Installing and Playing Zork Games on Modern Operating Systems

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.

	Windows XP/Vista/7	Linux	Mac OS X
Return to Zork (DOS version on Floppy or CD)	ScummVM-based guide last update: 2011-11-30 DOSBox-based guide last update: 2010-01-11	ScummVM-based guide last update: 2011-11-30 DOSBox-based guide last update: 2010-01-11	ScummVM-based guide last update: 2011-11-30 Use DOSBox with this Mac-specific DOSBox guide.
Zork Nemesis (Windows version on CD or ZGI DVD)	Guide last update: 2010-05-15	Try Wine or Crossover Games with info from Wine's AppDB listing for ZN. Try Marisa-Chan's work-in-progress Zengine port.	Try Darwine with info from Wine's AppDB listing for ZN.
Zork Nemesis (Macintosh version on CD)	No solution yet.	No solution yet.	PowerPC Macs w/ Mac OS X ≤ 10.4.11 only: Use Classic Environment. Other Macs: No solution yet.
Zork Nemesis (DOS version on CD)	Use DOSBox with this generic DOSBox guide.	Use DOSBox with this generic DOSBox guide.	Use DOSBox with this Mac-specific DOSBox guide.
Zork Grand Inquisitor (Windows version on CD or DVD)	Guide last update: 2011-02-05	Try Wine or Crossover Games with info from Wine's AppDB listing for ZGI. Try Marisa-Chan's work-in-progress Zengine port.	Use Darwine with info from Wine's AppDB listing for ZGI.
Zork Grand Inquisitor (Macintosh version on CD)	No solution yet.	No solution yet.	PowerPC Macs w/ Mac OS X ≤ 10.4.11: Use Classic Environment with Molokaicreeper's guide. Other Macs: No solution yet.

	Windows Mobile	Android	iOS	WebOS
Return to Zork (DOS version on Floppy or CD)	Use ScummVM with instructions from the ScummVM wiki.	ScummVM-based guide last update: 2011-11-30	Use ScummVM with instructions from the ScummVM wiki on your rooted iOS device.	Use ScummVM with instructions from the ScummVM wiki.
Zork Nemesis (DOS version on CD)	No solution yet.	Try aDosBox, which is a version of DOSBox for Android >= 2.2.	Try DOSPad, which is a version of DOSBox for iOS >= 4.2.	Try DOSBox for WebOS.

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 want to make this a comprehensive resource for all Zork fans.

2012-01-05

Fixed link to Frotz for Linux.
Added link to Kwest for Linux.

2011-12-01

Fixed link to DOSBox wiki in DOSBox-based guides.
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 for 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 for 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 for 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 for Windows to help if you can't run the installer.
Minor formatting adjustments in the Zork Grand Inquisitor guide for Windows.
Added more ways to play Zork online in your browser.

2009-12-15

Added ScummVM guide for 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 for 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.