Zork
Back in the 70s, there came along something called an interactive fiction computer game, and one of the first of these was a little game called Zork: The Great Underground Empire: Part I.
The gameplay is quite simple: no videos or pictures. Just text. You play an unnamed explorer who is delving into a deep underground empire in search of treasure and adventure. Similar to a lot of today’s horror games, you are often faced with extremely dark surroundings with different light sources to help you along the way. However, if it is too dark, you often find yourself being killed, so there’s a constant element of fear.
The thing that makes the Zork series (and other interactive fiction for that matter) so fun is the fact that it is, quite literally, all text. It’s up to you to draw up a map or do whatever you need to remember where things are and, in the same way a good book keeps you engaged, your imagination will take the lead and give you a gaming experience like no other.
