Zork III
Developer(s)	Infocom
Publisher(s)	Personal Software / Infocom / Activision
Distributor(s)
Designer(s)	Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Dave Lebling and Bruce Daniels
Engine	ZIL
Latest version
Release date(s)	1982
Genre(s)	Text adventure
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	n/a
Platform(s)	Amiga, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS
Media	3½" or 5¼" disk
System requirements	No special requirements
Input	Keyboard

Zork III: The Dungeon Master is an interactive fiction computer game written by Marc Blank, Dave Lebling, Bruce Daniels and Tim Anderson and published by Infocom in 1982. It was the third game in the immensely popular Zork trilogy and was released for a wide range of computer systems. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x989, 145 KB) Summary Box art for Zork III. Source: http://www. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates computer or video games. ... 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... Video game publishers are companies that publish video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer. ... VisiCorp was an early personal computer software publisher. ... Activision, Inc. ... A game designer is a person who designs games. ... Tim Anderson helped create Zork; one of the first works of interactive fiction (a form of adventure game), was an early descendant of ADVENT (also known as Colossal Cave). ... Marc Blank is an American computer game designer and game programmer. ... Dave Lebling, ca 1985 Dave Lebling (born 1949) was an interactive fiction game designer, or implementor, at Infocom. ... Bruce Daniels is an African American, openly gay stand-up comedian. ... A game engine is the core software component of a video game. ... The Z machine at Sandia National Laboratory. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a listing of computer and video games genres with brief descriptions and examples from each genre. ... Zork, an early work of interactive fiction, running on a modern interpreter Interactive fiction, often abbreviated as IF, is a simulated environment in which players use text commands to control characters. ... 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. ... For the list, see list of computer and video games. ... The Amiga is a family of home/personal computers originally developed by Amiga Corporation as an advanced game console. ... The 1977 Apple II, with its sleek and attractive case design for its time. ... Atari built a series of 8-bit home computers based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU, starting in 1979. ... The Atari 520ST Atari 1040STF with SC1224 color monitor The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was commercially popular from 1985 to the early 1990s. ... Commodore 64 (1982) The Commodore 64 (C64, CBM 64/CBM64, C= 64) is a home computer with 64 kilobytes of RAM that was popular in the 1980s. ... The acronym DOS stands for disk operating system, an operating system component for computers that provides the abstraction of a file system resident on hard disk or floppy disk secondary storage. ... A floppy disk is a data storage device that is composed of a ring of thin, flexible (i. ... A floppy disk is a data storage device that is composed of a ring of thin, flexible (i. ... A computer keyboard is a peripheral modeled after the typewriter keyboard. ... Zork, an early work of interactive fiction, running on a modern interpreter Interactive fiction, often abbreviated 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. ... Marc Blank is an American computer game designer and game programmer. ... Dave Lebling, ca 1985 Dave Lebling (born 1949) was an interactive fiction game designer, or implementor, at Infocom. ... Bruce Daniels is an African American, openly gay stand-up comedian. ... Tim Anderson helped create Zork; one of the first works of interactive fiction (a form of adventure game), was an early descendant of ADVENT (also known as Colossal Cave). ... 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... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Zork can run on modern Z-machine interpreters, as well as the older models it was made for originally. ...

Plot

The player begins at the bottom of the Endless Stair from Zork II.

Zork III is somewhat less of a straightforward treasure hunt than previous installments. Instead, the player—in the role of the same "adventurer" played in Zork I and Zork II—must demonstrate worthiness to assume the role of the Dungeon Master.

Zork III promotional material distributed with the maps

The player must get past the Guardians of Zork, with the complete garb of the Dungeon Master, and then endure a final test. The player must be wearing the Amulet (found at the bottom of the lake), the Cloak and Hood (received when the player chooses to look under the Hood of the vanquished opponent in the Land of Shadow rather than deal the final blow), the Staff (received from the man at the Cliff for helping him retrieve the chest of valuables; attacking the man in any way or trying to take the valuables from him inevitably breaks the Staff), the Strange Key (found in the Key Room when the player uses the Grue Repellent (from Zork II) to get past the Dark Places), the Royal Rings (retrieved from the Royal Museum by using the Gold Machine to travel back to the year 776), and the Black Book (found in the Royal Puzzle). Image File history File links Z3destiny. ... Image File history File links Z3destiny. ... 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 Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz is an...

Unlike Zork I and Zork II there is a time-sensitive event, an earthquake which is randomly triggered about 130 turns into gameplay. The player must retrieve the Strange Key before the earthquake (when the Aqueduct is broken, leaving no escape route from the Key Room) and cannot complete the Royal Puzzle or retrieve the Royal Ring until after the earthquake (when the unopenable Great Door breaks). Also unlike the previous two Zork games, the Lamp is of little relevance. It is needed only to walk through the dark areas of the Junction, and the Creepy Crawl at the beginning of the game (after completing the Land of Shadow, Cliff, and Flathead Ocean (saying "Hello, Sailor" to the viking yields an invisibility vial) tasks. Many experienced players leave it on the North Shore of the Lake or merely jump into the Lake with it (an act that renders it useless). Another light source, the Torch from the Scenic Vista, is used to retrieve the Grue Repellent from Zork II and deposit it in the Damp Passage via the teleportation table to provide a light source for the return journey after retrieving the Key. 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 Zork I: The Great Underground Empire is an... 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 Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz is an... 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 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 Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz is an...

Once the player has all the items, they must give the Waybread to the elderly man in the Engravings Room to find the Doorway leading to the final Hallway. Here the "elvish sword of great antiquity" is used for the second and only time to block the beam in the Beam Room. Experienced players don't bother trying to get it back. Next the adventurer must get through the Guardians of Zork. This can either be accomplished by using the complicated Mirror Box or by simply drinking the invisibility potion from the Flathead Ocean. When the player knocks on the Dungeon Master's door he will only open it if the player is fully equipped (see above). He then tells the adventurer that he will obey their commands. The Corridors lead to a Parapet which overlooks the fiery cells. Reading the book here reveals a map of "The Dungeon and Treasury of Zork" which has 8 cells, one of which with a bronze door that leads to the Treasury of Zork. The eight positions of the dial in the Parapet correspond to the 8 cells. The adventurer must use trial and error at this point to find the cell with the bronze door (it's #4) and use trial and error to get the cell into the right position via the Dungeon Master (it's #8). The Strange Key will now unlock the door revealing the Treasury of Zork, which contains the wealth of the Great Underground Empire as well as a controlling share in FrobozzCo International. 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 Quendor is the name of the large fictional... 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...

Notes

Compared to the other games in the series, the scoring system is unusual in that it measures the player's "potential", and is not simply a reflection of the number of treasures found. Points are awarded for taking creative steps toward solving problems rather than actually solving them (e.g. jumping in the lake earns the adventurer a point, but successfully taking the amulet on the bottom of the lake does not). This system makes it possible for the player to have all 7 points without being close to finishing the game.

This game contains the payoff to the "Hello, Sailor" joke that was introduced in Zork I. Saying hello sailor has the effect of:

The seaman looks up and maneuvers the boat toward shore. He cries out "I have waited three ages for someone to say those words and save me from sailing this endless ocean. Please accept this gift. You may find it useful!" He throws something which falls near you in sand, then sails off toward the west, singing a lively, but somewhat uncouth, sailor song.

For the rest of the game, saying hello sailor elicits the response Nothing happens anymore. Everywhere else, saying hello sailor induces the response, Nothing happens here.

Glitches

There are several glitches in this game, as there are in almost every game. If you can't find any, they include:

• In the very first version (Version 10) you could freeze the game by keeping the sword with you to the end of the game. In Cell #4, there are two possible North exits. This confuses the sword's "check for danger" routine and it therefore crashes the game. This one can be activated by blocking the beam with the chest or grue repellant, and keeping the sword.

• In all versions after Version 10, the chest apparently shrinks when it's emptied. This is known because in V10, the chest could hold the staff or lamp or torch. The staff is known to be taken out of the chest by the man at the cliff, who is the Dungeon Master in disguise.

• In any version, you can get the ring, sceptre, and jeweled knife by simply trying to unlock the cage they're in with them!

(If you know of another glitch in this game, or any game, you should post it on that game's page, or on the discussion.)