Date: August 23, 2001 Version: Final E-mail: wongd012@hawaii.rr.com ********* ******* ******** *** *** ************* ********* ********* ********* *** *** ************* *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ****** *** *** *** *** ********* ***** *** *** *** *** ******** ***** *** *** *** *** *** *** ****** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ********* ********* *** *** *** *** ************* ********* ******* *** *** *** *** ************* "Your greatest challenge lies ahead - and downwards." Complete walkthrough written by Darrell Wong (DKW 001). ============================================================================= OBLIGATORY BORING DISCLAIMERS - I wrote this walkthrough as a service to fellow gamers who need help with this game. I gave this FAQ to GameFAQs and nowhere else, and everything on their site is free for the viewing. So if anyone tries to sell you this walkthrough, don't pay a cent. And DEFINITELY never never ever try to claim it as your own and sell it. That's plagiarism, you can get into serious trouble for it, and the risk of that is definitely not worth whatever laughably small pittance you could get for my works. The Zork trilogy and everything related to it is copyrighted by Infocom. All rights reserved. You know the drill. WHERE TO GET THIS GAME - This game is "abandonware", meaning that it is no longer commercially produced. You can download it freely from www.gamingdepot.com. (There are other sites, but I think this one's the most reliable.) You'll also want the instructions, which are available at Infodoc.plover.net/manuals/index.html. INTRODUCTION - Zork I. The game that started it all for legions of text adventure gamers, myself included. I remember when I first ran into this game. It was a first-generation Apple, monochrome monitor, 128K tops. I and numerous classmates spent hours just moving around, finding things, and running into trouble. Of course, we only had access to the computer for a short time every day, and we didn't have a disk to save games on. And since we didn't have the instructions, we didn't really know what to do. We didn't even know where to put the treasures. Ah well. Those were the days. A few years later, after my family got its own computer, I got the entire trilogy on a set of floppies. I was able to get further and explore a lot more. Unfortunately, I still didn't really know what to do, and I still didn't have the instructions (a common problem back then...honestly, how did I ever cope?) so that's as far as it went. Now, many, many years later, having downloaded the games and original instructions onto my current computer, *and* knowing what to do, I was able to finish all three games. In the process, I gained an appreciation for the text adventure. Indeed, the appeal of a game that doesn't have byzantine graphics requirements, mind-blowing memory and disk space requirements, a god-freaking-zillion things to remember, and the tendency to crash every four minutes was not lost on me. Of course, it's easy for me to say that now that I've actually *finished* the blamed thing. ;-) Well, I'm sure there are some of you out there who, like me, were never able to get very far into Zork I when it was originally released. And some of you who heard about how cool the game was, downloaded, played it, and now need some help. And at least a few who enjoy reading the stuff I write (hi, Asako!) This is for all of you. Enjoy. OBJECTIVE - You're an intrepid adventurer who's been inspired by stories of the legendary realm of Quendor, better known as the Great Underground Empire. This empire, once the mightiest in the world, collapsed just a few decades ago, and the great caverns lie empty. Tales abound of the abandoned treasures that still remain. As the game begins, you arrive at an ordinary-looking white house in the middle of a forest clearing. The last known entrance to the empire is rumored to be in there. And so the start of a grand journey begins... There are a total of nineteen treasures, which you must place in the house's trophy case to win the game. As you complete tasks, you'll earn points and advance in rank. Your score is *not* affected in any way by the number of moves you make. The maximum possible score is 350, which carries with it the exalted title of Master Adventurer. GENERAL TIPS - Save your game regularly. I cannot overstate the importance of this. There are just too many ways to screw up, and even one bad blunder can make the game impossible to finish. In particular, anything which ruins a treasure or prevents you from obtaining a treasure effectively ends your quest. *Always* save before starting any tedious and/or dangerous task and save again once you're successful. With so many items lying around, it's very easy to get overloaded. You're limited by both weight and number of items (eight is the maximum). Check your inventory once in a while and be sure to drop items which have no further use. There are a few ways to get killed, all of which are covered in the walkthrough. Good news: If you die, you return to life (exactly where depends on how far you've progressed). Bad news: You have a limited number of second chances. Worse news: When you die, everything you're carrying gets scattered to the winds, *and* you lose a fistful of points. Bottom line, dying stinks, so don't ever stand for it; insure yourself with a saved game. Darkness is your enemy. Whenever you enter a dark area, a grue (a vicious monster which can only survive in darkness) will come along and eat you (which kills you, of course) 1-3 moves after you enter the dark area. The only way to protect yourself is to move to a lit area or turn on your lantern (the primary light source in the early part of the game). You can't pick up anything in the dark, including the lantern, so don't drop it without a good reason. The lantern has a limited amount of power, so turn it off when you don't need it. Whenever you're underground, you'll periodically be confronted by a thief (who'll be described as a "seedy looking character carrying a sack" or somesuch). He'll either 1) steal any treasures you're carrying and any that happen to be in the room, or 2) size you up. If the former happens, there's nothing you can do. In the latter event, if you leave the room immediately, you'll avoid trouble. Otherwise he'll rob you or, if you don't have any loot, either attack you or leave disappointed. The thief can be a real pain, especially if you're carrying a treasure you don't want to lose, so it's a good idea to...er, eliminate him as a threat as soon as possible. The walkthrough will show you how. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- COMPLETE WALKTHROUGH - [Notes: For convenience, I use abbreviations for all directions, including up (U) and down (D). I've included location notes so you know where you're supposed to be. As with most text adventures of the Infocom era, many commands have to be typed in precisely to work (one of the main raps against the genre). This is especially true for enter/exit commands and using items. My walkthrough is designed to get the toughest parts of the game done first. It's not the *only* way to finish the game, but definitely the most painless. As with most walkthroughs, I only cover the essentials; feel free to explore on your own. There are all kinds of things to look at, read, and learn in the Great Underground Empire that you might find interesting.] You start off in front of the house. Don't go in just yet. N. N (Forest Path). U. GET EGG. Here's the first of your adventure-killing pitfalls, i.e., dropping the egg while you're in the tree. *Don't*! D. S. E (Behind House). OPEN WINDOW. W. OPEN SACK. Neither the water nor the lunch serve any purpose, but you will need the garlic later. Leave it for now. W. OPEN CASE. Hold onto the egg; you have to find a way to open it (safely!) first. GET ALL. MOVE RUG. Ah, here's your ticket to the GUE. OPEN TRAPDOOR. D. No turning back now! And your adventure begins in earnest...TURN ON LANTERN. S. E. GET PAINTING. The chimney leads to the kitchen, but you can only go up with a very light load, far less than what you're carrying right now, so forget it. W. N. Save your game and go N to the Troll Room. A vicious troll lurks here and he'll probably attack you the moment you enter. Respond in kind: ATTACK TROLL WITH SWORD. Repeat until he's dead. He's a clumsy fighter, so you should easily dispatch him without taking any damage. If not, restore your game and try again. DIAGNOSE after the battle if you're uncertain. You'll want all your strength for your next (and last) fight, which will come up shortly. DROP SWORD. You don't need it anymore, and you can disregard the troll's ax as well. W. Hoo boy, a maze, what a delight. You *did* remember to save after beating the troll, right? Incidentally, the thief will probably show up for the first time while you're in the maze. Don't worry if he robs you; in fact, that's exactly what you want. If he sizes you up, GIVE EGG...that's right, let him have it...and leave the area posthaste. If he doesn't show up, restore and go through the maze again, or just wait until he appears. Okay, you're at the start of the maze. S. E. U. You find the remains of an adventurer who foolishly tried to navigate the maze without a walkthrough...and what do you know, he's got stuff on him. GET COINS. The key unlocks a grate in the forest, but it just leads back to the maze, so ignore it. Best leave the skeleton and knife alone, too. SW. E. S. SE. Out of the fryer and into the broiler; a cyclops bars your way, he's as indestructible as the cavern walls, and worse, he looks a little hungry. Stay calm...SAY "ULYSSES". The monster will tear out of the room, opening up a path back to...the Living Room! Much better than that musty 'ol chimney, eh? E. E. PUT TREASURES IN CASE if you still have any. E. U. The attic is dark, which is why you need to keep the lantern on. (Yes, you can get eaten in the attic! Man, those grues are ruthless...) GET ALL. D. W. W. W. Save, take a deep breath, and take the ladder up. You're in the thief's Treasure Room, where he puts all the treasures that he steals from you, and he's none too pleased about you finding it. ATTACK THIEF WITH KNIFE and repeat. The thief is *far* deadlier than the troll, and there's a very good chance that you'll get killed. If so, restore and retry. Don't try to take him on with any other weapon; the sword is practically useless (you keep hitting him with the flat of the blade for some reason), the axe is slow and ineffective, and the dead adventurer's knife is cursed and will kill YOU if you use it! Anyway, once you finally dispatch the scoundrel, save. You can now take all the treasures in the room, including the thief's own silver chalice. And guess what, when he opened the egg, he found another treasure inside! You have no more need for weaponry, so DROP KNIFE. GET ALL TREASURES. D. E. E. TURN OFF LANTERN. PUT ALL TREASURES IN CASE. If you're badly wounded (DIAGNOSE if you're curious, although you don't really need to since you won't take any more damage for the rest of the game), you'll have to make another trip to get everything. This is no big deal. GET CANARY. This takes it out of the egg. E. E. N. N (Forest Path). WIND CANARY. The songbird appears, responds to the canary's song, and in the process drops a brass bauble. Three treasures from one, amazing...GET BAUBLE. Return to the Kitchen. GET GARLIC. W. PUT CANARY AND BAUBLE IN CASE. Six down, thirteen to go! OPEN TRAPDOOR. D. You'll notice that the trapdoor doesn't close this time. Apparently, whoever closed the door wanted to give you the feeling that you were trapped, thus creating tension. But now that you've opened up a different way out, there's no longer any fear of entrapment, so barring the trapdoor has lost its purpose. Or something. TURN ON LANTERN. N. E. N. NE (Reservoir South). E. You're now at the Flood Control Dam #3, which created the huge reservoir you just passed. N. GET MATCHES. N or E (it doesn't matter). Here we have the Zork trilogy's first "lady or tiger" quandary in the form of the colored buttons. Okay, the yellow button is the one you're after. The red button just turns the lights on, while the brown button reverses what the yellow button does (and is thus useless). Avoid the blue button at all costs. PUSH YELLOW. GET ALL EXCEPT TUBE. You get the tools, and the chests simply fall apart. The Tube 'o Gunk is useless. S or W. S. S. Hmm, what does a green light mean? TURN BOLT WITH WRENCH. DROP WRENCH. W. The reservoir is now draining rapidly and will be crossable when you come by here again. SW. S. S (Round Room). SE. E (Dome Room). It looks like a dead end. And isn't, of course. TIE ROPE TO RAILING. D. You wind up on a tall pedestal in the middle of a room, atop which rests a new light source. TURN OFF LANTERN. GET TORCH. The torch's light is endless, and as long as you have it you can leave the lantern off (hang onto it, though; you'll need it later). The torch is also a treasure, by the way, which is why it's a good thing you already killed the thief. D. GET BELL. S (Altar). GET ALL. Before going further, check your inventory and make sure you have all of the following: candles, book, bell, torch, screwdriver, matches, garlic, lantern. This is the maximum number of items you can carry, by the way, so if you can't pick up something make sure you're not carrying anything extra. (By now any damage done by the thief should have healed, so you can carry a full load.) *Save*, go D, and go D again to the entrance to the Land of the Dead. You have to exorcize the spirits to gain passage. Do the following in succession: RING BELL, GET CANDLES, LIGHT MATCH, LIGHT CANDLES, READ BOOK. Don't dally or the exorcism will fail. Once the spirits disperse, DROP CANDLES AND MATCHES AND BOOK, then go S to the Land of the Dead. Here's a nice reward for your efforts! GET SKULL. Note: You have a limited time from when you first enter the Altar room to perform the exorcism. If you wait too long, the candles will burn down too far to light, and you're sunk. Also, if you don't take the candles, they'll burn down *even if you blow them out*! Incredible but true. Taking the candles and blowing them out *might* prevent them from burning down, but there's really no point in doing this when you already have two light sources. It's best to just do the exorcism right away and get it over with. There's nothing else to do in the Land of the Dead, so leave. N. U. You can't go back, so you may as well go forward. N. Like the Dome Room, this only looks like a dead end. TOUCH MIRROR. Although it appears that nothing's happened, you've actually been transported to an identical-looking room (this one's north of the reservoir; the other's south of it). N. Eureka, a new area (an old coal mine, to be exact) W. The slide is your ticket out of here; leave it for now. N. W. N. There's a bat guarding this room, which will immediately pick you up and drop you someplace far away...unless you have garlic. Which you do, of course. DROP GARLIC. As long as the garlic is in this room, the bat will stay put. GET FIGURINE. E (Shaft Room). PUT TORCH AND SCREWDRIVER IN BASKET. You're about to enter a room containing a lot of coal gas, and if you're carrying anything with open flames, you'll get blown to bits. N. TURN ON LANTERN. D (Gas Room). GET BRACELET. Save before going E. You're now in a "non-descript part of a coal mine"...yep, you guessed it, another maze! NE. SE. SW. D. You should be at the Ladder Top. If not...well, you know what to do. D. S. GET COAL. N. U. You have to get back to the Gas Room now, and the path is *not* the same as the one you originally took! "Standard level" my eye...N. E. S. N. Gas Room, yay. U. S. PUT COAL IN BASKET. LOWER BASKET. As you've probably guessed by now, that shaft leads somewhere important, and now you're going to go there. Go all the way back to the Ladder Bottom, then W. DROP ALL. You must be completely unburdened to fit through the passageway. Oh, and *don't* turn off the lantern! W. You're now at the bottom of the shaft...which is dark, which is the other reason you had to put the torch in the basket. GET TORCH AND COAL AND SCREWDRIVER (GET ALL doesn't work because they're inside another object). S. Bet you were wondering why you made that extra trip just to put the coal in the basket. OPEN LID. PUT COAL IN MACHINE. CLOSE LID. TURN SWITCH WITH SCREWDRIVER. OPEN LID. GET DIAMOND. A lot of work, but the payoff was worth it, no? DROP SCREWDRIVER. N. PUT DIAMOND AND TORCH IN BASKET. RAISE BASKET. E. GET ALL EXCEPT TIMBER (it's useless). Return to the Gas Room for the last time. U. S. GET DIAMOND AND TORCH. DROP LANTERN. With the thief dead and the Gas Room no longer a threat, you can use the torch without fear for the rest of the game. W. S. E. S (Slide Room). D. Remember that ramp you saw in the Cellar? Well, guess where you are now. U. PUT ALL TREASURES EXCEPT TORCH IN CASE. Wonderful, you're halfway there and you've already done all the hard stuff. It's nothing but smooth sailing the rest of the way. D. N. E. E (Round Room). E. This is the Loud Room, which is pretty weird; anything you enter (including LOOK or INVENTORY) will do nothing but cause an echo. That should be a hint...SAY "ECHO". The room will quiet down, and the platinum bar is now free for the taking. GET BAR. W. W. N. NE. Back to the reservoir, which is now drained. N. So there *was* something hidden under all that water! GET TRUNK. N. N. GET TRIDENT. You've just hit your weight limit, so leave the air pump for now. S. S. S. SW. SW (East/West Passage) and back to the Living Room. PUT ALL TREASURES EXCEPT TORCH IN CASE. Time now for a return trip to the Temple. D. N. E. E. SE. E. D. D. This time go E to the Egyptian Room. GET COFFIN. OPEN COFFIN. GET SCEPTRE. Now, instead of trudging all the way back to the Living Room, go W and S to the Altar and PRAY. This instantly zips you to a clearing in the forest! Which happens to be near where you want to go next. E. E. S. E (Top of Canyon). D. D. N (End of Rainbow). WAVE SCEPTRE. Hot dang, one becomes three again! GET POT. You've also turned the rainbow into a bridge, which you'll need pretty soon. You're weighed down again, so it's time for another return trip. SW. U. U (Top of Canyon). W. W. E to the now-familiar Forest Path, and back to the Living Room. It's very easy to get lost in the forest, which is why you should follow these steps exactly. Thankfully, there are no dangers here, so if you do get lost, just keep wandering until you find a familiar landmark. Again, PUT ALL TREASURES EXCEPT TORCH IN CASE. Almost done! Return to Reservoir South (you know the way by now!). N. N. GET PUMP. S. S. E. D. Leave the "folded pile of plastic" where it is and INFLATE PLASTIC WITH PUMP. Not surprisingly, it's a boat. DROP PUMP (or not...it really doesn't matter at this point in the game). ENTER BOAT. LAUNCH. Kick back, relax, and wait for the current carry you downstream. Ignore the first landing; it just leads back to the Loud Room. Keep waiting until the buoy shows up, then take it. OPEN BUOY. Looks like it wasn't just a warning marker after all. Assume nothing in the GUE! By now you're at the last landing area, and the water's become very treacherous. LAND or E. You can also land at the second landing area (to the east) before opening the buoy, but you *must* land by the third landing area or you'll plummet over a waterfall to your death. GET OUT. GET EMERALD. DROP BUOY. If you're at the third landing area, go N to the second landing. GET SHOVEL. NE. DIG SAND WITH SHOVEL four times to find the buried scarab. GET SCARAB. SW. DROP SHOVEL. S. S (Aragain Falls). Go W twice, crossing the rainbow bridge to the End of Rainbow, and go all the way back to the Living Room. PUT ALL TREASURES IN CASE. What's this, counsel from a benevolent deity? Or maybe the mysterious person who locked the trapdoor? Whoever it's from, follow it. L. Hey, that parchment wasn't there before! L AT MAP. Southwest, huh? Return to the west of the house, the place where...yes...it all began. And there it is. SW. Save your game if you like, then go W into the barrow. Well done, Master Adventurer! You've slain the villainous thief, uncovered numerous long-forgotten secrets, and recovered all the treasures of the first part of the GUE. But your journey has just begun, and a whole new set of tricks and twists, as well as a new enemy, lie ahead. The adventure continues in (what else?) Zork II. ============================================================================= END NOTES - I would like to thank GameFAQs for being so kind as to put up my walkthroughs. I know text adventures aren't exactly en vogue right now, but I *also* know that there are plenty of gamers out there who grew up on them and were sad to see them leave the mainstream. At GameFAQs, there is no such thing as dead, obsolete, or out of date; without them, I would not have even considered writing walkthroughs in the first place. Zork is a, well-written, well-programmed, thoroughly entertaining trilogy, and it's unfortunate that I'm only now able to appreciate it for what it is. I have Gaming Depot to thank for having the chance to play these classics again and the Infocom Documentation Project for reprinting the original instructions. Abandonware is a wonderful development in computer gaming, one which I wholeheartedly endorse. My website is home.hawaii.rr.com/dkwff.