Play Zork I: The Great Underground Empire Online

Zork I: The Great Underground Empire is a fantasy interactive fiction game released in 1980 for the MS-DOS platform. It was developed by Infocom, Inc. and published by Personal Software Inc. The game is an adaptation of a larger mainframe version from the late 1970s and represents an early example of the text adventure genre.

The player assumes the role of an adventurer who begins the game near a white house in a forest. The primary objective is to explore the environment and ultimately locate and collect the nineteen treasures of Zork. Interaction is conducted entirely through typed text commands, with the player inputting actions like "examine mailbox" or "take torch" and moving by typing directions such as "north" or "east". An inventory of carried items can be reviewed with a specific command.

Initial exploration centers on the house and its contents, which include various objects like a lantern and a sword. A trap door beneath a rug leads downward, serving as an entrance to the expansive subterranean network known as the Great Underground Empire. Progression involves navigating this underground realm, solving environmental puzzles, and encountering creatures such as grues, a troll, a cyclops, and a thief. The game world is described through text, with no graphical interface, requiring the player to interpret descriptions and type appropriate commands to advance.