Wishbringer
Developer(s)	Infocom
Publisher(s)	Infocom / Activision
Designer(s)	Brian Moriarty
Engine	ZIL
Release date(s)	1985
Genre	Interactive fiction
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	n/a
Platform(s)	Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS
Media	3½" or 5¼" disk
System requirements	No special requirements
Input	Keyboard

Wishbringer: The Magick Stone of Dreams is an interactive fiction computer game written by Brian Moriarty and published by Infocom in 1985. It was intended to be an easier game to solve than the typical Infocom release, and provide a good introduction to interactive fiction for inexperienced players. Zork, an early work of interactive fiction, running on a modern interpreter Interactive fiction, often abbreviated as IF, describes software containing simulated environments in which players use text commands to control characters. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... Brian Moriarty (born 1956) is an American who authored three of the original Infocom interactive fiction titles, Wishbringer (1985), Trinity (1986) and Beyond Zork: The Coconut of Quendor (1987). ... Zork universe Zork games Zork trilogy Zork I Zork II Zork III Enchanter trilogy Enchanter Sorcerer Spellbreaker Wishbringer Beyond Zork Zork Zero Return to Zork Zork: Nemesis Zork Grand Inquisitor Encyclopedia Encyclopedia Frobozzica Miscellaneous Timeline   Calendar   Magic Double Fanucci Companies Infocom   Activision Infocom was an American software company, based in... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Plot

The player's character is a postal clerk in the small fishing village of Festeron. The cranky postmaster, Mr. Crisp, orders the player to deliver an important envelope to the proprietor of Ye Olde Magick Shoppe. The proprietor in question, a kindly old lady, then asks the player to rescue her cat from "The Evil One". Stepping out of the store, the player finds that quaint Festeron has mysteriously been transformed into a more sinister town called Witchville. Every aspect of Festeron has been changed to something ominous: for instance, what was once a poodle is now a frightening hellhound. Fortunately, the player soon finds the Wishbringer, a magical stone that can grant seven wishes if a suitable object is used in conjuction. (To see the future, for example, the player must be wearing glasses and holding the stone.)

Feelies

Included in the Wishbringer package are several items, which Infocom called feelies: Feelies is the name Infocom gave extra content they included with the boxed versions of their interactive fiction computer games. ...

• A book, The Legend of Wishbringer, that explains how the magic stone came to be
• The envelope and letter to be delivered to Ye Olde Magick Shoppe
• A "postal zone map" of Festeron
• A plastic glow-in-the-dark replica of the stone

Notes

In aiming the game at a younger audience, Infocom wisely diffused the game's sense of danger with many humorous elements, such as Mr. Crisp's impatience at the beginning ("Take the stupid envelope and scram, chowderbrain!") and the "Boot Patrol" that enforces the curfew in the town, consisting of disembodied gigantic army boots. Other whimsical touches include a small mailbox that lovingly follows the player around and a fridge found in a grue's lair, where the internal light goes out when the door is opened. Grue (monster) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

The fictional town of Festeron is, according to the game's documentation, in Antharia, a region connected to the Zork series of games. Wishbringer can be seen as loosely connected to the Zork series. Zork can run on modern Z-machine interpreters, as well as the older models it was made for originally. ...

Infocom gave Wishbringer a difficulty rating of "Introductory".

A few Infocom games featured puzzles with multiple solutions (for example, the "Echo Room" from Zork I). However, Wishbringer featured several such puzzles, many of which could be solved either in a straightforward (that is, non-magical) manner or by using one of the stone's wishes. The game can be completely solved without using any wishes. Zork can run on modern Z-machine interpreters, as well as the older models it was made for originally. ...

The seven wishes that can be granted by the stone are for advice, darkness, flight, foresight, freedom, luck, and rain. Each wish can only be used once per game, and requires that the player possess some related object. (These objects and their relations to the wishes are described in the feelies as a form of copy protection.) Copy prevention, also known as copy protection, is any technical measure designed to prevent duplication of information. ...

External links

• MobyGames' entry on Wishbringer
• Wishbringer information and overview
• Wishbringer information from the Infocom Gallery with photos of the entire contents of the game (manual, feelies, etc.)
• Wishbringer information from Infocom-if.org