ZORK III - Infocom/Virgin RRP œ9.99
                (Text adventure for ST, PC, Amiga)

                 ST version reviewed by Joan Dunn

The last you saw of me (if you read the review of Zork II in
SYNTAX Issue 14) I was just venturing into Zork III.  I had my
lantern and was at the bottom of a seemingly endless stair.  To
the south was a dark forbidding trail leading who knows where,
only that it would be fraught with danger.

I light my lamp, not wishing to be a tasty snack for a grue, and
nervously move forward.

Now I am at a junction, where there is a large rock in which is
embedded a sword.  No matter how hard I pull, I am unable to move
it, so I must carry on with no means of protecting myself.

I come to a land of hills, under a ceiling of an enormous cavern
that covers the entire land. Eerie light casts strange shadows. I
hear footsteps, but see no one. Then suddenly, blocking my way is
a cloaked and hooded figure carrying a glowing sword. Mysteriously
the sword from the rock appears in my hand.  I attack and the
fight is long and hard.  Blood flows, both of us are wounded, but
eventually I succeed in badly wounding my opponent.  I reach out
and remove his hood, but horror awaits when I see the face which
is revealed ..........

So starts the adventure game Zork III.  A smaller game than Zork I
and II and this time you are not collecting treasures.  The
parsing is good and the descriptions of locations excellent as
usual, with plenty of atmosphere.

There is a scenic vista from which you can travel (when you know
the trick) to other rooms, and somehow there is a feeling of deja
vu.

Some of the puzzles are quite straightforward, but several are
very difficult.  The Royal Puzzle is, I think, the hardest to
solve, and I was very glad of the Hints and Tips in SYNTAX.

There is a museum with a gold machine, on which you can travel in
time. You can enter a mirror, but it is not so easy getting out.
You need to be carrying several items before the Dungeon Master
will help you and transport you to the final test. The final test
.... that is a real teaser.  You need help from the Dungeon
Master, but first you must know what you want him to do. The end
was surprising and exciting. A first class finish to an excellent
game that keeps you interested from start to finish.  I am
definitely hooked on the Zork series and would recommend all
adventurers to play them. You will not regret it.