New Zork Times, Vol. 1, No. 1



More Games, Systems, says Infocom

Infocom has announced that as of May 1, 1982, Zork I, Zork II, and the new Deadline will be available on the Atari, IBM, NEC, PDP-11, plus systems running the CP/M Operating System. (The TRS-80 version is expected to be available exclusively from Radio Shack.)



First Computer Mystery Announced

Imagine: instead of passively reading your favorite detective stories, having full control over the investigation, Infocom, creator of the unexcelled Zork adventures, has made another major advance in the development of the electronic novel: Deadline first in the Interlogic mystery series.

As Chief Inspector, you have been asked to conduct an investigation into the death of the great industrialist and philanthropist, Marshall Robner, an apparent victim of suicide. For one day you may visit the estate: examining evidence and observing and interogating his family, servants and close business associates, in an effort to determine what actually happened.

This mystery includes a number of major advances over previous computer games: the passage of time is quite realistic; the characters are very lifelike in their mobility and dialogue, and the ability of the program to understand English commands has been improved over that of Zork (which until now had the best language handling on the market).

In addition to the game disk and manual, the mystery includes a preliminary police report with interviews of the possible suspects, reports by the police crime labs and medical examiner, as well as physical pieces of evidence.




The Zork Users Group is Proud to Present the Ultimate Solution...

InvisiClues for Zork: The Great Underground Empire - Part I

No more frustrating delays. For the cost of about 6 questions from our ordinary hint service you receive over 175 questions about Zork I, progressing from a gentle nudge in the right direction all the way up to a full answer. Included is a complete list of treasures, including their values and locations, and a section entitled "for your amusement" which includes some interesting Zork trivia.

With this booklet you can solve Zork completely and learn about a lot of things you otherwise might not have noticed!

"But won't this completely ruin the game for me? How can I look up something that has me buffled without seeing unwanted hints or answers to other problems?"

This was our major worry. We wanted to provide just as much help as was needed without giving away problems unintentionally. Therefore, all of the hints and answers in the InvisiClues booklet are printed in invisible ink. To use the booklet, simply find the section and question which pertain to your problem and use the developing pen provided to develop the first invisible clue.

The book is attractively illustrated by David Ardito, and written with the style and wit Zorkers have grown to appreciate.

Even those who have successfully completed Zork on their own are likely to find much in the booklet new to them.



Discount Policy Changed

As the result of a new agreement with Infocom, the Zork Users Group will no longer be able to provide direct discounts on games. Since new products are delayed by the distribution channels to stores, we will generally be able to ship new products to you long before they appear in computer stores. We will also be able to provide you with the convenience of ordering by mail, the savings on sales tax for all but Wisconsin residents, and our speedy service (most orders are shipped within 2 days of receipt). We hope you will continue to patronize us.



Special Limited Offer

In order to guage response to Deadline and to purchase sufficient inventories, we are making a special offer: if your game order is postmarked on or before April 30, we will include the color poster for Zork I absolutely free. You will be guaranteed shipment of your game at the earliest possible date. We expect to be able to ship the game for the Apple by April 10. The other versions are expected to be available May 1.

Enclose this coupon with your order if you wish to receive the free poster. Limit one per customer.

Watch for Infocom's ads for an additional bonus after you have purchased the game.

The New Zork Times; 1981?
Copyright 1981? (c) Infocom

Thanks to David Jinks for transcribing and donating this issue.

Infocom Homepage | NZT Index | Articles Index
Last revised: Sat Jan 4 22:15:49 EST 1997 / Peter Scheyen <pete@csd.uwo.ca>