Infocom: computer games before computer graphics

I discovered Infocom games when I was a teenager, and I loved their melding of books and games: they were like books made better, because you could control the action. Unfortunately, I found them around the time when PC graphics were being introduced and text-based games were dying, being replaced by image-driven games. This fact made it a challenge for me to find Infocom titles; any trip to the mall had me poking through the game store hoping to find one I didn't own yet. I had all three of the Zork games, plus Trinity and Wishbringer, but I wanted more. I was dying for the Douglas Adams games and very curious about The Leather Goddesses of Phobos (although it had a mature rating, and as a girl, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it -- still, I was curious).

I eventually found a boxed set called "The Lost Treasures of Infocom", which did include the Hitchhiker game, at least -- although I found that one frustrating and never did get to the end. (Knowledge of the book wasn't a lot of help except in the very early part of the game.) Still, it had other games I enjoyed, including Moonmist, The Lurking Horror, and Beyond Zork. I was interested in the fantasy titles too -- Enchanter and Sorcerer -- but I can't recall ever getting very far with those two. I tended to get frustrated and give up if the games were too hard. (Come to think of it, I still do that.) But despite the titles that defeated me, I have fond memories of Infocom and of the many happy hours I spent navigating their worlds.

Infocom made the original Zork games available as free downloads. (Both PC and Mac versions are available.) If you want to relive the fun of text games -- or if you just want to see what gaming was like before graphics -- go to this site and download the free games! There are three titles available: Zork I, Zork II, and Zork III. Zork I is the easiest, Zork II is intermediate level, and Zork III is expert level. Here's the link:

http://www.infocom-if.org/downloads/downloads.html