~2 minute readDo You Believe in Magic?
Sorcerer
By Steve Meretzky.
Most computers.
Sorcerer is the second part of Infocom's magical trilogy (no, not Zork V!). Much like the first program of the series, Enchanter. Sorcerer requires the player to become conversant in matters arcane. Magic is everywhere. Quick wits are rarely as useful as the casting of an appropriate spell. Before long, mere mortals are quite at ease blasting open doors with Rezrov spells, floating in the air courtesy of Izyuk, and eavesdropping on minds through Yomin. (After all, what kind of dreams do gnomes really have?) Even the future may be pierced via the Vezza oracle spell.
The plot: Guildmaster Belboz has been abducted by a powerful demon and must he rescued. The player must first determine how to magically leave the building within a certain time limit, or else suffer eternal torture at the hands of the demon.
The game is divided into a series of unconnected modules. Once you go from one setting to another, the doorway slams shut behind you forever. Save the game often, or you will be constantly restarting it to seek out something you did not find in a previous module and now need. Also, pay strict attention to subtleties of descriptions and events. Some puzzles are only solvable if these nuances are observed and their import correctly interpreted.
The world of the Sorcerer is rich in detail and wonderment. The magical experiences resemble the exotic adventures of Carlos Castaneda. Steve Meretzky, who also wrote the hilarious sci-fi adventure comedy, Planetfall, has crafted several diabolical traps and puzzles. Marvel at the three-dimensional, transparent, glass cube maze! Commit hara-kiri for points and profit! Make extra money parting the Red Sea and waxing floors! Speaking of red, red herrings abound in every puzzle. Often the false trails appear more logical than the actual solution path. Meretzky has really achieved considerable design subtlety.
One very clever new addition to the Infocom parser is the ability of the program to remember exactly the manner in which you performed an act. Later, the program will give you a replay of certain acts, but from a different perspective. This feat brings the concept of true interactive fiction one more step toward reality. "Interlogic Marches On!" intones the Movietone newsreel.
Plan on spending many delightful evenings and weekends playing Sorcerer. The final solution is like a delicate orchid achieving full bloom. Long after the game is over, the heady fragrance stays with you.
Apple, Atari, Commodore 64, DEC. IBM, NEC. Osborne, TRS-80. $49.95 from Infocom, 55 Wheeler Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; (617) 492-1031.
This article appeared in
Softline
Mar-Apr 1984
These historical, out-of-print articles and literary works have been GNUSTOed onto InvisiClues.org for academic and research purposes.
