You play as a novice glyph support clerk but no one's around but an animated burin. It seems the more experienced support clerks are either lost, got themselves un-implemented, or got stuck in a timeloop. And, of course, everyone else in Zork wants assistance too. No one said your first day on the job would be easy!
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 4, February 1997 of the game.
Use "burin, log task" before touching the white cubes.
TASK 2:
Get the black cube and isolate it in the envelope that the scroll came in.
Give the scroll to the princess and get the blindfold.
Don't forget to get the grey cube from the princess's fireplace.
TASK 3:
Use the grey and black cubes to disenchant the shark/enchanter. Learn qwerty.
TASK 4:
Rescue the tourist, have him use the blindfold, and you get a coin.
TASK 5:
Use the coin to get batteries, but still keep the coin for later.
Use the black cube, burning rose, battery to get the lantern.
ENDGAME:
Reboot the universe at the temple.
Inside the White Cube
> x me. i. x bar. x book. open book.
"What's your name?" > Fiznol(Or whichever name you like.)
"You say your name is Fiznol?" > yes(+5)
> x burin. x sphere. x rose. read book.(+5)
> ask burin about log.
> touch sphere.(+5. 1st vision: maiden's request; you can now go north.)
> touch sphere.(2nd vision: shark's request; you can now go east.)
> touch sphere.(3rd vision: battery request; you can now go down.)
> touch sphere.(4th vision: Zuzvuz's request; you can now go up.)
> touch sphere.(5th vision: someone wants a pot of gold; you can now go south.)
> touch sphere.(6th vision: a voice wails near crater; you can now go west.)
Note that that last voice was wailing backwards: "Use the old key! Not the new key!"
Also, only one exit is open at a time, the exit associated with the last image. If you examine the rose, it tells you which exit is currently open.
> x rose. w.(+5)
Main Entrance
> x void. x cube. read it.
> x mailbox. open it. take all from it.
> x envelope. open it. x scroll. read it.
> x packing slip.(Note that the envelope is magic-proof.)
> x syllabus.(Oo, that's an infodump.)
> w.
Crater
> x vault. x logo. x key. x note.
CAUTION: If you turn the key, the vault explodes and you die. By the way, if you do die, you go to "Blackness and Void", then you visit GUE Tech briefly before finally returning to the inside of the white cube with the entire game reset.
> take key.(You take the note at the same time.)
> e. sw.
Scenic Overlook
> x cliff. x vault. x signpost.
> throw key.(It falls weirdly towards the vault.)
> ne. w.
Crater
> take key.(It's now rusty. The fall aged it.)
> unlock vault with key.(+15)
> open vault. x rule. take it.
> e.
Main Entrance
> burin, log task.
> read book.
> take cube.(You are instead transported to...)
Inside the White Cube
> drop note. drop key. drop syllabus.
> touch sphere. g.(Maiden wants scroll.)
> n.
Crossroads
> e.
Army Camp
This black cube can cause problems for you if you don't hide it inside the envelope.
> x black cube. read it.(antimagic)take it.(+5)
> take scroll.
> put cube in envelope. close envelope.(This should isolate the cube's effects?)
> x tents. w. s.
Highway
If you go down this route, the billboards read, one word at a time: "Why walk when you can take a cube? Frobozz Magic Billboard Company." (The billboard just reads "..." afterwards.)
> n. nw.
Outside the Tower
> x door. u.
Atop the Tower
> x chimney. nw.
Are you sure you want to climb into the chimney? > yes
Inside the Tower
> x princess.
> give scroll to princess.(+10. Door blasts open. She's gone.)
> take blindfold. x it.
> x fireplace. nw. look in fireplace.
> take grey cube. x it. read it.
> open book.
> burin, log task.(+10)
> read book.
> se. se.
Crossroads
> e.(The camp is now a Battlefield; you can't stay there.)
> touch white cube.
Inside the White Cube
> touch sphere.(Shark request.)
> e.
Ocean
Caution 1: If you simply enter the ocean unprotected, you drown.
> drop grey cube.(+5. Giant bubble!)
Caution 2: The bubble won't last forever.
> enter bubble. d.
Under the Ocean
> open envelope. give black cube to shark.(+10. It turns into an enchanter.)
> u.
Ocean
> out.(The enchanter returns the cube to you.)
> put black cube in envelope. close envelope.
> x enchanter.(+5. You learn a spell. The bubble bursts.)
> spells.(You know the qwerty spell.)
> open book.
> burin, log task.(+10)
> read book.
> touch cube.
Inside the White Cube
> touch sphere. g. g.(Pot of gold request.)
> s.
End of path
> x sign. x arrow.(Points south, toward sun.)
> x shadow. x moss.(Shadow points north. Moss is to the north.)
> x sun.(It's south of here.)
> x path. x footprints. x bridge.
> s.
Chasm, on the bridge
Do your sightseeing of this location before finding the tourist.
> x chasm. x waterfall.(to southwest)x rainbow.(southeast)
> n. n.
Forest (one step in)
The clues to navigating the forest are the sun, arrows, moss, shadows, and footprints. Sun and arrows point sunward; moss, shadows, and footprints are anti-sunward. (Arrows may be scratched on trees.)
Both the directions and the clues are randomized, so be very careful!
First, head away from the sun to find the tourist.
> EXAMINE CLUES.(That is: x sun. x moss. x shadow. x footprints. x arrow.)
> go ANTI-SUNWARD.
Forest (two steps in)
> x tourist.
> EXAMINE CLUES.
> tourist, SUNWARD.(The forest changes, so recheck clues.)
> EXAMINE CLUES.
> go SUNWARD.
Forest (one step in)
> EXAMINE CLUES.
> tourist, SUNWARD.(+5)
> EXAMINE CLUES.
> go SUNWARD.(+10)
End of path
The tourist will head south as you emerge from the forest or soon afterwards.
> s.
Chasm, on the bridge
If necessary, first wait for the tourist to get here and see the "gleam of gold".
> give blindfold to tourist.
> tourist, wear blindfold.
> tourist, se.(+10. He grabs the pot and throws something to you. Then he runs into the mist.)
> look. take coin. x it.
> burin, log task.(+10)
> read book.
> n.
End of path
> touch cube.
Inside the White Cube
> touch sphere. g. g. g. g.(Battery request.)
> d.
Corridor
> x timbers. w.
Dead end
"Frobozz Magic Vending Machine Company 'Frotzen' Vend-O-Magic
This state of the art automagicvending machine is guaranteed never to jam, fault or misfeed during a full mining season, or doubleyourzorkmidsback!"
> x machine. x slot.("zm 1")
> x red button.(on right side, "Batteries")
> x black button.(on left side, "Granola", very recessed)
> x plaque. x left chute. x right chute. x mechanism.
Okay, the idea is to get a 2-for-1 refund by trying to buy a granola bar, then using the credit to get the batteries. That way, we can keep the coin.
> put coin in slot. put bar in left chute.(It's now jammed.)
> burin, push black button.(+10)
> look in right chute.
> take coin and disk. x disk.(It's worth one zorkmid.)
> put disk in slot. push red button.
> look in right chute. take battery.(+5)
> x battery.
> e.
Corridor
You can't safely venture south without a light source. We're about to use drastic measures to get a rather unlikely one:
> touch white cube.
Inside the White Cube
Make sure you have the silver slide rule, the zorkmid, the battery, and log book! Make sure you've logged the log book has four tasks logged! If you forgot to log a task, go do that now and return!
> i. read log book.
> x rose.(Verify that it still points downwards.)
This next part is timed, and you should save first. You'll be setting the compass rose on fire as a light-source for delivering the battery, then heading to the temple before the white cube is destroyed!
> save.
> open envelope.(Burin hides! Black cube vaporises! Sphere falls! Rose burns!)
> take rose.(+10)
> d. s. se.(+10)
Dark chamber
Don't waste time examining the adventurer or anything else here.
> give battery to adventurer.(+5)
> take lantern. open book.
> burin, log task.(+10)
> nw. n.
Corridor
> touch cube.
Inside the White Cube
The rose explodes!
> touch sphere.(Sphere explodes!)
> u.
Outside Temple
The white cube vaporises!
> x mountains. x temple. x frieze.
The inscription on the temple frieze is a simple substitution cipher, made even easier once you realize that it's based on a QWERTY keyboard layout, replacing each letter with the character above and slightly left of it.
Temple of Implementation
3j34t3hd6 w7jj9h8ht 8hw547d589hw r8he 5y3 oqj0
EMERGENCY SUMMONING INSTRUCTIONS FIND THE LAMP
9r 8hw084q589h 5y3 47o3 9r ih9o3et3 5y3 d98h 9r
OF INSPIRATION THE RULE OF KNOLEDGE THE COIN OF
oqg974 qhe 5y3 d9j0o353e g99i 9r 548qow 0oqd3 5y3j
LABOUR AND THE COMPLETED BOOK OF TRIALS PLACE THEM
9h 5y3 d7g3 8h 5yq5 94e34 5y3h dqw5 123456 r974
ON THE CUBE IN THAT ORDER THEN CAST QWERTY FOUR
58j3w e9h5 t35 85 249ht w8th3e 5y3 8j0o3j3h594w
TIMES DONT GET IT WRONG SIGNED THE IMPLEMENTORS
> ne.
In the Temple
> x cube. x roof.
Follow the instructions from the frieze:
> put lantern on cube. put rule on cube.
> put coin on cube. put book on cube.
> qwerty. qwerty. qwerty. qwerty.(+10)
Inside the Tesseract
> x cubes.(A white-shadowed figure arrives and talks to "Dave".)
> x figure. z.(+10. The universe is turned off.)
Blackness and Void
> z.(The universe restarts.)
GUE Tech, Modern Quendor
> z —or— go ANY-DIRECTION.(+5)
Helistar congratulates you on saving the universe and gives you an envelope.
*** The adventure is now over ***
Extras
Characters
An animated burin loves to log tasks. He flies out of the log book when you first open it. Although he's your sidekick for this adventure and quite chatty, you can't really ask him about anything.
An alarm nymph appears briefly when you unlock the vault.
A princess is inside the tower and wants a rezrov spell scroll.
Black knights are camped or waging battle at Army Camp.
Enchanters, trolls, elves, and the occasional cyclops join the battle at Battlefield.
A tourist is bored and lost in the forest.
An enchanter turned himself into a shark in the ocean.
An adventurer needs a new battery for his lantern.
An Implementor appears inside the tesseract. He's talking to someone named Dave.
Several enchanters, sorcerers, and students are at GUE Tech, Modern Quendor.
A Frobozz Magic Magic Company Representative Company company representative can be found by going southwest at GUE Tech, Modern Quendor.
Helistar is trapped in a timeloop at GUE Tech, Old Quendor. First mentioned in the log book, she appears in the epilogue at GUE Tech, Modern Quendor.
Grues eat you if you wander in darkness.
Mentioned:
Zuzvuz, Felenar, and Sorkin are mentioned in the log book.
Gorgax requested the replacement master key according to the note at Crater.
The dwarves in Technical are mentioned in the note at Crater.
The Dark Lord is coming soon, according to the princess. You see his forces later, but he remains offscreen.
Endings
There are several ways to die. You can die by:
trying to unlock the iron vault with the wrong key (it explodes);
entering the void at Scenic Overlook;
getting trapped inside the tower (soldiers kill you);
diving down under the ocean (you drown);
walking south, southwest, or southeast off the end of the chasm's bridge (you plummet);
entering unlit tunnels (you are eaten by a grue);
being inside the white cube when it finally collapses;
doing the summoning ritual incorrectly.
But if you die, you go to Blackness and Void. One turn later, you're at GUE Tech, Old Quendor, where Helistar tells you in backwards speech that you're the only one who can break the timeloop. Then you're back inside the white cube. Your score and turns are reset to zero, and everything else in the game is reset too. (Although the burin experiences some deja vu.)
So dying doesn't end the game, per se, you just have to start from the beginning again.
There's only one ending:
The adventure is now over if you complete the temple ritual and get the Implementors to reboot the universe.
Frobozzco divisions
This is a Zork game, so of course Frobozzco gets some shout-outs:
Frobozz Magic Billboard Company made the highway billboards.
Frobozz Magic Bubble Bath Company made the grey cube.
Frobozz Magic Conservation Company manages the Forest of Eternal Chaos.
Frobozz Magic Defence Research Company made the black cube plus the spells that the princess's forces are using on the battlefield.
Frobozz Magic Granola Mining Company made the granola bar. The timbers in the mine are also stamped with its name.
Frobozz Magic Lantern Company made the battery.
Frobozz Magic Magic Company Representative Company has a company representative at GUE Tech, Modern Quendor (go southwest).
Frobozz Magic Magic Supply Company made the rezrov spell scroll.
Frobozz Magic Magic Support Support Company made the white cube.
Frobozz Magic Support Company is your employer.
Frobozz Magic Vault Company made the vault and its key.
Frobozz Magic Vending Machine Company made the vending machine.
Inventory
a granola bar. It's in your initial inventory. Don't eat it. Instead, put it in the left chute of the vending machine (in Dead End) to jam that side of the machine.
a log book. It's in your initial inventory. Open it to find the burin. Read it to learn what happened before you showed up.
After you complete a task, tell the burin to log a task; it will write your accomplishment in the book. You will need to be at or near where you completed your task in order for the burin to know what task to write about.
The burin will automatically hide inside the book whenever it sees the black cube.
Put the completed log book (as the fourth item) on the crystal cube in the temple as part of the summoning ritual.
a red envelope. It's in the mailbox at Main Entrance. Open the envelope; it contains the scroll and the packing slip. Remove the scroll.
Put the black cube in the envelope and close the envelope to protect everything around you from the cube's antimagic effect.
Open the envelope inside the white cube to set the compass rose on fire. Note that the white cube will be destroyed several turns later, so you better be where you want to be by the time that happens.
a syllabus. It's in the mailbox at Main Entrance. Read it if you need a refresher on all things Zork, or if you don't know Zork lore in the first place.
a crisp vellum scroll. It's in the red envelope. According to the packing slip, it's a rezrov spell scroll.
a packing slip. It's in the red envelope. Read it to learn that the scroll is a rezrov spell scroll. Give it to the princess in the tower; she'll use it to open the tower door. (Make sure the black cube is not visible at the time; the black cube will make the spell fail.)
a shiny iron key. Found it in the keyhole of the iron vault floating at Crater. Do NOT turn the shiny key; the vault will explode. Throw the shiny iron key over the cliff at Scenic Overlook. Then return to Crater and take the rusty iron key that falls there. Use the rusty key to unlock the iron vault there.
a note. Found attached to the shiny iron key. Read it.
a silver slide rule. Found inside the iron vault floating at Crater; unlock the vault with the rusty iron key. Put the rule (as the second item) on the crystal cube in the temple as part of the summoning ritual.
a black cube. Found at the Army Camp. This cube has a dangerous aura of antimagic. Make sure you take it before giving the scroll to the princess, since the Army Camp will become a Battleground and you won't be able to acquire the black cube then.
Important: To carry the black cube around safely, isolate it inside the red envelope and close the envelope.
Note: The burin will automatically hide itself in the log book whenever it sees the black cube.
Caution: The black cube will make the rezrov spell fail if the cube is visible when the princess uses the scroll.
Give the black cube to the shark when underwater; this will return the enchanter to human form. The enchanter will return the black cube to you when you resurface.
Exposing the black cube to the inside of the white cube has drastic effects; see compass rose.
a blindfold. Found inside the tower. When both you and the tourist are on the chasm bridge, give the blindfold to the tourist, tell him to wear it, then tell him to go southeast.
a grey cube. Found inside the fireplace of the tower; enter the fireplace from the inside to notice it. Put the grey cube in the ocean to create a giant bubble. Enter the bubble so you can descend safely and visit the underwater region for a few turns without drowning.
a gold zorkmid. Thrown to you by the tourist at Chasm when he obtains the pot of gold; see blindfold.
First use the zorkmid in the vending machine to obtain an iron disk; see iron disk for details. Re-take the zorkmid at the same time.
Put the zorkmid (as the third item) on the crystal cube in the temple as part of the summoning ritual.
a battery. Buy it from the vending machine using the iron disk, not the zorkmid coin; see iron disk. Give the battery to the adventurer in the dark chamber; see flaming compass rose.
an iron disk. Get the iron disk from the vending machine by jamming its left chute with your granola bar and then trying to buy another granola bar with the gold zorkmid; ask the burin to push the black button for you. The machine will return your coin and drop the disk into the right chute to fulfil its double-your-zorkmids-back policy. Now use the iron disk to buy the battery from the vending machine; you can push the red button yourself. You've tricked the machine to give you the battery for free and you keep the gold zorkmid for the temple puzzle.
a flaming compass rose. Hoo boy. The compass rose is inside the white cube, but it doesn't catch on fire until you expose it to the black cube and its strong antimagic. You are now in a speed-dash where you can't waste any turns. Grab the rose (as a lightsource so you don't get eaten by a grue!) and head immediately to the adventurer. Give the battery to him. Grab his discarded lantern. Open the log book and order the burin to log the task. Rush back inside the white cube. The rose explodes! Touch the sphere and it explodes! Then head up and out of the cube just before it vaporises!
a battered old brass lantern. The adventurer in the dark chamber discards it when you give the battery to him. Take the lantern and get to the temple as quickly as you can, pausing only to have the burin log the task while you're still in the mine. Put the lantern (as the first item) on the crystal cube in the temple as part of the summoning ritual.
Score
In a total of several turns, you have achieved a score of your-score points out of a possible 200, giving you the rank of ranking.
5 points for confirming your name to the burin.
5 points for reading the log book the first time.
5 points for touching the sphere the first time.
5 points for leaving the white cube for the first time.
15 points for unlocking the vault floating over the crater.
5 points for acquiring the black cube.
10 points for giving a working rezrov scroll to the princess.
10 points for asking the burin to log the princess's task.
5 points for making a giant bubble on the ocean.
10 points for giving the black cube to the shark.
5 points for learning the qwerty spell.
10 points for asking the burin to log the shark's task.
5 points for directing the tourist out of the forest.
10 points for escaping the forest yourself.
10 points for directing the tourist to the pot of gold.
10 points for asking the burin to log the tourist's task.
10 points for asking the burin to push the vending machine's black button.
5 points for acquiring the battery.
10 points for acquiring a flaming compass rose.
10 points for reaching the dark chamber where the adventurer is.
5 points for giving the battery to the adventurer.
10 points for asking the burin to log the adventurer's task.