Zork II

Commodore 64 box art

Developer(s)| Infocom
Publisher(s)| Infocom
Designer(s)| Tim Anderson
Marc Blank
Dave Lebling
Bruce Daniels
Engine| ZIL
Platform(s)| Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Macintosh, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64, 128, Plus/4, CP/M, IBM PC, MSX, TRS-80
Release| Release 7: 1981

Release 15: March 8, 1982
Release 17: April 27, 1982
Release 18: May 12, 1982
Release 19: July 21, 1982 Release 22: March 31, 1983
Release 23: April 11, 1983

Release 48: September 4, 1984
Genre(s)| Text adventure
Mode(s)| Single-player

Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz is an interactive fiction computer game published by Infocom in 1981. It was written by Marc Blank, Dave Lebling, Bruce Daniels and Tim Anderson. It was the second game in the popular Zork trilogy and was released for a wide range of computer systems. It begins where Zork I left off and leads into Zork III. It is Infocom's second game.

## Contents

* 1 Plot
* 2 Notes
* 3 Reception
* 4 Legacy
* 5 References
* 6 External links
* 7 Features
* 8 History
* 9 See also
* 10 References
* 11 External links

## Plot

The player begins in the Barrow from Zork I armed only with the trusty brass lantern and the elvish sword of great antiquity from before. The objective of the game is not initially clear.

The Wizard of Frobozz is soon introduced. The wizard was once a respected enchanter, but when his powers began to fade he was exiled by Lord Dimwit Flathead. Now bordering on senility, the wizard is still a force to be reckoned with. The player's goal in the wizard's realm is to avoid his capricious tricks and to learn to control his magic.

Like its predecessor, Zork II is largely a treasure hunt. The adventurer must figure out a way to use the treasures in order to reach the game's conclusion.

## Notes

Zork II has 50 ways to die.[1] The game contains the difficult Bank of Zork vault puzzle, in which the player must walk through what appear to be solid walls. In this puzzle, the player controls his or her destination depending on the direction from which he or she entered the room. The game also includes the "Oddly-Angled Room" puzzle, which relied upon the player being familiar with baseball. Infocom apologized for the American-centric puzzle in their official hints for the game. [2] The Bank of Zork and Oddly-Angled Room puzzles have been called "infamously difficult."[3]

If a player gets stranded on a volcano ledge (e.g., by forgetting to tie the balloon to the hook), after some time a "volcano gnome" appears:

A volcano gnome seems to walk straight out of the wall and says, "I have a very busy appointment schedule and little time to waste on trespassers, but for a small fee, I'll show you the way out". You notice the gnome nervously glancing at his watch.

Similarly, if the player gets trapped in the bank, another gnome appears:

An epicene gnome of Zurich wearing a three-piece suit and carrying a safety-deposit box materializes in the room. "You seem to have forgotten to deposit your valuables," he says, tapping the lid of the box impatiently. "We don't usually allow customers to use the boxes here, but we can make this ONE exception, I suppose..." He looks askance at you over his wire-rimmed bifocals.

If the adventurer puts non-valuable items in the box, the gnome tosses them out and they disappear. If the adventurer doesn't give the gnome something valuable after a while, he will leave the player stranded. If the adventurer presents the lit brick (bomb) a suitably amusing response is made, followed also by abandonment.

## Reception

Zork II sold 173,204 copies by 1986.[4] Softline praised the game's well-balanced mix of humor, wit, and wry puns". The magazine warned of its difficulty, but concluded that "Zork II is recommended to any novice or master adventurer who wants a feeling of satisfaction upon completion of a well-thought-out and imaginative adventure".[5] PC Magazine stated that "Zork II's appeal is universal" and that the game was "a challenge. It is interesting, difficult, frustrating, and most of all, enjoyable. For those who have plenty of time, the game is endlessly amusing".[6] The Addison-Wesley Book of Atari Software 1984 gave the game an overall A+ rating, stating that it "has the same outstanding command flexibility, wry humor, and word recognition of Zork".[7]

## Legacy

In the 2015 film The Martian starring Matt Damon, Zork II was referenced as being loaded on fellow astronaut Beth Johanssen's laptop.[8]

## References

1. ↑ "Infocom Scoreboard". The New Zork Times 3 (2): 3. Spring 1984. http://infodoc.plover.net/nzt/NZT3.2.pdf.
2. ↑ "It is admittedly a very difficult puzzle - apologies to non-American Zorkers" "InvisiClues(tm) Hint Booklet for Zork II". Infocom (Republished on the web by Peter Scheyen). http://www.richardlowe.com/vax-dungeon/Infocom/Invisiclues/Old/zork2.html#oddly6.
3. ↑ "The game is also noted for two infamously difficult puzzles called the 'Bank of Zork Vault' and the 'Oddly-Angled Room.'" Barton, Matt. "The History Of Zork". Gamasutra. CMP Media. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1499/the_history_of_zork.php?print=1.
4. ↑ Carless, Simon (2008-09-20). "Great Scott: Infocom's All-Time Sales Numbers Revealed". GameSetWatch. Think Services. http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2008/09/great_scott_infocoms_alltime_s.php.
5. ↑ Repstad, Tom (May 1982). "Zork II". Softline: pp. 17. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1982&pub=6&id=5.
6. ↑ Leibson, Steve (December 1982). "Space Wars and Earth Games". PC Magazine: pp. 165. https://books.google.com/books?id=vy3cBZkjbZgC&pg=RA1-PA165.
7. ↑ The Addison-Wesley Book of Atari Software. Addison-Wesley. 1984. pp. 30–31. ISBN 0-201-16454-X. https://archive.org/stream/Atari_Software_1984#page/n29/mode/2up.
8. ↑ Eisenberg, Eric (5 October 2015). "The Martian: 5 Cool Little References The Movie Works In" (in en). Cinemablend. https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Martian-5-Cool-Little-References-Movie-Works-86397.html.

## External links

* MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

## Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

## History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

## See also

* IGDB - game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/.
2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/.
3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1.
4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521.
8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media.
9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned.
10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner.
11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames.
12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games.
13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/.
14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/.
15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/.
16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/.
17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames.
18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628.

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* Zork II can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive
* Infocom-if.org's entry for Zork II
* The Infocom Bugs List entry for Zork II
* Scans of the Zork II package, documentation and feelies

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