Zork I
The Great Underground Empire
| Implementers |
Bruce Daniels Dave Lebling Marc Blank Tim Anderson |
| Release Year | 1980 |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Difficulty | Standard |
>Throw the sack at the troll.
The troll, who is remarkably coordinated, catches the brown sack and, not having the most discriminating taste, gleefully eats it. The flat of the troll's axe hits you on the head...
Welcome to Zork I: The Great Underground Empire.
It beckons you into a world fraught with danger and discovery. Using all the cunning you can muster, you'll plunge far below the surface of the earth in search of the incomparable treasures of Zork. But this is no mere treasure hunt. During your amazing journey, you'll come face to face with creatures so outlandish, they defy description. And you'll wander through an underground domain so vast, with so many twists and turns, it can offer you new surprises no matter how many times you explore it.
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From the Library (24 articles)
Zork: A Computerized Fantasy Simulation Game Tech
Is magic real? Do swords glow if the enemy is nearby? In the demonic world of Zork, a simulated universe entices the player into a new form of problem solving. . . .
~25 minute read
How to Fit a Large Program Into a Small Machine Tech
As a rule, "sophisticated" programming is pretty boring -- optimizing the unnecessary to speed up the uninteresting. Here, however, is an incredibly sophisticated package intended for fun and games. The more you know about software, the more astounded you will become as you read this. . . .
~19 minute read
Zork and the Future of Computerized Fantasy Simulations Tech
CFS (computerized fantasy simulation) games are a new art form: the computerized storybook. Instead of reading the story, you play it. The author presents the story, but only as you squeeze it out of him by wit and brute force. It's lip to you to figure out what's going on, and the satisfaction of doing so depends on how well thought out the story is. To be fun to play, the story must be more or less consistent and complete. To a large extent, this means that the program that embodies the story must simulate the universe well. . . .
~17 minute read
Zork, The Great Underground Empire Review
Adventure has evolved many times during its short history. From Crowther's and Wood's creation to the genius of Scott Adams to the wild antics of Greg Hassett, the journey has been exciting and entertaining for the fans of inventive computer puzzles. No single advance in the science of Adventure has been as bold and exciting as the introduction of Personal Software Inc's Zork, The Great Underground Empire. . . .
~7 minute read
Zork Review
Widely heralded as the adventure to beat the original Adventure, first published by Microsoft, Zork gives living up to its reputation a good stab. . . .
~2 minute read
Zork Review Low-Q
ZORK is an excellent adventure game. It has several nice features -- it allows more than two words in a command, it allows multiple commands on one input line, and continually shows both score and turns used. Although it does access the disk, it is quick -- no waiting five minutes for moves. . . .
~1 minute read
Exploring Zork's Origins Letter
While praising so highly the efforts to fight software piracy undertaken by the vendors of "Zork, The Great Underground Empire," Bob Liddil in his review (February 1981 BYTE, page 262) perhaps forgot to mention that the release of Zork seems to be an act of software piracy itself. From the description given, I infer that Zork is just an implementation of the well-known PDP-11 game Dungeon, distributed by Digital Equipment Corp.'s user group, DECUS. . . .
~2 minute read
The most famous scientist in the whole wide world was being interviewed just before going into retirement. . . .
~11 minute read
Zork Invades PC News
Zork, one of the famed games for personal computers, is now available to PC users. This intricate prose adventure, which takes place in "The Great Underground Empire." is offered by Infocom of Cambridge, Massachusetts, hometown of MIT, where it reputedly was developed (in the artificial intelligence lab). . . .
~1 minute read
Cave Games Tech
Some of us at PCommuniques really enjoy cave games and other underground adventures. We were delighted when Zork I and II became available for the PC, but a reader notified us of a bug in Zork I and the simple fix for that problem. . . .
~1 minute read
Zork I Review Low-Q
Zork is a clever, complex program recommended for teenagers or adults, though some children may outperform older Zork I players. . . .
~4 minute read
Zork! An Overview Feature
The Zork trilogy is a series of three enjoyable, exciting-to-experience, text-oriented adventures. Unfortunately, describing an adventure, without revealing clues, is like trying to describe a treasure chest without saying exactly what's in it. You'll just have to believe me, Zork is filled with many valuable jewels, and forgive me if I inadvertently slip you a clue to solving one of its many, many mysteries. . . .
~8 minute read
Zork I (Adventure) Review
Trying to select the "best" adventure game is a lot like trying to select the "best" book. But if you're starting a library, everyone agrees that you should include some Dickens and Shakespeare; and if you're collecting adventure games, you're not finished until you have Zork I. . . .
~1 minute read
Zork I, II, and III Review
The Zork trilogy, which chronicles happenings in a vast realm known as the Underground Empire, is the most famous of the all-text adventure games. Fantastic creatures, magic spells, and diabolical traps abound at every turn, and each room or area is described in long paragraphs of rich detail, helping the player visualize the setting. . . .
~1 minute read
Zork I: As Told by Scorpia Walkthrough Spoilers
Well, the holidays are over, and the long, cold nights of winter are here. But don't let that get you down! Just settle in close to the fireplace, mug in hand, and we'll get started with that classic adventure, Zork I. . . .
~8 minute read
The Challenge of Zork Feature
Time is rarely kind to computer games. Advances in hardware, software and programming science come so quickly that older games often pale in comparison with titles boasting the latest in graphics and sound. The current hit titles have a way of pushing last year's favorites into the background. . . .
~7 minute read
Subterranean Adventures in Zork Review
INFOCOM ADVENTURES are a special breed, and have become a real cult in the United States. Three of Infocom's games, Zork I, Zork II and Zork III have generated so much interest that they have been published as game books. . . .
~4 minute read
Zork I Walkthrough Spoilers
The world of Zork is a great place to visit, but you wouldn't want to die there. . . .
~1 minute read
The History of Zork -- First in a Series Feature
In the beginning, back in the 1960's, DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) created the PDP-10, a medium-sized computer. The "10", as it was called, became popular at many research installations, and a great deal of software was written for it, some of which is still far in advance of systems on more modern machines. At MIT's Artificial Intelligence Lab, an operating system called ITS (Incompatible Timesharing System) was written for the 10. ITS was designed to make software development easy. The designers of the system assumed that it would have a small, knowledgeable, friendly group of users, so they did not include any security features. . . .
~8 minute read
Underground Empire Walkthrough Spoilers
OFTEN in scientific research it is necessary to use a 'reference material' -- a standard against which all new and unknown materials could be measured. When developing my love-hate relationship with adventure games on my Atari I happily discovered an analogy in that génre -- the Infocom Adventure. . . .
~10 minute read
Zork I, II and III Review
For this month's look at the disk based adventures the White Wizard has turned his wand to Infocom's excellent Zork series as marketed by Commodore in the UK. Be prepared for more Infocom information next month, but for now ... . . .
~5 minute read
Genuine Zorkmid coin minted for the Zork Trilogy News
In the beginning, three little Zorks lived happily together in one big mainframe computer. They flourished under the loving care of Marc Blank, Dave Lebling, and a lot of other nurturing computer types, and grew up to be humorous, challenging, and full of riveting puzzles. . . .
~2 minute read
New Hitchhiker’s and Zork I only $14.95 News
Marilyn McCoo, eat your heart out! We've got the real Solid Gold, and now you can get it too! We've taken our best-selling games, Zork I and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, redesigned the packaging, added new features, and called them Solid Gold! But this is the first time Solid Gold has been so inexpensive; the stories of the Solid Gold series are available for only $14.95! . . .
~2 minute read
In the Box (10 images)
(Click a thumbnail to expand)
Historical Sales Data
Weekly Sales Ranking
Top weekly ranking: #1
Weeks at #1: 5
Supplanted by: Choplifter, Lode Runner
Weeks in top 20: 91
Source: Billboard's "Top Computer Software" charts, ostensibly prepared from retailer-provided sales data. Billboard began publishing software charts on 8 October 1983 and published the charts weekly until 31 August 1985, then biweekly or monthly beginning 14 September 1985. Billboards editors considered computer games a vulgar art and never took them seriously, making many typographical and factual errors in the retail charts, eventually discontinuing them on 27 September 1986.
Units Shipped By Year
| 1981 | |
| 1982 | |
| 19831 | |
| 19841 | |
| 1985 | |
| 19862 | |
| 87-893 | |
| 90-915 |
Total units shipped: 432,167
Overall ranking: 1 of 33
Accounts for 17% of units sold
1 Includes units manufactured and sold by Commodore
2 Data for 1986 includes units shipped through June 1986 only
3 Data for April 1987 - March 1989
5 Mastertronic UK sales
Source: (1981-1989) Internal Infocom documents, archived by Steve Meretezky, (1990-1991) Mastertronic Collectors Archive
Editions (13 formats)
Personal Software (1980-1981)
Clear plastic zipper bag
Game manual
Game disk
Titled, simply, Zork and distributed by Personal Software (of VisiCalc fame). Two known variants were produced, one with a full-sized image on the manual cover (pictured here) and a second with an identical smaller image against a black background.
Folio, narrow (1981-1984)
Game blister pack (clear plastic front with cardstock backing)
Game disk in grey or white Infocom sleeve
Game manual
System-specific reference card
Warranty registration card and return envelope
Product catalog
The Folio edition of Zork I was manufactured in two size formats.
Folio, wide (1981-1984)
Game blister pack (clear plastic front with cardstock backing)
Game disk in grey or white Infocom sleeve (no sleeve with 3-1/2" disk)
Game manual
System-specific reference card
Warranty registration card and return envelope
Product catalog
The Folio edition of Zork I was manufactured in two size formats.
The plastic cover on many copies sold on the secondary market has yellowed with age.
Commodore Folder, large (1983-1984)
Game folder (Generic Commodore software folder with an insert showing the "Zork I" logo)
Game disk (Commodore-branded) in Commodore or plain white sleeve
Game manual (black & white)
Two variants of the Commodore-branded edition were produced, one in a large generic "Commodore 64 Software" folder and one in a smaller illustrated game folder.
Commodore Folder, small (1983-1984)
Game folder (Illustrated)
Game disk (Commodore-branded) in Commodore or plain white sleeve
Game manual (black & white)
Two variants of the Commodore-branded edition were produced, one in a large generic "Commodore 64 Software" folder and one in a smaller illustrated game folder.
The small Commodore Folder edition was produced in a cardboard English-only folder for the US market and in a vinyl English/French folder for the Canadian market.
Grey Box (1984-1987)
Game box, plastic cover over contents
Game manual and "The Great Underground Empire: A History" (bound into box)
Game disk in grey Infocom sleeve (no sleeve for 3-1/2" disk)
Great Underground Empire map
System-specific reference card
Warranty registration card
Product catalog
Invisiclues order form
Trilogy (1987-1989)
Game box, plastic cover over contents (all games in a single box)
Game manual and "The Great Underground Empire: A History" (bound into box)
Game disk(s): may include 3-1/2" disk, 5-1/4" disk in grey Infocom sleeve, or both (depending on system), all games on a single disk
Great Underground Empire map
Grayslopes brochure
Bozbarland flyer
FrobozzCo International stock certificate
FrobozzCo International shareholder letter
Zorkmid coin sealed in plastic bag
System-specific reference card
Warranty registration card
Product catalog
Invisiclues order form
Infocomics ad (newsprint, bent as it's too long to fit comfortable in the feelies compartment)
Includes Zork I, II, and III on a single disk and all game contents from the three games in the same box. Copies for some systems included both 5-1/4" and 3-1/2" disks.
NOTE: Copies sold on the secondary market are often missing the Zorkmid coin, which has become quite valuable in its own right. Check box contents carefully.
Solid Gold (1988-1989)
Game folder
Game manual
Game disk in grey Infocom sleeve (no sleeve for 3-1/2" disk)
System-specific reference card, C128 addendum (Commodore version only)
Warranty registration card
Product catalog/coupons (Activision)
Infocomics ad (newsprint)
Mastertronic (1990-1991)
Game box
Game manual
Game disk(s) (PC copies included both 5-1/4" and 3-1/2" disks)
Released in the UK for Amiga, Atari ST and PC. #2 in Mastertronic's Infocom series.
Mastertronic (Trilogy) (1990-1991)
Game box
Three game manuals (one per game)
Game disk (CD-ROM in jewel case with insert)
Black and white Great Underground Empire map
Released in the UK for IBM PC. Included Zork I, II, and III on a single CD-ROM.
PC-98 (Japan) (1991)
Game box and sleeve
Game diskette (5-1/4" diskette in grey SystemSoft sleeve or 3-1/2" diskette)
Game manual
Great Underground Empire map
Warranty registration card
SystemSoft software catalog
Translated to Japanese and sold in Japan for the NEC PC-98 series of home computers.
Sega Saturn (Japan) (1996)
Jewel case
Game CD-ROM
Game manual
Outer spine card
Warranty registration card
Published by Shoeisha in Japan for Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation. This version included simple graphics, music, and sound effects to accompany the text. Text is in Japanese only.
Sony Playstation (Japan) (1996)
Jewel case
Game CD-ROM
Game manual
Game map
Warranty registration card
Published by Shoeisha in Japan for Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation. This version included simple graphics, music, and sound effects to accompany the text. Text is in Japanese only. The PS1 version includes a small game map.
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