Return to Zork
Developer(s)	Infocom
Publisher(s)	Activision
Engine	MADE
Release date(s)	August 20, 1993
Genre(s)	Adventure game
Mode(s)	Single player
Platform(s)	3DO, Apple Macintosh, DOS, Amiga, Apple II
Media	12 3½" floppy disks or 1 CD
System requirements	386 or above; DOS 5.0 or higher; Sound Blaster, Pro Audio Spectrum, Tandy DAC, Disney Sound Source, Roland MT-32, AdLib, or Adlib Gold compatible sound card; VGA video card; 580–600KB RAM; 23MB hard disk space. For CD-ROM version: 42MB hard disk space; 2X CD-ROM drive.
Input	keyboard and mouse

Return to Zork is a 1993 adventure game in the Zork series for the PC and Apple Macintosh. It was developed by Activision and was the final Zork game to be published under the Infocom label. Download high resolution version (592x691, 72 KB)Return to Zork game box cover. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... Zork universe Zork games Zork Anthology Zork trilogy Zork I   Zork II   Zork III Beyond Zork   Zork Zero Enchanter trilogy Enchanter   Sorcerer   Spellbreaker Other games Wishbringer   Return to Zork Zork: Nemesis   Zork Grand Inquisitor Zork: The Undiscovered Underground Topics in Zork Encyclopedia Frobozzica Characters   Kings   Creatures Timeline   Magic   Calendar Zorkmid... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Activision, Inc. ... A game engine is the core software component of a computer or video game or other interactive application with real-time graphics. ... M.A.D.E. is the Activision game engine used to create the following game titles: Return to Zork Rodneys Fun Screen LGOP2 Designed by William Volk who also was the main designer of the point and click interface used in Return to Zork. ... August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Video games are generally categorized into genres. ... Adventure is a genre of video games typified by exploration, puzzle-solving, interaction with game characters, and a focus on narrative rather than reflex-based challenges. ... In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ... 3DO can refer to: The 3DO Company, a developer of computer and video game software and hardware 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, the name of a number of video game consoles based on specifications created by above company This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that... The first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, upgraded to a 512K Fat Mac. The Macintosh or Mac, is a line of personal computers designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed by Apple Computer. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... The original Amiga 1000 (1985) with various peripherals The Amiga is a family of home/personal computers originally developed by Amiga Corporation as an advanced home entertainment and productivity machine. ... The Apple II was one of the most popular personal computers of the 1980s. ... A floppy disk is a data storage device that is composed of a disk of thin, flexible (floppy) magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic shell. ... CD may stand for: Compact Disc Canadian Forces Decoration Cash Dispenser (at least used in Japan) CD LPMud Driver Centrum-Demokraterne (Centre Democrats of Denmark) Certificate of Deposit ÄŒeské Dráhy (Czech Railways) Chad (NATO country code) Chalmers Datorförening (computer club of the Chalmers University of Technology) a 1960s... The Intel 80386 is a microprocessor which was used as the central processing unit (CPU) of many personal computers from 1986 until 1994 and later. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... The Sound Blaster family of sound cards was for many years the de facto standard for audio on the IBM PC compatible system platform, before PC audio became commoditized, and backward-compatibility became less of a feature. ... Pro AudioSpectrum 16 with SCSI CD-ROM interface The Media Vision Pro AudioSpectrum (commonly referred to as PAS) family of personal computer sound cards included the original 8-bit Pro AudioSpectrum (1991), the 8-bit Pro AudioSpectrum Plus, 16-bit Pro AudioSpectrum 16 and 16-bit Pro Audio Studio. ... Tandy is a name which can refer to Tandy Corporation - former name of the RadioShack Corporation Tandy Computers was the computer division of the Tandy Corporation, which manufactured the TRS-80 and Tandy Color Computer, among others. ... The Covox Speech Thing (also known as Covox plug) was a piece of computer periphery used to output digital sound. ... The Roland MT-32 is a MIDI synthesizer module first released in 1987 by the Roland Corporation. ... AdLib, Inc. ... A sound card is a computer expansion card that can input and output sound under control of computer programs. ... Video Graphics Array (VGA) is a computer display standard first marketed in 1987 by IBM. VGA belongs to a family of earlier IBM video standards and largely remains backward compatible with them. ... A video card, (also referred to as a graphics accelerator card, display adapter, graphics card, and numerous other terms), is an item of personal computer hardware whose function is to generate and output images to a display. ... A kilobyte (derived from the SI prefix kilo-, meaning 1000) is a unit of information or computer storage equal to the decimal 1024 bytes (2 to the 10th power, or 1,024 bytes based in the binary system). ... Random Access Memory (usually known by its acronym, RAM) is a type of data storage used in computers. ... A megabyte is a unit of information or computer storage equal to exactly one million bytes. ... Typical hard drives of the mid-1990s. ... The CD-ROM (an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (ROM)) is a non-volatile optical data storage medium using the same physical format as audio compact discs, readable by a computer with a CD-ROM drive. ... A computer keyboard is a peripheral partially modeled after the typewriter keyboard. ... Operating a mechanical 1: Pulling the mouse turns the ball. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Adventure is a genre of video games typified by exploration, puzzle-solving, interaction with game characters, and a focus on narrative rather than reflex-based challenges. ... Zork universe Zork games Zork Anthology Zork trilogy Zork I   Zork II   Zork III Beyond Zork   Zork Zero   Planetfall Enchanter trilogy Enchanter   Sorcerer   Spellbreaker Other games Wishbringer   Return to Zork Zork: Nemesis   Zork Grand Inquisitor Zork: The Undiscovered Underground Topics in Zork Encyclopedia Frobozzica Characters   Kings   Creatures Timeline   Magic   Calendar... One of the first PCs from IBM - the IBM PC model 5150. ... The first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, upgraded to a 512K Fat Mac. The Macintosh or Mac, is a line of personal computers designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed by Apple Computer. ... Activision, Inc. ... Zork universe Zork games Zork Anthology Zork trilogy Zork I   Zork II   Zork III Beyond Zork   Zork Zero   Planetfall Enchanter trilogy Enchanter   Sorcerer   Spellbreaker Other games Wishbringer   Return to Zork Zork: Nemesis   Zork Grand Inquisitor Zork: The Undiscovered Underground Topics in Zork Encyclopedia Frobozzica Characters   Kings   Creatures Timeline   Magic   Calendar... Zork universe Zork games Zork Anthology Zork trilogy Zork I   Zork II   Zork III Beyond Zork   Zork Zero Enchanter trilogy Enchanter   Sorcerer   Spellbreaker Other games Wishbringer   Return to Zork Zork: Nemesis   Zork Grand Inquisitor Zork: The Undiscovered Underground Topics in Zork Encyclopedia Frobozzica Characters   Kings   Creatures Timeline   Magic   Calendar Zorkmid...

Gameplay

A Return to Zork screenshot, showcasing the additional fuctionality

Unlike the previous games in the Zork franchise, which were text adventures, Return to Zork takes place from a first-person perspective and makes use of video-captured actors as well as detailed graphics; a point-and-click interface replaced the text parser for the first time in a Zork game. The overall gameplay style was somewhat similar to Myst, although Return to Zork predated Myst by a few months. Unlike Myst, which had no extraspatial dimensions of functionality, Return to Zork featured multiple ways of interacting with each object in the game world, as well as with several non-player characters also present in the world via a menu which appeared on the left side of the screen. Image File history File links Rtzscreenshot. ... Image File history File links Rtzscreenshot. ... Zork universe Zork games Zork Anthology Zork trilogy Zork I   Zork II   Zork III Beyond Zork   Zork Zero   Planetfall Enchanter trilogy Enchanter   Sorcerer   Spellbreaker Other games Wishbringer   Return to Zork Zork: Nemesis   Zork Grand Inquisitor Zork: The Undiscovered Underground Topics in Zork Encyclopedia Frobozzica Characters   Kings   Creatures Timeline   Magic   Calendar... Zork, an early work of interactive fiction, running on a modern interpreter Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. ... Point and click describes the simple action of a computer user moving a cursor to a certain location on a screen (point) and then clicking a mouse button, usually the left one (click), or other pointing device. ... A parser is a computer program or a component of a program that analyses the grammatical structure of an input, with respect to a given formal grammar, a process known as parsing. ... Myst (or MYST) is a graphic adventure computer game designed and directed by the brothers Robyn and Rand Miller. ...

Among the actors who appeared in the game were a number of instantly recognizable (by face, if not necessarily by name) character actors as well as a number of well-known younger actors: Robyn Lively of Twin Peaks as "The Fairy", Jason Hervey of The Wonder Years as "The Troll King", and Sam J. Jones from the 1980 film Flash Gordon as "The Blind Bowman". This added to the appeal of the game. A character actor is an actor, especially in motion pictures, who predominantly performs in similar roles throughout the course of a career. ... {{Infobox actor | name = Robyn Lively | birthdate = February 7, 1972 (age 34) | location = Powder Springs, Georgia Robyn Elaine Lively (born 7 February 1972) is an American actress. ... Twin Peaks is an American serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. ... Jason Hervey is an American actor, born April 6, 1972, in Los Angeles, California. ... The Wonder Years was an Emmy Award winning television dramedy created by Carol Black and Neal Marlens. ... Autographed picture of Sam J. Jones as Flash Gordon Sam J. Jones (born August 12, 1954 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor, often credited as Sam Jones. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Flash Gordon is a science fiction comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, first published on January 7, 1935. ...

Feelies

As a tribute to the original Infocom, Return to Zork included feelies. The feelies include: A sampling of feelies from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Infocom used the term feelie to refer to the extra content included with the boxed versions of their interactive fiction computer games. ...

• A sweepstakes letter; some packages also included a sweepstakes letter written in French and/or German
• The envelope for the sweepstakes letter
• The 966 GUE edition of the Encyclopedia Frobozzica, which was combined with the game manual

Cover of the Encyclopedia Frobozzica included with Return to Zork. ...

Plot

The player's character is a sweepstakes winner who wins an all expenses paid holiday to the Valley of the Sparrows, in Zork. Upon arrival, however, the player quickly learns that the entire area has fallen under some dark and sinister influence, becoming decayed and dysfunctional. Whole buildings have mysteriously vanished, murderous vultures infest the land, people have frequent and disturbing nightmares featuring some dark being which refers to itself as Morpheus, and many of those who have survived have become reclusive and paranoid. The player must survive countless perils whilst exploring the valley, investigating the causes of the powers that have gripped the land and ultimately putting a stop to them. A sweepstakes is technically a lottery in which the prize is financed through the tickets sold. ...

Notes

The Wizard Trembyle, inside a Tele-Orb

The game was packaged with an abridged version of the Encyclopedia Frobozzica (see above), which also served as the game manual and assisted in the game's copy protection scheme. (At various points during play, the player had to provide information from the Encyclopedia, although the information was widely-known trivia from the Zork canon.) The Wizard Trembyle, inside a Tele-Orb, from Return to Zork This work is copyrighted. ... The Wizard Trembyle, inside a Tele-Orb, from Return to Zork This work is copyrighted. ... Cover of the Encyclopedia Frobozzica included with Return to Zork. ... Copy prevention, also known as copy protection, is any technical measure designed to prevent duplication of information. ... In the Zork series of interactive fiction computer games, created by Infocom and Activision, the Zork Calendar is the system for assigning calendar dates to days in the fictional Zork Timeline of the Great Underground Empire, formerly known as the Kingdom of Quendor. ...

Throughout the game, the player could take photographs of the environment with a camera and record significant information with a tape recorder. The game also automatically generated a map as the player progressed, and took notes in a notebook as the plot unfolded through dialogue or events in the game.

Return to Zork is set in the year 1647 GUE, later than any other game in the ficticious history of Zork.

The video introduction features a 3D animation, and the very first lines of text, of the once-famous opening scene of Zork 1, featuring the once-familiar White House and Mailbox.

Unlike earlier text-adventure games by Infocom, violence against innocent bystanders is possible. It is possible to kill several of the game's civilian non-player characters, where as in every other Infocom or Zork game, such actions are either impossible to accomplish or immediately punished by death. Killing causes a masked vigilante to steal all the player's items, with the intention of rendering the game unwinnable. It is worth noting, however, that dropping all of one's items prior to leaving circumvents this effect; the items will still be there after the vigilante comes and goes. For other uses, see Vigilante (disambiguation). ... Zork made unwinnable in 6 turns. ...

As in the Zork text-adventure games, there are several ways to make the game "unwinnable" by using or altering an object or item in an unintended manner. For instance, burning many items with the matches will usually result in an unsolvable game. The most commonly cited example of this occurs with the bonding plant by the side of the road near the beginning of the game. Although the plant is essential later on, it is very easy to unintentionally kill it, and the game gives no indication that the plant is at all important. (It is in fact possible to obtain a new one, although the secret is well-hidden and arguably makes little sense even after it is accomplished, a criticism that is often levelled at many of the game's puzzles.)

Game bugs made some of the puzzles harder - or more specifically, it stopped the game from providing the hints that would make the puzzles easier. A patch was released that fixed these bugs, however the patch also made the game unable to be finished due to another bug it introduced.

External links

• The Zork Library (All things Zork since 1998.)
• [1] How to setup RTZ for XP.
• Return to Zork at the Internet Movie Database
• The JAVE Entry for Return to Zork
• Home of the Underdogs' entry for Return to Zork
• Return to Zork at MobyGames
• GameFAQs entry for Return to Zork
• Disaster Labs' satirical review of Return to Zork