Zork II
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. 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. 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. 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: Similarly, if the player gets trapped in the bank, another gnome appears: 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. "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". "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". "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"". Legacy. In the 2015 film "The Martian" starring Matt Damon, "Zork II" was referenced as being loaded on fellow astronaut Beth Johanssen's laptop.