Mr. Bill's Adventureland Review
Reviewed by Mr. Bill & Lela
This wonderful game is a real treat for any gamer, combining as it does a great story with original puzzles and outrageous characters all in a setting that is both hauntingly beautiful and unique. But for those adventurers who remember and loved the old Zork games and their Great Underground Empire, it is a veritable nostalgic feast. Because it incorporates elements and landmarks of all the previous Zork and Enchanter stories, with the same zany humor, attitude, and unpredictability that made those games so famous.
The game is fun from the get go... we found ourselves getting hysterical just reading the installation screens. Then as the game itself begins, you learn that (horror of horrors) all magic has been banned from Zork by order of a self-important bombastic villain called the 'Grand Inquisitor'. The area has been taken over by his troops, a curfew has been instituted, and the people are all terrified. The practice of any magic whatsoever is now punishable by 'totemization', which is apparently a fate worse than death.
You are a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman, with a great new product called 'PermaSuck', and the slogan "we don't just make things that suck, we make things that suck permanently"! But unfortunately, you are busy canvassing in occupied Port Foozle when suddenly night falls, curfew is called and the Inquisitor's henchmen seal off the area. And now the scared citizens won't even open their doors!
Desperate to find a way out of town, you explore everywhere, and the only opening that you find is one that goes down a dark dry well, leading off underground to God-knows-where. But you have heard that vicious man-eating Grues lurk in the dark recesses of Zork... and you don't have a lantern!
It's a 1st Person, 3D, point and click game with 360-degree turns. And a chronologue is included in the box with a timeline and the major incidents in Zorkian history to bring you up to date. For the most part the puzzles are not too difficult, although there are one or two which may have you pulling your hair. 
They will certainly make you appreciate how Brog solves that kind of puzzle (we loved Brog!). Just make sure that you do read your manual, because it contains vital information that you will need about some of the strange items you will find in your inventory, and how to use them.
This is a great game, one that is guaranteed to lift your spirits and make you feel good. In the Great Underground Empire, you will time travel to Zork's past, hobnob with the Dungeon Master Dalboz, and visit the famous Zork White House, Flood Control Dam # 3, GUE Tech, and Hades. And you will experience firsthand the kind of offbeat humor that made Zork legendary... like the crazed subway, the singing security guard, and that unforgettable phone, with voice mail, in Hell. So make sure that you get this game... and "have a helluva day!"
Very highly recommended! Our choice for Game Of The Year 1997.
Note: Be sure to visit our Wonderful World of Zork section to read about some of the history of this famous adventure game series. And for some fun things to try after you finish playing this particular game, click HERE.
Developed (1997) and published by Activision. Mac version published (2001) by MacPlay.
Rated: T for Teen 13+ (comic mischief, suggestive themes, use of tobacco and alcohol)
Minimum System Requirements: 
PC and Mac Versions are on separate CDs
PC: Pentium 90 MHz; Windows 95; 16 MB RAM; 4X CD ROM Drive; 50 MB of Free Hard Drive Space; High Color (16 Bit) 640 X 480 Graphics with a VESA Local Bus (VLB) or PCI Video Card with 1 MB RAM; 100% SoundBlaster 16 Compatible Sound Card; 100% Microsoft Compatible Mouse and Driver; 100% Windows 95 Compatible Computer System (Including 32 Bit Windows 95 and DirectX Compatible Drivers for CD ROM Drive, Video Card, Sound Card and Input Devices)
Mac: Power Macintosh G3 233 MHz; OS 8.6 to 9.2 needs 96 MB RAM, OS 10.0.4 or later needs 128 MB RAM; 50 MB of Free Memory
To Install and play Under Windows XP:
Where To Buy This Game:
SoftwareAttic.com for PC Version
MacPlay for Mac Version
OR: See our Places To Buy Games for other sellers around the world.
Walkthroughs or Hints: