-besnap resembles a giant mouse.
3,O	The ambassador from Blow'kbidden-Gordo has no translator.
4,A	A brass bell can be found in the Temple in Zork I.
4,B	Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was Dave Lebling's model for Starcross™.
4,C	The gold coffin is too large to put in the trophy case.
4,D	The Weasel's real name is William Richert.
4,E	Marvin is a product of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation.
4,F	Aragain Falls is the source of the Frigid River.
4,G	Steve Meretzky wrote Planetfall and Suspect.
4,H	The Wizard of Frobozz only cast spells beginning with the letter Z.
4,I	Infidel takes place near the Nile River.
4,J	Auda has four grasping extensions.
4,K	Infocom is located at 66 Wheeler Street.
4,L	Monica's eyes are blue.
4,M	All of the trees in Zork III are unclimbable.
4,N	The top speed of the Lawanda-Kalamontee shuttle is 35.
4,O	One of the cakes in the Tea Room has purple icing.
5,A	Infidel was the first Infocom's Tales of Adventure.
5,B	The Dining Room of the Robner mansion has a fieldstone fireplace.
5,C	A babel fish, if swallowed, allows one to understand any language.
5,D	The Snark resembles a giant cockroach.
5,E	Marc Blank's signature appears on one of the Hitchhiker's destruct orders.
5,F	You can fold up the cot in Infidel.
5,G	The grue repellent in Zork II smells like old socks and burning rubber.
5,H	The Witness™ takes place on a Thursday evening.
5,I	The crystal trident is found in the Atlantis Room.
5,J	The weasel aliens live near the green airlock.
5,K	Earl Davis Jackson is the Editor of The Washington Representative.
5,L	Alligators live in the river near the encampment in Infidel.
5,M	If you turn on the Linders' radio at 10:20pm, you will hear Ozzie Nelson's Orchestra.
5,N	There are skeletons in Zork I, Starcross, Infidel, and Hitchhiker's Guide.
5,O	Sharon Kemp attended MIT.
6,A	Whiz cannot leave the area around the Central Chamber.
6,B	McNabb's pride and joy is his tulip garden.
6,C	In Deadline, there is no way for your character to get killed.
6,D	The robot in Zork II was built by the Frobozz Magic Android Company.
6,E	In Cutthroats, your watch is battery-powered.
6,F	Leslie Robner's maiden name was Swanson.
6,G	Sorcerer is the third game in the Enchanter series.
6,H	The brass lantern in the Zork series is powered by kerosene.
6,I	The empty cigarette pack in Infidel is a Marlboro pack.
6,J	The S.S. Hollywood is one of the 4 shipwrecks near Hardscrabble Island.
6,K	Rotgrubs are usually around 3 inches long.
6,L	The Technology Museum includes a model of a Frobozz Magic Cave Digger.
6,M	You rented your cowboy outfit from a store called Costumes-To-Go.
6,N	The only exit from the Radiation Lab is east.
6,O	Pete the Rat got his nickname from tattling on a crewmate.
7,A	George Robner's record collection includes a Hebrew Prayer Service.
7,B	There are 69,105 leaves in the leaf pile in the Clearing.
7,C	The MCS Starcross was constructed in 2178 at the Luna City Docks.
7,D	Cutthroats was a collaboration between Michael Berlyn and Phil Wolper.
7,E	Monica's mother was named Virginia.
7,F	Flood Control Dam Number 3 is composed of 370,000 cubic feet of concrete.
7,G	Cerberus has three heads.
7,H	Zaphod Beeblebrox has three heads.
7,I	Belboz is a member of the Circle of Enchanters.
7,J	All three Infocom mysteries were set in the USA.
7,K	Sgt. Duffy handcuffs Stiles to a davenport.
7,L	Waldo is impervious to the acid mist.
7,M	The Brass Lantern restaurant is on the corner of Berez and La Vezza.
7,N	The red goo in the survival kit tastes like cherry pie.
7,O	There are eight locations in the Land of Shadow.
8,A	In Starcross, the closest unknown mass is UM91.
8,B	The original Infidel package was shaped like a pyramid.
8,C	The Aquadome blueprints were drawn by J. Parker.
8,D	Sam Ostmann is the president of King's Point Realty.
8,E	An amulet can be found at the bottom of the lake in Zork II.
8,F	The berzio potion increases muscular coordination.
8,G	On the sub, Tip reads a copy of "Science World."
8,H	Ford Prefect is a Vogon captain.
8,I	The Ashcroft's dog is a Doberman Pinscher.
8,J	The Terror was trapped using a scroll with the KULCAD spell.
8,K	There are six Guardians of Zork.
8,L	There are six cars in the Linder garage.
8,M	There are six members of the Aquadome crew.
8,N	Veronica Ashcroft's ball was held on Valentine's Day.
8,O	The animals in the Topiary are harmless.
9,A	The artifact's force field projector has four settings.
9,B	The scroll containing the OZMOO spell is found in the Gallery.
9,C	According to the Guide, peanuts help replace protein lost during matter transference.
9,D	One character in Suspect is costumed as a giant cockroach.
9,E	Fort Griffspotter is located near the ocean.
9,F	The Treasury of Zork contains shares of FrobozzCo stock.
9,G	There are two Mirror Rooms in Zork I.
9,H	The pills found near Marshall Robner's body were LoBlo.
9,I	Your lab in Seastalker is equipped with a Computestor.
9,J	The Round Room has five exits; one is to the Loud Room.
9,K	The first number the band plays in Suspect is "Breathless."
9,L	Planetfall includes a brief arcade-style action sequence.
9,M	The artifact has four docking ports.
9,N	Floyd's favorite song is "The Ballad of the Starcrossed Miner."
9,O	The red button in the dam's Maintenance Room turns on the lights.
10,A	Tor Books distributes four paperbacks based on the Zork series.
10,B	Krill's soul is imprisoned in a tiny crystal jar.
10,C	The dragon in Zork II guards the entrance to the Volcano.
10,D	Phong is the Robners' butler.
10,E	Zork is a registered trademark of Infocom.
10,F	Monica's Workshop adjoins the Garage.
10,G	The Stellar Patrol is a wing of the Fourth Galactic Union.
10,H	The Wizard of Frobozz wears a fedora.
10,I	The bartender in Suspect is working his way through law school.
10,J	The AIMFIZ spell is found in Enchanter.
10,K	Only "Doc" Horvak can give you the Universal Tool.
10,L	Admission to Bozbarland is two zorkmids.
10,M	The diary in the Planetfall package begins on July 22.
10,N	The Heart of Gold's shipboard computer is named Ralph.
10,O	The Wizard of Frobozz has a stuffed hawk in his Trophy Room.
11,A	Rose Ellingsworth lives in Cambridge, MA.
11,B	In Zork III, the waybread is originally found at the Cliff Base.
11,C	The unicorn has a silver key hanging from its neck.
11,D	The cover price of True Tales of Adventure magazine is $1.50.
11,E	The Scimitar has two extensor claws.
11,F	Senator Asher is the first person to find Veronica's body.
11,G	The INVENTORY command is a feature of every Infocom game.
11,H	Cabeza Plana and Mareilon were ancient cities of Quendor.
11,I	The pair of candles in Zork I, if extinguished, can be re-lit.
11,J	You cannot pick up the Linders' cat.
11,K	An ionic diffusion rasp is located in the Engine Room of the Heart of Gold.
11,L	Tracks in the snow provide an important clue in Suspect.
11,M	Tracks in the mud provide an important clue in The Witness.
11,N	A seawall protects the mouth of Frobton Bay.
11,O	Dimwit, Babe, and J. Pierpoint Flathead are mentioned in Zork II.

ANSWER:

Location: _______________________________
Game: __________________________________

Name: ____
Address: __
____

T-Shirt Size (S, M, L, XL): __

CONTEST RULES:

All entries must be submitted on this form. No copies accepted.
All entries must be received by July 1, 1985.
Up to 25 prizes will be awarded. If more than 25 correct answers are received, a drawing will be held to determine the winners. Void where prohibited by law.

PRIZE:
A New Zork Times Puzzle Winner T-Shirt

RETURN TO:

Infocom
NZT Puzzle
55 Wheeler Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

This article appeared in
New Zork Times, The
Jan-Mar 1985

These historical, out-of-print articles and literary works have been GNUSTOed onto InvisiClues.org for academic and research purposes.