1) Intro
2) Basic Sentence Structure
3) Common Verbs
4) Walkthrough
a) The Jeweled Egg
b) The Troll
c) The Dead Adventurer
d) Cyclops
e) Exorcism
f) A Quick Detour
g) Fighting the Thief
h) The Treasure Chest in the Reservior
i) Coal Mines
j) Eerie Silence
k) The End of the Rainbow
l) Row, Row, Row Your Boat
m) Ramses Coffin
o) Into the Tomb...
5) Ways to Lose
6) Treasure List
7) Useless Stuff
8) Outtro
___
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_|_| ||_|(_)
:::::::intro
"Zork 1: The Great Underground Empire" is an old text-based adventure
game. The game plays much like a standard adventure with one major
exception: there are no graphics whatsoever. Each time you enter a
room, you are given a brief description of the room and its contents.
To perform an action, you type in a command.
This game is currently classified "abandonware," which means that its
owners have released their rights to it and it is now available for
download. You can get Zork I, Zork II, and Zork III all from
www.dosgames.com (as well as a bunch of other cool DOS games as well).
The idea behind Zork I is simple: find all nineteen treasures
scattered across the game and return them all to the trophy case inside
the white house. It's a lot harder than it seems.
Sentences in Zork I are very basic indeed, usually consisting solely of
a verb and a noun, and sometimes not even that complicated. Typical
sentences give an action and a direct object to perform that action on,
such as "OPEN CASE" or "GET SWORD."
Movement commands can be made as complicated or as easy as you want. To
move, you can use either the "GO" or "WALK" commands in conjunction with
one of 12 directions. You can also skip the verb if you wish, and merely
type the direction, i.e., "SOUTH." You can even abbreviate some directions
even further, i.e., "NW." The 12 directions Zork recognizes are:
NORTH SOUTH EAST WEST
NORTHEAST SOUTHEAST NORTHWEST SOUTHWEST
UP DOWN IN OUT
The second most important set of commands used in the game are "TAKE,"
"DROP," and "PUT." You can use these commands to take items from the
room, drop items in the room, and put items inside other items (such
as a trophy case, for example).
Ex: "TAKE SWORD" "DROP BELL" "PUT TREASURE IN CASE"
You can also compound these commands:
Ex: "TAKE SWORD, BELL" "TAKE ALL" "DROP ALL BUT SWORD, BELL"
Most commands are quite intuitive, and you should get the hang of it in
no time at all.
Part A: Common commands and abbreviations
-----------------------------------------
AGAIN (G): Repeat previous command.
BRIEF: Commands the narrator to only describe a room the first time you
enter it. Subsequent visits will only result in the name of the
room and a list of items in it.
DIAGNOSE: Tells your current physical condition.
INVENTORY (I): Lists all the items you currently have.
LOOK (L): Describes the room you are currently in.
QUIT (Q): Quits the game.
RESTART: Restarts the game from the beginning.
RESTORE: Loads a saved game.
SAVE: Saves a game.
SCORE: Shows your current score, number of turns, and current rank.
SUPERBRIEF: Commands the narrator to never describe a room; only give
its name and items.
VERBOSE: Commands the narrator to always describe a room regardless of
whether or not you have visited it before.
WAIT (Z): Causes a turn to pass without anything occurring (for
instance, if you are waiting for a slight wound to heal).
Part B: Common verb list
ANSWER FOLLOW SAY
ATTACK GIVE SEARCH
BLOW INFLATE SHAKE
BREAK JUMP SLIDE
BURN KICK SMELL
CLIMB KNOCK STAY
CLOSE LIGHT STRIKE
COUNT LISTEN SWIM
CROSS LOCK TAKE
CUT LOOK TELL
DEFLATE LOWER THROW
DIG MOVE TIE
DRINK OPEN TOUCH
DROP POUR TURN
EAT PRAY UNLOCK
ENTER PULL WAKE
EXAMINE PUSH WALK
EXIT PUT WAVE
EXTINGUISH RAISE WEAR
FILL READ WIND
A) The Jeweled Egg
------------------
If you care to, you can OPEN MAILBOX and READ LEAFLET, but it's not
important. Go NORTH twice, then CLIMB TREE. In the bird's nest is a
jeweled egg, so go ahead and TAKE EGG. You can't open it with what you
have, and even if you had the right tools you don't have the
expertise, so we'll have to find someone who can.
B) The Troll
------------
Go DOWN, SOUTH, then EAST. You are now behind the house and a window
is ajar. OPEN WINDOW, then go WEST. Take the BOTTLE and go WEST. Go
ahead and OPEN CASE and TAKE SWORD, LANTERN. Go EAST and UP. The attic
is dark, so TURN LANTERN ON and TAKE ROPE. TURN LANTERN OFF (to save
battery power) and go DOWN, WEST.
There's a very suspicious rug on the floor, so MOVE RUG to reveal a
trap door. OPEN TRAP DOOR and go DOWN. The door closes above you and is
locked (by the Cyclops; we'll defeat him later). It's dark here too, so
TURN LANTERN ON. Your sword is glowing, indicating a dangerous enemy
nearby, so get ready to fight. SAVE your game before the fight; if you
take any damage at all, RESTORE; there's no point in going around with
a wound.
Go NORTH and FIGHT TROLL WITH SWORD. Repeat the process until the troll
is dead. Once he is dead, DIAGNOSE. If you are in anything other than
perfect health, RESTORE and try again until you beat him with perfect
health.
C) The Dead Adventurer
----------------------
Go WEST into the Maze. This is one of the most confusing parts of the
game, so it would be helpful to either have a map or to follow my
instructions to the letter (realize that just because you go north into
one room, going south won't necessarily get you back). You can consult
the MAZE MAP on www.gamefaqs.com if you need help.
During the maze you may encounter a "seedy" man, a "hungry" man, or a
thief. If he steals from you, don't worry about it. Any treasures he
takes from you can be recovered later; and actually, you want him to
take the jeweled egg. He has the expertise and the tools to open it, so
if you encounter him, GIVE EGG TO THIEF, then immediately leave the room
and come back.
Go SOUTH, EAST, UP to reach the dead adventurer. Whatever you do, don't
disturb the skeleton or a ghost will arise and take every piece of
treasure you have and banish it to the Land of the Living Dead (which
takes some doing to access). Besides, we really don't want that fragile
egg damaged, and we're still looking for someone to take care of it for
us.
TAKE COINS, then go SOUTHWEST, EAST, SOUTH, and SOUTHEAST.
D) Cyclops
----------
Oh my! How in the world can you beat this guy? Fighting him with a
sword would be suicide, so we're going to have to figure out a clever
way to either kill him, make him docile, or make him leave.
SAY "ULYSSES"
I'm not quite sure what that means, but apparently Ulysses was some
character from Greek mythology that either killed the Cyclops or his
father or something like that. Who cares; by saying that name the
Cyclops runs in fear out of the room. You now have safe passage back
to the house. Go NORTHWEST and DROP COINS (trust me) then go back
SOUTHEAST.
Now, SAVE your game. If you haven't already given the egg to the thief,
go UP. You will enter the thief's hideout, and he will rush to defend
it. If he harms you, RESTORE your game and keep trying until he doesn't
do any damage to you. Then GIVE EGG TO THIEF and immediately go DOWN
and NORTHWEST. TAKE COINS, then go SOUTHEAST, EAST, and EAST.
OPEN CASE and PUT TREASURE IN CASE. SAVE your game. At this point,
you should have one of nineteen treasures in the case: "A leather bag
of coins."
E) Exorcism
-----------
Go back DOWN and prepare for the exorcism process. Just in case you're
curious, the cellar area leads to a room called "Entrance to Hades,"
which is currently blocked by a gang of evil spirits denying you
entrance (although why you would want to go into Hades is beyond me).
The exorcism process is fairly complicated and requires items from
across the map, so hang with me here.
Go NORTH then EAST to the East-West Passage. From here go NORTH to the
Chasm, NORTHEAST to Reservior South, and EAST to the Dam. Go NORTH to
the Dam Lobby and TAKE MATCHBOOK.
At this point, go back SOUTH and SOUTH again to the Deep Canyon. From
here, go DOWN to the Loud Room. You can't do anything in this room
while the noise is so loud, so for now just go WEST. The Round Room has
exits in all directions, but most are blocked off. For now you want to
go SOUTHEAST to the Engravings room and EAST to the Dome Room.
You are high up in the Dome Room, and you quite obviously would like to
go down. Jumping would be suicide, so why don't you use a little
ingenuity and TIE ROPE TO RAILING, then go DOWN.
You are now in the Torch Room. The Torch is a treasure, but we'll hold
off on taking it for now. Go SOUTH and TAKE BELL. Go SOUTH again to the
Altar. TAKE CANDLES and TAKE BOOK. A rather sad commandment, isn't it?
Go DOWN. At this point, you can't go back up (although there is another
way to get back). You are in a cave. A dark, forbidding staircase leads
down. So go DOWN of course! Welcome to the Entrance to Hades. Fighting the
spirits would be suicide; besides, you can't attack a spirit with a
material weapon. So now, let the exorcism process begin!
First off, OPEN MATCHBOOK to get that out of the way. To begin, RING
BELL. The spirits are shaken, and stop jeering. In the confusion, you
drop the candles. LIGHT MATCH, then LIGHT CANDLES WITH MATCH. Now, show
the spirits your unearthly power and WAVE CANDLES. The spirits are in
complete fear, and it won't take much to completely eliminate them. Now
finish them off and READ BOOK.
The spirits are gone. You now have access to the Land of the Living
Dead, so now would be a good time to SAVE. By the way, if you want to
get the bell back, you can POUR WATER ON BELL and then TAKE BELL. Also,
you'll want to PUT CANDLES OUT so as to save the wax. Your lantern
won't last forever, and there are only a limited number of light
supplies in the game so you'll want to conserve light whenever
possible. Go ahead and DROP BOTTLE too (you won't need it).
Go SOUTH into the Land of the Living Dead and TAKE SKULL. Getting back
will take a while, but it's not too bad: NORTH, UP, NORTH, NORTH,
NORTH, WEST, WEST, and SOUTH.
F) A Quick Detour
-----------------
We'll make a quick detour to grab a treasure while we can. Go SOUTH and
EAST. Now become a vandal and TAKE PAINTING. Retrace your steps and go
WEST, NORTH, UP.
G) Fighting the Thief
---------------------
Beating the thief requires a combination of luck and ingenuity. To
begin, TAKE COINS, then go WEST twice. SAVE here (you'll be restoring
your game a lot if your luck goes sour). To begin the fight, go NORTH.
You need a good advantage. There is a random chance that the thief will
not immediately attack when you enter the room, and that is your
advantage. If he does not attack you when you first enter, RESTORE and
try again.
If he does not immediately attack, or you avoid his attack, GIVE COINS
TO THIEF. Your goal is to catch him off guard, so when he takes the
coins, immediately KILL THIEF WITH SWORD. Hopefully you'll get a good
hit on him; if you don't at least give him a minor wound, RESTORE and
try again.
If you get a hit on him, then play to his weakness again and GIVE
SKULL TO THIEF. Repeat the process; if you do damage or if you knock
him back or knock him out, then keep going by using the AGAIN command.
Continue until one of you dies. If he dies, SAVE, then go DOWN, EAST,
and EAST again. TURN LANTERN OFF and DIAGNOSE. WAIT however many turns
it takes to heal your wounds before continuing.
Now, go WEST, WEST, and UP. Here, take all of the treasures. Go DOWN,
EAST, and EAST and PUT ALL TREASURES IN CASE. Return to the Thief's
Hideout and take the stiletto. Return to the treasure case and SAVE.
Go ahead and quickly TAKE CANARY, go EAST twice, then go NORTH TWICE.
Go UP and WIND CANARY. I can't believe I never thought to do this; it
was right in front of my eyes! Go DOWN and TAKE BAUBLE. SOUTH, EAST,
WEST, WEST, PUT ALL TREASURE IN CASE. SAVE.
H) The Treasure Chest in the Reservior
--------------------------------------
You'll need to drain the reservior to get the treasure chest, so let's
get to it. Draining the reservior requires turning the dam control, so
getting to the dam is the first priority. From the case, go DOWN,
NORTH, EAST, NORTH, NORTHEAST, and EAST. This is the dam control, and
it is quite obvious what your ultimate goal is. But you need a couple
things first.
Go NORTH twice. PUSH RED BUTTON and TURN LANTERN OFF (to save
batteries). Now TAKE WRENCH, SCREWDRIVER and PUSH YELLOW BUTTON. From
here go SOUTH twice. Notice that the bubble is currently glowing? You
can now TURN BOLT WITH WRENCH. It will take a little while for the
reservior to drain, so WAIT a few turns until it happens.
From here, go WEST (you'll need to TURN LANTERN ON) and then NORTH to the
reservior. DROP ALL BUT LANTERN and go NORTH twice. TAKE TRIDENT,
then go SOUTH twice. TAKE TRUNK. Return to the trophy case: SOUTH,
SOUTHWEST, SOUTHWEST, WEST, SOUTH, UP. PUT ALL TREASURE IN CASE and
SAVE.
I) The Coal Mines
-----------------
Before we enter the coal mines we need a little insurance against a
very annoying vampire bat, so go EAST. OPEN SACK and TAKE GARLIC. Go
back WEST, then DOWN, NORTH, EAST, NORTH, NORTHEAST, and NORTH. TAKE
ALL (the stuff you dropped earlier).
Pretty soon you'll get message saying that your lamp appears dimmer.
This is due to the fact that the batteries are dying - we'll need to
finish our trip to the coal mines before they die out (because
fire-based light sources are dangerous in the coal mines).
From here go NORTH, UP, NORTH, NORTH, WEST, NORTH, WEST, NORTH. TAKE
FIGURINE and go EAST. PUT SCREWDRIVER IN BASKET. You won't actually be
doing anything with the basket right now, but since you're here, you
might as well drop it off here seeing as how you won't use it anywhere
else. To conserve space, you might as well DROP MATCHBOK, CANDLES as
well.
Go NORTH, then DOWN. TAKE BRACELET, then go EAST, NORTHEAST, SOUTHEAST,
SOUTHWEST, DOWN, DOWN, and WEST. Here, DROP ALL BUT LANTERN. Go EAST,
then SOUTH. TAKE COAL, then go NORTH, UP, UP, NORTH, EAST, SOUTH, and
NORTH. From here go UP and then SOUTH.
TAKE CANDLES, MATCHBOOK. LIGHT MATCH, then LIGHT CANDLE WITH MATCH. PUT
CANDLE, COAL IN BASKET and then LOWER BASKET. The basket should only
contain a screwdriver, lit candles (for light), and a small pile of
coal. You should only have a matchbook and a lantern.
Go NORTH, DOWN, EAST, NORTHEAST, SOUTHEAST, SOUTHWEST, DOWN, WEST. At
this point, DROP ALL, then GO WEST. That basket that you lowered is now
in this room, so go ahead and TAKE CANDLES, COAL, SCREWDRIVER and go
SOUTH.
Ready for some fun? OPEN LID, PUT COAL IN MACHINE, CLOSE LID, and MOVE
SWITCH WITH SCREWDRIVER. OPEN LID to reveal a huge diamond! TAKE
DIAMOND, then go NORTH and PUT CANDLE, DIAMOND, SCREWDRIVER IN BASKET.
GO EAST.
Here, TAKE ALL BUT TIMBER, STILETTO and then backtrack. EAST, UP, UP,
NORTH, EAST, SOUTH, NORTH, UP, SOUTH. RAISE BASKET and TAKE CANDLE,
DIAMOND. We've got three pieces of treasure on us, so we need to get
back to the trophy case right quick. Go WEST, SOUTH, EAST, SOUTH,
DOWN, UP. Now PUT ALL TREASURE IN CASE. SAVE.
J) Eerie Silence
----------------
Go back DOWN, then go NORTH, EAST, EAST, NORTH, NORTHEAST, and EAST.
Now TURN BOLT WITH WRENCH. What you've done is cause the dam to stop
up again. When it was closed, the Loud Room was loud because of the
water pouring over the top. Then you opened it. The Loud Room is still
loud because water is still pouring over. However, now that you've
closed it, the Loud Room has become quiet because water is no longer
rushing over the top anymore.
However, this will only last a few turns, so quickly go SOUTH and then
DOWN. TAKE BAR and go WEST.
ALTERNATE PATH: Recently I read online of another way to make the Loud
Room become quiet. Apparently if you SAY "ECHO" the room becomes quiet;
why I don't know. It makes no sense; I personally don't see how anybody
could have figured that one out.
By now, the batteries in your lantern are really draining, so you need
an alternate light source; and fast. So go SOUTHEAST, EAST, and DOWN.
TURN LANTERN OFF, DROP LANTERN, CANDLES and TAKE TORCH. The torch is
actually another treasure, but it's also an effectively inexhaustable
light source, so you can't lose. Now go SOUTH and EAST. OPEN COFFIN
and TAKE SCEPTRE. Go WEST, SOUTH, DOWN, NORTH, NORTH, NORTH, WEST,
WEST, SOUTH, and UP. You know the drill, but this time it's a little
different, just to let you know. PUT ALL TREASURE BUT SCEPTRE IN CASE.
SAVE.
K) End of the Rainbow
---------------------
From the case go EAST, EAST, EAST, EAST, DOWN, DOWN, NORTH. The rainbow
is currently not solid (as in, you can't walk on it), but as you know
there is always a pot of gold at the end of any rainbow. WAVE SCEPTRE.
Amazing! TAKE POT. Oh, but this is far from over - go EAST, EAST,
NORTH, NORTH. TAKE SWORD and go NORTHEAST. Now, DIG IN SAND WITH
SHOVEL until you reach the scarab. Take it - it's another treasure.
Backtrack all the way to the trophy case: SOUTHWEST, SOUTH, SOUTH,
WEST, WEST, SOUTHWEST, UP, UP, NORTHWEST, WEST, WEST, WEST. PUT ALL
TREASURE BUT TORCH IN CASE.
L) Row, Row, Row Your Boat
--------------------------
Two more treasures; the fun never stops. Go DOWN, NORTH, EAST, EAST,
EAST, UP, NORTHWEST, NORTH, and NORTH. TAKE PUMP. Now go SOUTH, SOUTH,
EAST, DOWN, and TAKE PLASTIC. This pile of plastic is actually an
inflatable boat, and you'll use the hand air pump to inflate it. But we
need a good place to launch the boat; so here goes:
Go UP, SOUTH, DOWN, EAST, and EAST. From here, DROP ALL BUT PUMP, TORCH
and prepare to INFLATE PLASTIC. The plastic will inflate into a boat
complete with a tan label inside. You don't have to, but if you feel
like it you can READ LABEL (just be sure to drop it; it's unimportant).
GET IN BOAT and LAUNCH BOAT. You can't control the path of the boat;
its completely dependent upon the flow of the river. WAIT until you
reach an area with a red buoy and TAKE BUOY. Now LAND (to the EAST).
Of course, the buoy isn't the treasure you dope - but if you OPEN BUOY
you'll find a large emerald. TAKE EMERALD and DROP BUOY. GET OUT OF
BOAT, DEFLATE BOAT, and TAKE PLASTIC. How convenient! The path back
to the treasure case is SOUTH (once or twice, depending). At "Aragain
Falls" go WEST, WEST, SOUTHWEST, UP, UP, NORTHWEST, WEST, WEST, WEST,
and WEST one more time. There you go - PUT EMERALD IN CASE.
You'll want your items back, I'm sure, so go DOWN, NORTH, EAST (five
times). TAKE ALL BUT LABEL and SAVE.
M) Ramses Coffin
----------------
You know this coffin; you've seen it before. Now it's time to add it to
your collection. You should be at White Cliffs Beach, so go WEST, WEST,
WEST, SOUTHEAST, EAST, DOWN, SOUTH, and EAST. TAKE COFFIN, dropping
whatever is necessary to take it (anything but the torch; you need it
because it is the last treasure).
It's almost over! Go SOUTH, and then PRAY. Incredible! You couldn't get
the coffin out any other way, but a magic warp is always acceptable. Go
WEST, SOUTH, SOUTHEAST, WEST, and WEST. Here, PUT ALL TREASURE IN CASE.
O) Into the Tomb
----------------
By filling the trophy case with treasure, you caused a secret parchment
to appear. READ PARCHMENT to learn about a secret path out of the
largest clearing (the one with the house; the one that you're in). Go
EAST, EAST, SOUTHWEST, NORTHWEST, and SOUTHWEST to reach the entrance
to the tomb. From here, go IN...
This section chronicles the different subtle ways you can lose. Doing
these things will make the game impossible to beat but you won't
necessarily realize that you have lost.
1) If you EAT GARLIC before you have passed through the coal mines for
the first time, you can't win. There is a jade figurine in the bat room
that you can't get if you don't have the garlic on your possession.
2) If you KILL THIEF before you GIVE EGG TO THIEF, you won't be able to
open the egg and get the canary or the brass bauble.
3) If you fail the exorcism (i.e, the demons return to their normal
state before you exorcise them) you only have one more chance; you can
POUR WATER ON BELL and try again. Also, if you carry the candles around
too long and they burn out, you can't do the exorcism either.
4) If your lantern goes out before you pass through the coal mines, you
can't win because you need a non-flame-based light source to get
through the gas room.
5) If you puncture the boat (try to get into it while carrying a sword)
you can't get the large emerald.
6) The torch is an eternal light source, but if the thief takes it and
you run out of other light sources, you're stuck.
7) If you PUSH BLUE BUTTON in the maintence room and the room fills up
with water before you get the wrench and screwdriver out of there, you
can't get either the treasure chest or the huge diamond.
This is my personal collection of useless stuff you can do in the game;
little tidbits that the programmers threw in. Whenever I come up with
anything else I'll add it in here.
1) Screaming. If you feel like it, you can SCREAM at any point you
would care to. Nothing happens except that you, well, scream.
2) Do you know the narrator's name? It's "Zork," actually. How can you
tell? SAY "ZORK" and the narrator will say "At your service!"
3) JUMP to receive a few taunts from the narrator, such as
"Congratulations. You can now pass the second grade."
4) Suicide is possible; KILL SELF WITH SWORD. Although why you would
want to is beyond me.
Treasures that require other treasures to get are marked with both the
name of the room they are in as well as the treasure required.
[ ] Brass Bauble (Up A Tree/Jeweled Egg)
[ ] Crystal Skull (Land of the Living Dead)
[ ] Leather Bag of Coins (Atlantis Room)
[ ] Golden Clockwork Canary (Thief's Hideout/Jeweled Egg)
[ ] Huge Diamond (Machine Room)
[ ] Ivory Torch (Torch Room)
[ ] Jade Figurine (Bat Room)
[ ] Jeweled Scarab (Sandy Cave/Ramses Sceptre)
[ ] Jewel-Encrusted Egg (Up A Tree)
[ ] Large Emerald (Frigid River)
[ ] Platinum Bar (Loud Room)
[ ] Posiedon's Trident (Atlantis Room)
[ ] Pot of Gold (End of Rainbow/Ramses Sceptre)
[ ] Ramses Coffin (Egyptian Room)
[ ] Ramses Sceptre (Egyptian Room)
[ ] Sapphire Bracelet (Gas Room)
[ ] Silver Chalice (Thief's Hideout)
[ ] Trunk of Jewels (Reservior)
[ ] Valuable Painting (Gallery)
_
/ \ _|__|_.__
\_/|_||_ |_|(_)
:::::::::outtro
Thanks to DKW001 for his Zork I FAQ that got me through the fight with
the Cyclops and that found the bauble. Thanks to my cousin for
suggesting the mirror warp and the first method for making the loud
room quiet. Thanks to my uncle who discovered the inflatable boat. And
thanks to everyone who put up with me playing this antiquated yet
insanely fun game.
All ASCII art by FIGlet: www.figlet.com
This has been a Zork I FAQ by TUI: The Unknown Individual.
This FAQ may only be found at:
http://www.gamefaqs.com
http://www.dh.net
TUI can be contacted at:
onceuponatimetherewasasquirrelwholived@hotmail.com
That is, Once Upon A Time There Was A Squirrel Who Lived At Hotmail
Dot Com
This FAQ is Copyright (C) 2002 by TUI, the Unknown Individual. Any
unauthorized reproduction of this document will be prosecuted under the
fullest extent of the law.
