My favourite game of all time.
I obtained this game for my birthday way back in the day. It came complete with the journal of a character who had travelled into the "forbidden lands" of Zork, and never returned. Needless to say, I was swept into the forboding feel of the game almost immediately and never really looked back. After all these years, I must say that the atmosphere created by the story and sounds of this game is almost every bit as dark and mysterious as it once was.
Okay, so the graphics and sound may now appear to be somewhat outdated, but they are still amazing. When I play this game, I'm still astounded at the beauty of the different worlds; of which there are 5. Each world is created with painstaking attention to detail and has a feel entirely of its own. While there is virtually no character "interaction" throughout the game, this only contributes to the dark and suspenseful plot of the game. In each of the worlds, you are uncovering bits and pieces of the lives of the people who lived there and there are truly many layers to be discovered.
The story is also fantastic. This may come as a surprise given the lack of characters in the game, but they makers managed to create a compelling story with twists and turns and an awesome ending. The characters that do exist each have histories and personalities which you will have the chance to explore and secrets which will have to be uncovered. Without giving much of the story away, I will just mention that each main character comes from one of the different (and beautiful) worlds and their personality traits are reflected in the places they come from. While this seems a little esoteris, I'll just say that once you are fully immersed in the game, it will all make sense.
The one thing that I think sets this game apart from all others is the puzzle element. I am not going to soften the blow - some of the puzzles are difficult. The bottom line, however, is that they all fit seemlessly into the story. While attempting to solve a particular puzzle, you will inevitably come accross excerpts from novels about the land of Zork, photographs, and histories - each one contributing to the insight that will enable you to continue in the game. Looking back on the experience, I wonder how many people devoted large parts of their lives to making sure all the details came together in such a synergistic fasion... Simply amazing!
I could go on for much longer singing the praise of what I consider to be the best adventure game of all time, but I think I have said enough. Needless to say, this game is still as impressive as it once was and deserves recognition as a masterpiece.
If I had to pick one catch phrase to sum up all that I've said it would be the following: This is a game of haunting beauty which will have you up for hours solving mysteries which only add to the game's charm.