Installing and Playing Zork Games
on Modern Operating Systems
Want to run the Zork games but don't want to install an old OS?
As you all know, the Zork series of games are getting older and our computers are getting less and less like the machines we originally played Zork on. That makes playing these excellent games harder as time goes on. Luckily, there's technologies to help us, all we need to do is to learn how to use them to make these classic games work. This website is a project designed to compile information about playing Zork games on as many modern operating systems as possible.
There are many options for playing Zork interactive fiction on almost any operating system. Below are links to some solutions, grouped by operating system.
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Windows
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Linux
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Mac OS X
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Windows Mobile
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Android
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iPhone
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WebOS
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Palm OS
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Web Browser
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Kindle
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Windows Phone 7
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- Good Old Games is selling The Zork Anthology (Zork I-III, Zork Zero, Beyond Zork, Planetfall), Return to Zork, Zork Nemesis and Zork Nemesis in downloadable form, without DRM, and works on Windows XP, Vista and 7 (32-bit and 64-bit). You can also use this GOGmix to find all the Zork games at Good Old Games.
- Gametap is a subscription-based service for Windows that allows unlimited use of games that it provides. It has Zork I-III and Zork Zero in its retro games secton.
- Virtualization: Virtualization programs allow you to run other operating systems virtually. In the case of Zork, you could for example run Windows 98 in a virtual machine on a Mac to play the Windows version of Zork Nemesis. You will need your own copy of the operating system you will virtualize. Some examples of virtualization programs include:
I need help with the writing of and testing of these guides. If you have a game/operating system that is currently without a guide, please write a guide in the style of the current ones and send it in. Guides for playing the games on Mac OS X are needed most because I don't have a Mac that I can test on. Questions, comments or suggestions are welcome too. I also haven't tried any of these games on Windows 8 yet. Have you? Let me know. I want to make this a comprehensive resource for all Zork fans.
Were these guides helpful? If so, please make a donation to help pay our hosting bills!
2013-03-20
- Removed entries for Macintosh versions of the games because there's no good solutions.
- Added links to Zengine guides for Zork Nemesis and Zork Grand Inquisitor.
- Fixed WinFrotz and PalmFortz URLs.
- Fixed a ZGI->ZN find/replace error from the previous update.
- Switched Mac OS X recommendations from Darwine to Wineskin since Wineskin is better maintained these days.
2012-10-31
- Added Rezrov, JFrotz and IronRealms to list of text adventure links.
- Added info about Zengine and work in progress guides.
- Added entries in table for GOG versions of ZGI and ZN.
- Added reference to DosBox Turbo for Android in Zork Nemesis on Android table entry.
- Added mention of Windows 8.
- Added reference to Zork Nemesis guide about the program Turbo and using it to slow down Zork Nemesis to avoid crashes in certain sections.
2012-06-27
- Added note about black screen fix with Optimus graphics on laptops to ZGI and ZN guides.
- Fixed guide to installing Zork Nemesis when you can't run the installer. Some files weren't being copied in right. Thanks for Evan for the fix.
- Various minor HTML fixes.
2012-06-23
- Removed links to Wine and Crossover games for Linux because that solution is a dead end. Marisa-Chan's Zengine is a better option. I left links to Darwine for Mac OS X because it is on the only potential option.
- Added VMWare and Parallels to list of virtualization programs.
- Added Frotz.NET for Windows Phone 7.
- Link to directly to Gametap Retro for Gametap.
- Switched some phrasing for clarity.
- Added GOG affiliate links.
2012-01-05
- Fixed link to Frotz for Linux.
- Added link to Kwest for Linux.
2011-12-01
- Fixed link to DOSBox wiki in Guide using DOSBoxs.
- Added entry in mobile operating systems table for DOS version of Zork Nemesis.
- Added info on using aDOSBox and DOSPad with the DOS version of Zork Nemesis.
- Added WebOS info to mobile operating systems table.
- Minor formatting and wording changes.
2011-11-30
- Linked to Android Market for Android version of ScummVM in DOSBox-based Return to Zork guide.
- Removed mention of Zork Grand Inquisitor from Gametap section as they no longer carry it.
- Added mention of GOG selling Zork Grand Inquisitor.
- Moved virtualization programs out of table and into "Other Ways to Play" section.
- Added info on Basilisk virtualization in the "Other Ways to Play" section.
- Removed some unnecessary links from the table.
- Added mention of Marisa-Chan's Zengine implementation for Linux as possible ways to run Zork Nemesis and Zork Grand Inquisitor in Linux
- Removed link to Legends of Zork since the game closed down.
- Minor formatting fixes.
2011-03-29
- Adjusted references to Mac Classic to show they only work on Mac OS X ≤ 10.4.11 instead of 10.4 on PowerPC Macs.
- Added mention of GOG selling Zork Nemesis.
2011-02-05
- Clarified info on iPhone/iOS in table.
- Added reference to Good Old Games in "Other Ways to Play" section.
- Updated situation with installing ScummVM on Android in ScummVM Return to Zork guide.
- Added links to Frotz.NET, KIF and PortableQuest to interactive fiction section.
- Added reference to propaganda sound problem to Zork Grand Inquisitor guide.
- Added a link to Molokaicreeper's guide to running Zork Grand Inquisitor on Mac OS X.
- Added credit to Mordack that has been missing for a while.
- Adjusted mentions of emulating Mac OS with SheepShaver after learning Zork Grand Inquisitor requires Mac OS 8.6 or later.
- Minor formatting adjustments.
2010-05-15
- For interactive fiction, renamed "Chrome OS/Browser" to "Web Browser" and "Palm" to "Palm OS".
- Added "WebOS" interactive fiction section with ZOPP LITE as the first entry.
- Fixed link to Pilot Frotz.
- Due to reports of problems with the script for automatically installing ZGI, I removed it from the main guide instructions. It is still available from the "Other Information" section at the bottom of the Guide using anyone who may need it.
- Added notes on the current problems with ScummVM for Android to the Return to Zork guide.
- Added info on PanRelief to "Other Information" sections of ZGI and ZN guides for Windows.
2010-01-11
- Added a link back to index at top of each guide.
- Removed SoftDVDMax from ZGI MPEG2 info due to problems some people had with it. DVDExpress is now the only recommendation for MPEG2 in ZGI.
- Clarified info regarding DVD/MPEG2 video playback to the Zork Grand Inquisitor Guide using Windows.
- Added a link to @zorkgame as another way to play Zork in your browser.
- Added links to Mac-on-Linux and Mac-on-Mac for playing the Mac versions of Zork Grand Inquisitor and Zork Nemesis.
- Added a table for playing graphical Zork games on mobile operating systems. This currently includes a Guide using playing Return to Zork through ScummVM on Android and helpful links for iPhone OS and Windows Mobile.
- Cleaned up the changelog.
2009-12-19
- Fixed some bugs in the Zork Nemesis Windows guide.
- I'm now hosting full versions of the .zix files you need for Zork Nemesis and Zork Grand Inquisitor guides for Windows.
- Added section to Zork Grand Inquisitor Guide using Windows to help if you can't run the installer.
- Minor formatting adjustments in the Zork Grand Inquisitor Guide using Windows.
- Added more ways to play Zork online in your browser.
2009-12-15
- Added ScummVM Guide using Return to Zork (on all operating systems).
- Added information about CD Audio and the v1.2 patch to all Return to Zork guides.
- Added more info on Windows Vista and Windows 7 to the Zork Grand Inquisitor and Zork Nemesis guides for Windows.
- Added info regarding DVD/MPEG2 video playback to the Zork Grand Inquisitor Guide using Windows.
- Added more info to the table above about playing on Macs.
- Added rows to the table for the Macintosh version of Zork Nemesis and Zork Grand Inquisitor, and the DOS version of Zork Nemesis.
- Added links to play Zork text adventures in your web browser or on Chrome OS.
- General reformatting and cleanup.
- Added donation buttons. Please donate to help keep these guides online!
2009-04-17
- Added link to Filfre.
- Clarified RTZ with ScummVM note.
- Fixed patch link and typos in manual install section for Zork Nemesis guide.
2009-01-23
- Separated interactive fiction games and graphical games into two different sections because the many options for interactive fiction games wouldn't fit in the table cleanly.
- Completely reworked interactive fiction information. I now provide just links to the many solutions because of their simplicity, often only involving "install program, run program, load game, play" for instructions.
- Moved the guides closer to the top of the page.
- Added "Other Notes Regarding Graphical Zork Games" section to detail other options and considerations for playing the graphical games that don't quite fit in with the purpose of the table.
- Added "Quick Navigation" links to the top of the page that point to graphical games and interactive fiction games info sections.
- Cleaned up website code so that it validates as XHTML 1.0 Strict to improve compatibility across browsers.
2009-01-16
- Windows guides have been combined into a "Windows XP/Vista" label, because they should support Vista, based on user feedback.
- Added reference to the Zork Grand Inquisitor patch for the CD version of the game in the ZGI Windows guide.
- More troubleshooting tips have been added to the "Other Information" section at the bottom of the Zork Nemesis and Zork Grand Inquisitor guides for Windows.
- Added links to information on where to begin to look for help for configurations without a guide.
- Some parts of all guides have been adjusted or clarified.
- News section added.
2008-07-01
- Initial publishing of the website. Includes Windows XP guides for Zork Grand Inquisitor & Zork Nemesis, and Windows/Linux DOSBox guides for Return to Zork.
This project was created by Kevin (KM3K) of KevinBecker.net and The Zork Library. Assistance and inspiration was provided by DAT of The Zork Library, Mordack (for his original Zork Nemesis installation guide), members of The Zork Library forum and members of the Legends of Zork forum. Icons are from the Tango Project and are used under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license. Guides are public domain unless otherwise specified. Contact Kevin at zorkguides@gmail.com.
Guide using ScummVM
Use DOSBox with this Mac-specific DOSBox guide.
No solution yet.