Spellbreaker'' (1985, Dave Lebling)
** ''
Mini Zork I: The Great Underground Empire'' (1987, Marc Blank & Dave Lebling, free cut-down, single load tape version of game, covermounted on
UK's ''
ZZAP!64
''Zzap!64'' was a computer games magazine covering games on the Commodore International series of computers, especially the Commodore 64 (C64). It was published in the UK by Newsfield Publications Ltd and later by Europress Impact.
The magazine ...
'' magazine)
** ''
Beyond Zork: The Coconut of Quendor'' (1987,
Brian Moriarty)
** ''
Zork Zero: The Revenge of Megaboz'' (1988, Steve Meretzky)
** ''
Zork: The Undiscovered Underground'' (1997,
Michael Berlyn and Marc Blank)
* The ''
Planetfall
''Planetfall'' is a science fiction themed interactive fiction video game written by Steve Meretzky, and the eighth title published by Infocom in 1983. The original release included versions for Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, TRS-80, and IBM PC ...
'' series:
** ''
Planetfall
''Planetfall'' is a science fiction themed interactive fiction video game written by Steve Meretzky, and the eighth title published by Infocom in 1983. The original release included versions for Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, TRS-80, and IBM PC ...
'' (1983, Steve Meretzky)
** ''
Stationfall'' (1987, Steve Meretzky)
* ''
Deadline'' (1982, Marc Blank)
* ''
Starcross
Starcross is a village with a 2011 census recorded population of 1,737 situated on the west shore of the Exe Estuary in Teignbridge in the English county of Devon. The village is popular in summer with leisure craft, and is home to one of the ...
'' (1982, Dave Lebling)
* ''
Suspended: A Cryogenic Nightmare'' (1983, Michael Berlyn)
* ''
The Witness'' (1983,
Stu Galley)
* ''
Infidel
An infidel (literally "unfaithful") is a person accused of disbelief in the central tenets of one's own religion, such as members of another religion, or the irreligious.
Infidel is an ecclesiastical term in Christianity around which the Church ...
'' (1983, Michael Berlyn)
* ''
Seastalker'' (1984,
Stu Galley &
Jim Lawrence)
* ''
Cutthroats'' (1984, Michael Berlyn &
Jerry Wolper)
* ''
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it ...
'' (1984, Steve Meretzky &
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author and screenwriter, best known for ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' developed into a " ...
)
* ''
Suspect
In law enforcement jargon, a suspect is a known person accused or suspected of committing a crime. Police and reporters in the United States often use the word suspect as a jargon when referring to the perpetrator of the offense (perp in dated U ...
'' (1984, Dave Lebling)
* ''
A Mind Forever Voyaging'' (1985, Steve Meretzky)
* ''
Wishbringer: The Magick Stone of Dreams'' (1985, Brian Moriarty)
* ''
Ballyhoo
The ballyhoo halfbeak or ballyhoo (''Hemiramphus brasiliensis'') is a baitfish of the halfbeak family ( Hemiramphidae). It is similar to the Balao halfbeak (''H. balao'') in most features. Ballyhoo are frequently used as cut bait and for trol ...
'' (1986,
Jeff O'Neill
Jeffrey O'Neill (born February 23, 1976) is a Canadian broadcaster and former professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played 12 seasons with the Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
P ...
)
* ''
Hollywood Hijinx'' (1986,
"Hollywood" Dave Anderson)
* ''
Leather Goddesses of Phobos
''Leather Goddesses of Phobos'' is an interactive fiction video game written by Steve Meretzky and published by Infocom in 1986. It was released for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Apple II, Macintosh, Atari 8-bit family, Atari ST, Commodore 6 ...
'' (1986, Steve Meretzky)
* ''
Moonmist'' (1986,
Stu Galley &
Jim Lawrence)
* ''
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the ...
'' (1986, Brian Moriarty)
* ''
Border Zone
Border control refers to measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it a ...
'' (1987, Marc Blank)
* ''
Bureaucracy
The term bureaucracy () refers to a body of non-elected governing officials as well as to an administrative policy-making group. Historically, a bureaucracy was a government administration managed by departments staffed with non-elected offi ...
'' (1987, Infocom & Douglas Adams)
* ''
The Lurking Horror
''The Lurking Horror'' is an interactive fiction game released by Infocom in 1987. The game was written by Dave Lebling and inspired by the horror fiction writings of H. P. Lovecraft (including his Cthulhu Mythos). The original release was for ...
'' (1987, Dave Lebling)
* ''
Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It
''Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It'' is an interactive fiction video game written by Jeff O'Neill and published by Infocom in 1987. It was released simultaneously for MS-DOS, Commodore 64, and other platforms. ''Nord and Bert'' was ...
'' (1987, Jeff O'Neill)
* ''
Plundered Hearts'' (1987,
Amy Briggs)
* ''
Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels'' (1988,
Bob Bates)
* ''
Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur'' (1989, Bob Bates)
* ''
James Clavell's Shogun
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambigua ...
'' (1989, Dave Lebling)
* ''
Journey'' (1989, Marc Blank)
Other titles
* Graphic adventures
** ''
Leather Goddesses of Phobos 2: Gas Pump Girls Meet the Pulsating Inconvenience from Planet X!'' (1992, Steve Meretzky)
** ''
Return to Zork
''Return to Zork'' is a 1993 graphic adventure game in the ''Zork'' series. It was developed by Activision and was the final ''Zork'' game to be published under the Infocom label.
Gameplay
Unlike the previous games in the ''Zork'' franchise, whi ...
'' (1993, Doug Barnett)
** ''
Zork Nemesis: The Forbidden Lands'' (1996, developed
Zombie LLC)
** ''
Zork Grand Inquisitor'' (1997, developed by
Activision
Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
)
*
BattleTech
''BattleTech'' is a wargaming and military science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2001, which was in turn acquired by Topps in 2003; and published since 2007 by Catalyst Game Labs. The trademar ...
games
** ''
BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception'' (1988, developed by
Westwood Studios
Westwood Studios, Inc. was an American video game developer, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was founded by Brett Sperry and Louis Castle in 1985 as Brelous Software, but got changed after 2 months into Westwood Associates and was renamed to Wes ...
)
** ''
BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Revenge'' (1991, developed by Westwood Studios)
* Other games
** ''
Fooblitzky'' (1985, Marc Blank, Mike Berlyn,
Poh Lim &
Paula Maxwell
Paula or PAULA may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Paula, in video game ''EarthBound''
* Paula, in ''The Larry Sanders Show''
* Paula Campbell (''EastEnders''), in 2003
Film and television
* ''Paula'' (1915 film), a si ...
)
** ''
Quarterstaff: The Tomb of Setmoth'' (1988,
Scott Schmitz,
Ken Updike & Amy Briggs)
** ''
Mines of Titan'' (1988,
Louis Castle &
Brett Sperry
Brett Sperry is an American video game designer, a fine arts gallerist, and a professional photographer. He is also a leading developer of the Las Vegas arts community where he's made significant investments in property and infrastructure, primar ...
)
** ''
Tombs & Treasure'' (1989, developed by
Nihon Falcom
is a Japanese video game developer, best known for their '' Ys'', '' The Legend of Heroes'', and ''Trails'' series. The company was founded in March 1981, making them one of the oldest active video game companies. They are credited with pioneer ...
)
** ''
Circuit's Edge'' (1989, developed by
Westwood Studios
Westwood Studios, Inc. was an American video game developer, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was founded by Brett Sperry and Louis Castle in 1985 as Brelous Software, but got changed after 2 months into Westwood Associates and was renamed to Wes ...
)
* Infocomics
** ''Lane Mastodon vs. the Blubbermen'' (1988, Steve Meretzky)
** ''Gamma Force in Pit of a Thousand Screams'' (1988, Amy Briggs)
** ''ZorkQuest: Assault on Egreth Castle'' (1988,
Elizabeth Langosy)
** ''ZorkQuest II: The Crystal of Doom'' (1988, Elizabeth Langosy)
Collections
* ''The Zork Trilogy'' (1986; contained ''Zork I'', ''Zork II'' & ''Zork III'')
* ''The Enchanter Trilogy'' (1986; contained ''Enchanter'', ''Sorcerer'' & ''Spellbreaker'')
* ''
The Lost Treasures of Infocom'' (1991; contained 20 of Infocom's interactive fiction games)
* ''
The Lost Treasures of Infocom II'' (1992; contained 11 interactive fiction games)
* ''
The Zork Anthology'' (1994; contained ''Zork I'', ''Zork II'', ''Zork III'', ''Beyond Zork'' & ''Zork Zero'')
* ''
Interactive Fiction Collections'' (1995)
* ''The Comedy Collection'' (1995; contained ''Ballyhoo'', ''Bureaucracy'', ''Hollywood Hijinx'', ''Nord and Bert'', ''Planetfall'', and ''Zork I'')
* ''
Classic Text Adventure Masterpieces of Infocom'' (1996; contained 33 Infocom games plus six winners of the 1995
Interactive Fiction Competition, which was not affiliated with Infocom)
* ''Zork Special Edition'' (1997; contained ''Zork I'', ''Zork II'', ''Zork III'', ''Beyond Zork'', ''Zork Zero'', ''Return to Zork'', ''Zork: Nemesis'', and ''Planetfall'')
* ''Zork Classics: Interactive Fiction'' (2000)
* ''The Zork Legacy Collection'' (2002; contained ''The Zork Anthology'', ''Return to Zork'', and ''Zork Nemesis'')
* ''The Zork Adventure Trilogy'' (contained ''Return to Zork'', ''Zork Nemesis'', and ''Zork Grand Inquisitor'')
* ''Lost Treasures of Infocom'' (2012; In-App purchases for most of the titles)
Legacy
With the exception of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' and ''Shogun'', the copyrights to the Infocom games are believed to be still held by Activision. ''
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period. An oubliette (from ...
'', the mainframe precursor to the commercial Zork trilogy, is believed to be free for non-commercial use. but prohibited for commercial use. It was this copy that the popular Fortran mainframe version was based on. The C version was based on the Fortran version. and is available from The Interactive Fiction Archive as original
FORTRAN source code
In computing, source code, or simply code, is any collection of code, with or without comments, written using a human-readable programming language, usually as plain text. The source code of a program is specially designed to facilitate the w ...
, a
Z-machine
The Z-machine is a virtual machine that was developed by Joel Berez and Marc Blank in 1979 and used by Infocom for its text adventure games. Infocom compiled game code to files containing Z-machine instructions (called story files or Z-code f ...
story file and as various native
source port
A source port is a software project based on the source code of a game engine that allows the game to be played on operating systems or computing platforms with which the game was not originally compatible.
Description
Source ports are often cr ...
s. Many Infocom titles can be downloaded via the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
, but only in violation of the copyright. Activision did at one point release the original trilogy for free-of-charge download as a promotion but prohibited redistribution and have since discontinued this. There are currently at least four Infocom sampler and demos available from the IF Archive as
Z-machine
The Z-machine is a virtual machine that was developed by Joel Berez and Marc Blank in 1979 and used by Infocom for its text adventure games. Infocom compiled game code to files containing Z-machine instructions (called story files or Z-code f ...
story files which require a Z-machine
interpreter to play. Interpreters are available for most computer platforms, the most widely used being the
Frotz,
Zip, and
Nitfol interpreters.
Five games (''Zork I'', ''Planetfall'', ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', ''Wishbringer'' and ''Leather Goddesses of Phobos'') were re-released in Solid Gold format. The Solid Gold versions of those games include a built-in InvisiClues hint system.
In 2012, Activision released ''Lost Treasures of Infocom'' for iOS devices. In-app purchases provide access for 27 of the titles. It also lacks ''Shogun'' and ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' as well as ''Beyond Zork'', ''Zork Zero'' and ''Nord and Bert''.
Efforts have been made to make the Infocom games source code available for preservation. In 2008,
Jason Scott
Jason Scott Sadofsky (born September 13, 1970), more commonly known as Jason Scott, is an American archivist, historian of technology, filmmaker, performer, and actor. Scott has been known by the online pseudonyms Sketch, SketchCow, The Slippe ...
, a video game preservationist contributing towards the
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
, received the so-called "Infocom Drive", a large archive of the entire contents of Infocom's main server made during the last few days before the company was relocated to California; besides
source code
In computing, source code, or simply code, is any collection of code, with or without comments, written using a human-readable programming language, usually as plain text. The source code of a program is specially designed to facilitate the w ...
for all of Infocom's games (including unreleased ones), it also contained the software manuals, design documents and other essential content alongside Infocom's business documentation. Scott later published all of the source files in their original Z-engine format to
GitHub
GitHub, Inc. () is an Internet hosting service for software development and version control using Git. It provides the distributed version control of Git plus access control, bug tracking, software feature requests, task management, continuous ...
in 2019.
''Zork'' made a cameo appearance as an
easter egg
Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tra ...
in Activision and
Treyarch
Treyarch Corporation ( ; formerly Treyarch Invention LLC) is an American video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1996 by Peter Akemann and Doğan Köslü, it was acquired by Activision in 2001. The studio is known for ...
's ''
Call of Duty: Black Ops''. It can be accessed from the main menu.
References
External links
Infocom company profilefrom
MobyGames
MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms. The site is supported by banner ads and a small ...
Infocom-The Master StorytellersInfocom history, authors, etc.; often updated with any news from Activision
{{Authority control
1979 establishments in Massachusetts
1989 disestablishments in Massachusetts
Companies based in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Defunct Activision subsidiaries
Defunct companies based in Massachusetts
Defunct video game companies of the United States
Software companies based in Massachusetts
Video game companies established in 1979
Video game companies disestablished in 1989