Who needs a graphical interface? Full-motion video is for kiddies! Sound effects only give me headaches!
Do you still remember The New Zork Times and The Status Line? The command-line parser? When "undo" was added as a command? Oh, to yearn for the "good old days"....
Unfortunately, the mindless thousands have spoken, and the herd has decided the future of gaming is not timeless prose which made imaginary worlds blossom in the minds of dedicated interactive fiction fans around the globe. Infocom has fallen, partly due to the fact that Sierra's graphical adventures gained in popularity, but probably mostly due to the fact that Cornerstone, Infocom's database product, failed rather badly in the market. Activision however has come to the rescue of the fallen titan, and to dedicated Infocom fans, by buying the rights to Infocom, lock, stock, and trademarks.
The games are not in the public domain, but many of the parsers are. You should check rec.arts.int-fiction for further information, or if you wish to write a game of your own.
Activision has re-released the classic Infocom titles in two volumes, available on disk or CD-ROM for both Mac and IBM PC compatibles:
Ballyhoo Beyond Zork Deadline Enchanter The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Infidel The Lurking Horror Moonmist Planetfall Sorcerer Spellbreaker Starcross Stationfall Suspect Suspended Witness Zork I Zork II Zork III Zork Zero
Border Zone Bureaucracy Cutthroats Hoolywood Hijinx A Mind Forever Voyaging Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It Plundered Hearts Seastalker Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels Trinity Wishbringer
There's also the newest Zork games, Return to Zork and Zork: Nemesis.
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