Zork Grand Inquisitor
$19.95		(Win95/Win98/Me) (DVD Case) (ZORKINQPR)

Activision

Game

ESRB Rating: Teen (Ages 13+) - Comic Mischief, Suggestive Themes, Use of Tobacco & Alcohol

Ratings:

88% from PC Gamer - Editor's Choice

from Adventure Gamer

A from Just Adventure

It's a Dark Day in Zork...

A power-mad tyrant known as the Grand Inquisitor has launched a pogrom against magic in order to bolster his own power. The short-sighted fool... by striking out at magic, he's destroying the very fabric of the Great underground Empire.

Magic Has Been Banned...

...from the Great Underground Empire of Zork. By edict of the Grand Inquisitor. The empire has been sealed off and the practice of magic declared punishable by totemization (a very bad thing).

Adventurer Wanted

Expert puzzle-solver and treasure hunter sought for recovery of three sacred treasures. Experience using a map and inventory helpful but not required. Must collect spells and learn intricacies of magic to save the Underground. Inquire within.

Can You Save the Underground?

Once you recover three legendary icons of Zorkophilia secreted by the Inquisitor - the Skull of Yoruk, the Cubes of Existence and the Coconut of Quendor - success will be yours, brave adventurer! If only you can figure out how to light that darned lamp...

Rediscover the Magic of Zork

Visit the famous landmarks that made Zork legendary: Flood Control Dam #3, the White House and GUE Tech. Experience the wit and unpredictability of the underground, with a wise-cracking Dungeon Master, a Fish with an attitude, and a subway system with no brakes.

Fascinating Characters

Enlist the aid of three fastastic characters on your Magic quest: Lucy Flathead, a Brogmoid and the Griff. Confront classic TV and film stars including Dirk Benedict (The A-Team), Rip Taylor (The Gong Show) and Erick Avari (Stargate) as the Grand Inquisitor.

Ultimate Adventure Immersion

Stunning graphics and enchanting music absorb you into over 30 unique environments. An enhanced version of the revolutionary Z-Vision engine gives you unprecedented 360° freedom. Link up with a friend via Internet, LAN or modem to explore Zork cooperatively for the first time ever.

Requirements:

Pentium 90 processor, 100% IBM PC-compatible, US version Microsoft Windows 95/98/Me operating system, 16MB RAM, quad speed CD-ROM drive (600K/second sustained transfer rate), 50 MB of uncompressed hard disk space, high-color (16-bit) 640x480 graphcis with a VESA local bus (VLB) or PCI video card with 1MB RAM, 100% Sound Blaster 16-compatible sound card (for digital audio), 100% Microsoft compatible mouse and driver, 28.8 modem for multiplayer option, 100% Windows 95 compatible computer system (including current 32-bit Windows 95 and DirectX compatible drivers for CD-ROM drive, video card, sound card and input devices).

Reviews:

Computer Shopper, March 1998

"Activision's Zork Grand Inquisitor not only manages to present a high-tech, first-person, walkthrough-and-spin-around environment, but also returns to the sensibility and wit of the original series. Indeed, it's the type of game that tempts you to follow every possible blind alley just to see where it will lead.

"The plot is vintage Zork: You have returned to Port Frobozz only to learn that the Grand Inquisitor has outlawed magic, and the land you know so well from previous sojourns seems unrecognizable. Seeking out your magic lantern and some mysterous companions, it's up to you to return magic to the Great Underground Empire."

"Another trademark from the original series is the evenhanded puzzle play - which is to say that repeated attempts and application of logic (or at least the kind of logic consistent with the game's premise) will yield results without serious frustration. You can also frequently travel elsewhere in the game to work on another puzzle while gathering more items, clues, or ideas to solve the one at hand."

Adventure Gamer by Darris Hupp

"One thing that fans found absent in the previous Zork, Zork Nemesis, was the quirky humor that was eminent in the text days. Well, with ZGI, the series definitely returns to its roots. Even though I'm not a long time Zork fan (I've only played three games of the series) I found many things in the game funny, and still probably missed many of the "in" jokes. Things like the Dungeon Master, Dalboz, (the sarcastic guy that you carry around in a lamp) remarking, "Aww... Its our very first inventory item together. I wish I had a camera," when you find your first addition to your inventory. Its not the type of humor that seems added or forced like in many "funny adventure games." In ZGI it seems natural, like it would be wrong if it wasn't there. Many things that Dalboz says I found funny. When you do something stupid and get yourself killed, you can always expect a smart remark from him."

"Just a few other things I'd like to point out. The game has a very unique setup program, that fits in with the feel of the game, and to me was a neat little addition that adds a lot to whole thing. It even orders you to register at the end or be totemized (the punishment in the game for disobeying the inquisition in which you get squeezed into a little tiny hockey puck thing). The documentation included is very detailed, telling you exactly how everything in the game works (and I mean everything) as well as troubleshooting and installation instructions..."

Mr. Bill's Adventure Games

"This wonderful game is a real treat for any gamer, combining as it does a great story with original puzzles and outrageous characters, all in a setting that is both hauntingly beautiful and unique. But for those adventurers who loved and remember the old Zork games and their Great Underground Empire, it is a veritable nostalgic feast because it incorporates elements and landmarks of all the previous Zork and Enchanter stories with the same zany humor, attitude, and unpredictability that made these games famous."

"This is a great game, guaranteed to lift your spirits and make you feel good. In the Great Underground Empire, you will time travel to Zork's past, hobnob with the Dungeon Master, Dalboz, and visit the famous Zork White House, Flood Control Dam # 3, GUE Tech, and Hades. And you will experience firsthand the kind of offbeat humor that made Zork legendary, like a crazed subway, a singing security guard, a phone (with voice mail) in Hell, and best of all, Brog (we love Brog!). Highly recommended!!!"

Quandary Review by Gordon Alpin

"Zork Grand Inquisitor marks a brave attempt by the production team at Activision to return to the essence of the original Zork text adventures. How successful they have been will, no doubt, be hotly debated by the purists, but I think they have done a pretty good job."

"The puzzles, for the most part, are classic adventuring fare where you need to make use of your inventory items, including spells, to overcome obstacles to your progress. Many are inventive (though a few old ones are thrown in just for fun) and all are logical within the context of the game. You just need to keep your eyes and ears open for the clues, think about them carefully, and to try things to see what response you get. I loved Brog's uncomplicated approach to solving a 7th Guest-type brain teaser and solving the never-ending corridor was almost a never-ending exercise until I realised I'd overlooked (or should that be underlooked?) an important clue. Still, although there are a couple of quite tricky problems this game hasn't been designed purely for puzzle-hungry, long-time Zork devotees ... really it isn't all that tough..."

"Zork Grand Inquisitor has lots of humorous Zorkian touches including a text description of your death scene whenever you do the wrong thing. I frequently chose actions that I knew would result in my demise just to see what would happen, after saving first, of course,. The game encourages this by letting you restore immediately and without fuss."

Just Adventure by Jennifer Miller

"You are once again thrown into the role of the ageless, faceless, gender neutral, culturally ambiguous adventure person, or AFGNCAAP as Dalboz refers to you. It is the time of the great magic Inquisition where any kind of magic is illegal. All magic creatures have gone into the underground. All those caught or found to be associating with magic are taken to the old monastery (now Inquisition headquarters) and "totemized;" basically, flattened into a small disc about the size and thickness of a hockey puck. You, as the AFGNCAAP, must join forces with the Dungeon Master Dalboz who was imprisoned in a lantern by the Grand Inquisitor. Together, you must make it to the Underground and find the three legendary objects that will restore all magic to the realm and destroy the Grand Inquisitor. To do this, you will need to wield your dwarven sword, your spell book, and your trusty vacuum. This is a Zork game after all."

"ZGI is a feast for the eyes. The humor from the game's plot creeps into the design of everything, including the program loader. Make sure you take the time and actually read the messages in each dialog instead of just clicking yes over and over like you normally do when loading a new game. It's worth it, I promise you. Each area you will visit over the course of the game is filled with visual humor, open jokes and inside jokes alike..."

"...In terms of bugs, head over to your local patch site to download the version 1.2 patch for ZGI. This will correct a few game play issues and add an additional 20 save game slots. Also, if you don't wish your game to crash when changing discs, shut off the auto-insert notification in your systems settings. Back when I was a dolt, I went back and forth with Activision over this issue, only to find out it was the silly auto-play. Go me!"

"Zork: Grand Inquisitor is an extraordinarily entertaining game that can be replayed time and time again. It's like watching a Mel Brooks movie; you pick up on something new each time. The end sequence is nicely done and sets up the characters for a future Zork game, which sadly, doesn't seem to be in our future. I had read on a fan site that Activision had planned ZGI as being the first in a series of three games that would follow AFGNCAAP through modern Zork history, including the Magic Wars. (There was even a rumor that Zork: Nemesis was going to be made into a movie! Gasp!) The Zork series is proof that high quality entertainment can be found in the world of adventure games, that you don't need to blow up things with a big nasty gun to get a laugh. But (sigh) I suppose that we Zork enthusiasts will have to wait until the fates align to bring us another installment of this series. Until then, enjoy this one."

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