Story Line: 8
Puzzles: 3
Pictures: 8
Endings: 6
Writing Style: 7
Story Line:Again a very nice one. Malifestro, a wizard, has kidnapped and killed Syovar. Bill and June dream about him and both feel something needs to be done. Bill takes out the Ring of Zork and they go back, where they meet up with Fred and Max, two elves who try hard. They then seek Malifestro and meet some weird creatures on the way.
Puzzles:Really predictable after the first book. Most seem to be: magic over weapons, never turn back, and avoid treasure as a side trip. However, the final puzzle is neat and has a funny trap. There's also another one that builds on the previous book.
Pictures:Either Biv and Juran found a magic foutain of youth in addition to Zork, or the publishers decided to target a younger audience(a good choice, considering the, err, confidence-building difficulty of the puzzles!) Malifestro and Max and Fred are all funny, and the thieves and ogres and whatnot are pretty scary, too. Max and Fred are pretty funny, though, as is the Snow Moster of Snurth(who is foreshadowed throughout the novel.) I really like Malifestro, too. He looks evil if drawn slightly differently each time.
Endings:Lots of freaky gothic stuff here. What's scary is that it's not always Malifestro that gets them, and some of the endings are funny, like when Biv takes out a mace and swings it, but it goes off in the opposite direction.
Writing Style:Well written, no complaints. Max and Fred are really fun to read about, and they are not overdone. Malifestro is very urbane, which is nice.
Links to ZORK: the demon is summoned by a palantir in Zork 2. A gnome offers you escape in the bank in Zork 2 if you are trapped. The bumbling wizard in Zork 2 is slightly funnier but less powerful than Malifestro. Also in Zork 1 there is a chapel with the words "Abandon all hope all ye who enter here," and I am pretty sure there is a cyclops puzzle too.
| Pages | Side choices | Puzzle | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7-8-9-10-12 | 18, 23 | Forbidden doorway, roam countryside, or capture elves? | 1 |
| 13-14-16-17 | 25 | Stay in the castle, or start a quest to rescue Syovar? | 1 |
| 28-29-31 | 35:40/42-44:54/56 | Weapons or magic? | 2 |
| 33-34 | 36-37-45, 38-39-45 | Which magic to use? | 0 |
| 45-47-48-49 | 80 | Use magic carpet or sleep for the night? | 1 |
| 50-52-53 | 56 | Cabin or campfire? | 1 |
| 54-55 | 58-59-60, 63-64-65-66:58/61 | Mountain, underground or cabin? | 1 |
| 61 | 70-71 | Did you take weapons or magic? | 0 |
| 67-68-69 | 72-73-75-76 | Talk to miserable young man? | 1 |
| 76-77 | 78 | Take side passage? | 1 |
| 82-83-84-85-86 | 90-91 | Spiral staircase or forbidding gates? | 1 |
| 87-89 | 97 | Do you have a certain item? | 0 |
| 92-94-95 | 96 | Return to castle? | 1 |
| 99-101-103-104 | 105-107-108 | Use the escape potion? | 1 |
| 109-110 | 111-113, 114, 116-117, 125 | What to ask demon for? | 2 |
| 118-120-123-124-126 | The end! |