ZORK ZERO is a text adventure with some graphic additions. Since there is only one small maze in the entire Zork Zero game, I'm going to give detailed directions for reaching a place only when they are absolutely necessary. I will only refer you to the parchment, calendar, and blueprint that come with the game for information needed from them. I do recommend saving your game frequently.
You start as a waiter in the banquet hall. Follow the orders you receive to
go to the Scullery, the Kitchen, and back to the Banquet Hall. A few moves later Megaboz will appear. Dive under the table, and after the panic, be
sure to stand up and take the piece of parchment. Everything will fade after the king dies, and the real game will start 94 years later.
You start in the great hall. Take the parchment and the calendar. Read
the parchment supplied with the game, and you will discover that you need 24 items (2 for each of the 12 Flatheads) and a magic word to
complete the game. Each time you get one of these items, your score will go up by 12 points. South of the hall are the audience chamber and the
throne room, where you will find a SCEPTER, the first of the 24 items you need. You can also read the proclamation in the Entrance Hall, which is
north from your starting place.
West of the hall is a garden with a flamingo that you will need later, and a
locked door to the west wing. Northwest of the hall you will find a parlor with a fish tank containing a lobster (needed later), and west of the
Parlor, the Torch Room. You can take the torches for amusement, but they will burn out soon and are not really needed.
East of the Great Hall is a Courtyard leading to the locked East Wing.
North of the Courtyard is the Banquet Hall, which is a good place to leave most objects while they are not needed.
Upstairs and South from the great hall in the Gallery is a rebus which is
covered by six flattened animals. Go South into the closet, and press the button there; one of the animals will be removed from the rebus. You will
encounter five more such buttons, each of which will remove an animal when pressed. Take the bag of food from the Closet.
Every time you obtain one of the 24 needed items, your score will increase by 12 points. There is a character called the Jester, who will both help and annoy you. He will give you a funny paper and a slate, both of which contain important information that may vary from game to game. When he sticks a clown nose on your face, you must remove it before you suffocate. When he turns you into an alligator, you will drop all your possessions and be unable to pick up anything until you turn back a few moves later. When the bedbug appears, sleep, yawn, lie down, or sing a lullaby to get rid of it.
Read the calendar, especially the FUN FAX for Suspendur. Follow the
suggestion to get into the secret wing. Take the candle from the secret passage; it seems to be a magic candle that will stay lit. Go south and go
west at the Tee to the Solar. There is a key here for the East Wing. To take the key you must solve the Jester's riddle: The answer is "Y."
West of the Solar is Dimwit's Room and a closet containing a magic glove
and a magic cloak. Take them and wear the glove. You will need the cloak later. There is a fly in the Parapet above the Solar, but you will not be able
to get it now.
Follow the east branch of the Tee to the Bottom of Stair. Go South into
the Dungeon, and down the hole. Take and wear the SEAMAN'S CAP (second of the 24 items), and wait a few turns if necessary. The Jester
will appear and ask you a riddle: If he is identical to his brother, but is not a twin, then what is he? Answer triplet (or quadruplet or quintuplet), and
you will escape from the Oubliette.
Go to the Torture chamber southwest of the dungeon, and open all the
torture devices until you find and take the METRONOME (item 3).
Go to the Entrance Hall, and ring the bell. The Jester will ask you a riddle.
Answer "time," and the Portcullis will open. Go north to the Inner Bailey, and take the worm (needed later). Continue northwest to the Causeway
and Barbican. Go up, and turn the wheel to open the bridge. Continue northwest to the Drawbridge, and the Outer Bailey. The Perimeter Wall
northwest of the Bailey cannot be passed until the end of the game.
Go southwest from the Bailey to the Garrison, and open the locker. Take
the key, which opens the West wing. Go northeast and follow the northeast path to the Shady Park. You can explore the church to the
South, but it is not essential to the game. In the URS Office North of the park, answer "bookkeeper" to the riddle and take the Zorkmid Coin. Go
back to the park, and East to the Village Center. The courtroom to the North is not essential to the game.
Go south from the Village Center to the Post Office. Take the package
and open it. The magic homing pigeon works as follows: Anyone who takes it will be transported to the location of the perch. Go north to the Center,
and east to the FrobozzCo Lobby. Climb to the office of Frank Lloyd Flathead (see the calendar for its location) and take the T-SQUARE (item
4). Then walk down to the basement.
Press the button in the basement, and continue South to Philharmonic
hall. Stand on the conductor's stand, and you will be transported to the basement. Get off and take the VIOLIN (item 5). Get back on the stand to
re-enter the hall. The areas to the south and east are not essential to the game. Return to the Lobby, and continue east and north to the
Magic Shop, where you can take the Ring of Ineptitude. Go back to the castle.
Make sure you have the iron key and the candle, and go to the Courtyard.
Unlock and open the door. North of the East Wing is the Library. Touch the armor 3 times to get the LANCE (item 6). Read the encyclopedia
about various things. In particular, read the entry about the Jester, as you will need his name. South of the East Wing is a Chapel. Open the trap
door, which is a short cut to the Crypt.
East of the East Wing are the Guest Rooms. Take the wand, which can
animate or freeze objects for 16 turns. Go east again to the Servants' Quarters, and up to the Jester's Quarters. Open the large door, and go
North twice to the Pyramid room. Take and wear the goggles. They will enable you to look into objects. Return to the Jester's Quarters.
Open the small door, and you will be confronted by the Tower Of Bozbar
(more commonly known as the Tower of Hanoi). [Ed's note: Save your game before starting this puzzle!] The recursive procedure to solve this puzzle
is as follows: To move N weights from one peg to another, move N-1 weights to the remaining peg, move the Nth weight to the target peg, and move
the N-1 weights to the target peg. The large door in the Jester's Quarters will open only when all weights are on one of the pegs, and will
1 of 3 different rooms, each of which contains an object you need.
You already have the goggles from the center peg. Move the weights to
the right peg (it will take 63 moves) and obtain the MANUSCRIPT (item 7). Move the weights to the left peg and obtain the cup with the magic
potion. Return to the main part of the Castle.
Make sure you have the candle, the wand, and the steel key, and are
wearing the goggles. Go down from the Kitchen, and take the Walnut. Then go into the parlor, and point the wand at the Lobster; it will turn
into a nutcracker. Go south and southwest. Unlock and open the door, then enter the West Wing. Try to go West from the West Wing and the
Jester will ask you to show him something that nobody has ever seen before and nobody will ever see again. Open the walnut with the
nutcracker, and show it to Jester. Then eat it. This will allow you to go further West later on.
North of the West Wing is the Peg Room. Play Peggleboz (If you are unable to win, one solution is QG SQ HR UL IK TI EJ OG AE FN MO LJ PF FC BD DK
QG EJ OG.) Go north to the Gaming Room. The Jester will play a shell game. Since you are wearing the goggles, you will see exactly where the
ZORKMID BILL (item 8) is. Point there and you will get it. Stow all your items, and pick up the DUMBBELL (item 9) in the gym south of the West
Wing. Return to the main part of the Castle and stow the dumbbell.
Make sure you have the candle, the coin, the pigeon, the perch, and the
cloak, and are wearing the glove. (Note: You may have to try more than once to pick up the pigeon.) Go down from the Great Hall to the Lower Hall,
and down again to the Lowest Hall.
To the South is a closed vault door. Examine the door, then examine the
dial, and turn it to any number. Because of the dexterity the glove gives you, you will automatically crack the safe. Open the door, go south, and
take the STOCK CERTIFICATE (item 10). Also go north from the Lowest hall, and take the magic passages. Read the notice that flies out when
you take them.
From the Lower hall, go southwest to the Great Underground Highway,
south to the Exit, and west to the Field Office. The blueprint there is supplied with the game. The memo indicates that a hard-hat was left in
one of the lots. Go west to lot 47.
The closest you can get to the hat is a Knight's (as in chess) move away.
Go there; you will need to install the magic passages to do so. You do not need the hammer you will find along the way. When you arrive, drop the
perch and wear the cloak You will be transported to the Plain, an area constructed like a chessboard. Explore the area until you find one of the
knights. Drop the pigeon; the knight will pick it up and be transported.
Take off the cloak to return from the plain. The knight will be with you
holding the pigeon and the perch. Take the pigeon from him, and tell him to go to the hard-hat location: "SOLDIER, x THEN xx." Drop the pigeon, and
take it to join him. He will be wearing the hard-hat. Tell him to reverse his move, and repeat the process with the pigeon. Take all to get the hat and
the perch, and work your way out of the construction zone.
From the Exit go south to the Crossroad, and south again to the Toll
Booth. Read the sign and put the coin in the basket. Ditch the cloak, and other unneeded items here, or your hands will be too full. Follow the south
path all the way to the Orb Room, and take the orbs. Return to the Crossroads and go east to the Cave-In. The Jester will ask you for his
middle name, which you found in the encyclopedia. Answer correctly, and take the anti-pit bomb.
Return to the Lower Hall, and go down twice to the Pits. Throw the bomb
at the pits, and you will be able to take the LANTERN (item 11). Go back up to the lower hall and north to the Laboratory and take the
SCREWDRIVER (item 12). Return to the castle to stow your loot.
Make sure you are carrying the candle, and are NOT carrying the pigeon.
Go back to the Crossroads and take the west path. When you reach the Fork, continue west all the way to the Wharf, and west to the Casino. The
Jester will ask you to play Double Fanucci. Sit down and begin playing. If you read the calendar about Babe Flathead, you will be able to eventually
win, and take the broom.
Stand up and go south, east, and north to reach the Inquisition. Take the
box that is there, and a number, and read the rules. When your number comes up, enter "EXECUTIONER, BEHEAD ME," which is paradoxical to the
posted rules. You will be put back into the Fishing Village. Go south twice, and southeast to the Warning Room. It is a good idea to save your game
at this point. Read the sign and go northeast to the Room of Three Doors. Read the doors. Two of the doors have statements that would
both be [false] if the door led to Wishyfoo territory. Open the remaining door, and take the shovel. Go down, and you will be at the fork.
Return to the castle. In the Secret Wing go to the Cell, which is
southeast from the Dungeon. Sweep the cobwebs, and you will find a GLASS FLASK (item 13). Go north from the Bottom of Stair and north
again into the crypt. By now you should have received the funny paper. Look under the indicated slab, and a hole to the Oracle will appear. You
should also have received the slate. Work your way outdoors to the outer Bailey, stand at the stump (remember the slateis old and the tree was
living at the time) , follow the directions, and dig with the shovel. Open the chest and take the GAUDY CROWN (item 14). Return to the castle and
stow everything.
Be sure to have the squid repellent, pigeon, perch, and candle, and to
wear the seaman's cap. Enter the Lower Level, and go southeast to the Royal Zoo, and east to the West Shore of the Lake. Enter the dock; then
enter the boat and examine the controls. Press the white button (while wearing the cap), and the yacht will go to the middle of the lake.
Go down to the Hold, and examine the Bathysphere. Drop the squid
repellent, open the Bathysphere, enter it, close the door, and examine the controls. Turn on the lights, put your hand in the hole, grab the squid
repellent, and push the lever down. Wait until you reach the bottom. Release the repellent, grab the ruby, which is on the bottom, and push the
lever up. When you reach the top, remove your hand from the hole, open the door, get out, and take the ruby.
Go up, and press the green button to go to the South shore. Leave the
yacht, leave the dock, and go west to the stream. When you try to go west, the Jester will ask you a riddle. Answer "music" and you will receive a
DIPLOMA (item 15). Go back east, south to the Edge of Desert, east to the Great Underground Savannah (you will get the fly later), and
northeast to the Great Underground Woods. Leave the fox for now, and continue north to the Base of Mountain. Go east up the mountain and
take the amulet.
Push the boulder, and you will be able to continue north to the Grotto.
Press the button (3) and continue northeast to the Shrine. The elixir here is toxic, as you will discover if you use the straw from the kitchen to
drink it, but what you have to do is merely touch it. Leave most of your possessions here; you need to keep the pigeon and the candle, and be
sure to leave the perch. Go to the Grotto, and go down. You will fall into the Lowest Hall with some gravel. Take the gravel, the candle, and the
pigeon to get back. Put the gravel in the bowl, and repeat this two more times (so that there are 3 helpings of gravel in the bowl). You can now
touch the elixir. This will enable you to take the flies. Take your possessions, and wear the cap and the amulet.
Return to the base of the mountain and go north to the Stable, where
you can take the SADDLE (item 16) and the rooster. On your way back to the docks take the fox and the fly. Get onto the yacht, press the yellow
button to go back, make your way to the Castle, and stow you possessions. On your way back, pick up the toboggan from the Kennels
(west of the Royal Zoo). DO NOT leave the rooster alone with either the fox or the worm!
Take ONLY the fox, rooster, and worm with you. Go to the West Hall, and
continue west to the Dirigible Hanger. Enter the dirigible, and press the right button. Wait until you arrive in Fenshire. Leave the dirigible, go south
to the Deserted Castle, east to the Ruined Hall, and north to the Marsh.
Give the fox, rooster, and worm to the Jester, who will now have all the
ingredients for Borphbelly Stew -- although he'll insist on going North to the Nice Lunch Spot. You now face the old puzzle (more commonly given as
fox, goose, and corn). You can carry only one item, and cannot leave the rooster with either the fox or the worm. The solution is: Carry the rooster
north. Drop it, return, and take the fox north. Take the rooster, and drop the fox. Go south, take the worm, and drop the rooster. Go north,
drop the worm, and return to take the rooster North.
The Jester will make the stew, and you will end up in the Fenshire Hangar
with a hexagonal block. Press the left button to return to the Castle; you will have to go to Fenshire again later.
Wear the amulet, and take the ruby, candle, toboggan, pigeon, perch and
all 4 orbs. Go to the Crypt and down to the Oracle. Drop the perch, and put the ruby in the depression to activate the Oracle. If you examine the
amulet, anywhere from none to all 4 of the eyes may be open. Every few turns the Oracle will blink, and the number of open eyes will increase by 1
(or cycle from 4 to 0). Enter the Oracle at a time when one eye is open; you will be transported to the Glacier.
Drop the toboggan, and ride it; you will slide down to Mirror Lake. Look at
all 4 orbs in the mirror. One of them will show a sleeping maiden. Discard the 3 that do not, throwing the last one east. The reaction will put you on
the west side of the lake. Enter the Chalet, and take the SCALE MODEL (item 17). Drop and take the pigeon to return to the Oracle.
Leave the perch at the Oracle, continue wearing the amulet, and equip
yourself with the pigeon, the proper orb, candle, hexagonal block, and wand. Go down to the Royal Zoo, and drop the pigeon. SAVE YOUR GAME
AT THIS POINT. You may have to wait a few turns here to get the timing right. You have only 16 turns before the rope reverts into a snake.
Point the wand at the snake, which will turn into a rope. Open the cage,
and take the rope and the pigeon to get back to the Oracle. Enter the Oracle when no eyes are open. You will be transported to the Crag. Go
down to the Upper Ledge, tie the rope to the Spire. Go down to the Lower Ledge, and take the EASEL (item 18), and the LANDSCAPE (item 19). Drop
and take the pigeon to get back.
Return to the Crag as before and press the button (4). Go northeast (or
southeast) to the Natural Arch, and down to the Enchanted Cave. Put the orb on the altar, and take the flower. Return to the Crag, go
southwest to the Hollow. Put the block in the hole, and go south to the Iron Mine. Take the sapphire, and return to the Oracle via the pigeon drop.
Return to Fenshire, and go south from the Ruined Hall to the Hothouse,
and play Snarfem (Nim). If you do not know how to play look at the flowers. The ones on the left show the pile number; those on the right show how
many to take. After you win, take the FAN (item 20). In the Ruined Hall, put the flower in the vase, go east, and take the ladder. Return to the castle.
Make sure you are wearing the hard-hat and the amulet, and have the
candle, pigeon, and lantern. Enter the Oracle when all 4 eyes are open; you will be transported to the Mine Entrance. Go east to the Rubble Room,
north to the Heart of Mine, and north to the Crawl. Press the button there (5). Go northwest and take the QUILL PEN (item 21).
Leave the mine, go west to the Coast Road, and southwest to Flathead
Stadium. You will be unable to take the club. Go southeast to the Edge of Bog, and east to the Cliff Bottom. Turn on the lantern, go up to the
Precipice, and east to the Aerie. A bird will take one of your light sources. Continue southeast to the Icky Cave. Summon the witches (see the
Ottobur page in the calendar to learn how). Say hello to one of the witches. They'll ask for 6 gloops of water from the Great Underground
Oasis, and will give you a 9-gloop vial.
Leave the Cave. Search the nest, and take the TIE (item 22). Your light
sources will be at the Cliff Bottom. Turn off the lantern, and return to the castle via the pigeon drop.
Make sure you are wearing the amulet, and carrying the candle, pigeon, and ladder. Enter the Oracle when 3 eyes are open to reach the Foot of Statue. Go southwest to the view, south to Outside Hut, and west to Megaboz's Hut. Read the poem. Leave the ladder and climb it. Open the trap door, and go up to the Attic. Press the button -- the last of the six buttons in the game. You will come back later to open the trunk. Return to the view (leaving the ladder behind). Go southeast to the Cairn, and east to the side of the Shack. Read the sign and go northeast into Gumboz's Shack. Take the 4-gloop vial. Gumboz will cast a hunger spell on you. Return to the Castle by the pigeon drop.
Take the bag of food and the wand (as well as the candle you are carrying) and go to the Formal Garden. Point the wand at the Flamingo; it will become a lawn ornament. Go east to the Great Hall, down, and north twice to reach the Testing Room. Put the Flamingo into one of the booths, and enter the other. Open the bag and wait until the ornament becomes a Flamingo again. Press the button, and YOU will become a flamingo! Eat the food to remove the hunger spell.
Make sure you are carrying both vials, the candle, and are wearing the
cap. Take the yacht to the green dock. Go south, west, and ride the camel. Before the camel will enter the desert, he must drink water at the
Stream. From the Edge of Desert, go south, southwest, southeast twice, and northeast to the Great Underground Oasis. Dismount. You can get 6
gloops as follows: Fill the 9-gloop vial, and fill the 4-gloop vial from it twice.
This will leave 1 gloop in the large vial, which you can transfer to the small
one. Fill the large vial, and fill the 4-gloop vial from it. Six gloops will remain in
the 9-gloop vial.
Return with the vial to the witches. When you give them the vial, they discover that they need some brogmoid earwax. Take the cup of potion, and go all the way down from the Great Hall to the Pits, and continue following the path down to the ear of the brogmoid. Drink the potion and listen. The fungi will be seeking a long-lost cousin (the name will vary from game to game). Return to the Castle.
By now the entire rebus will be visible. The solution is (note that it is a
mirror image): TIRED PINE, IRON MINE, WORE, MAGIC STORE. These combine with the poem in Megaboz's hut. Take the Ring of Ineptitude, and
the sapphire (plus candle, amulet, potion, pigeon). Return to the Fublio valley, and follow the path west from the View all the way to On Top of the
World. Drink more potion and call for the cousin by name. Take the small fungus that appears.
Work your way back down to the View. Go southeast, south and down to
the Quarry (in the shadow of a tired pine). Wear the Ring of Ineptitude (you will drop all you are holding), and take the sapphire. Remove the ring.
You can now go to the Attic and unlock the trunk. Open the trunk and take the notebook and the fly. Read the notebook to get the magic word.
Gather your items and return to the castle. Work your way to the ear
again, and drop the fungus. You are now able to go further IN and take the earwax. Finally, give the wax to the Antharian witches, and go grab the
CLUB (item 23) at the Stadium.
Before going to the Delta, go to the Parapet above the Solar in the
secret wing, and take the fly there. Enter the Oracle when 2 eyes are open to reach the delta. This is the only maze in the game. One solution is
as follows: Go southwest twice and then northwest to reach the toad. Try to take the SPYGLASS (item 24). You will have to ask the toad for it.
Furthermore, you will have to call him by name. Look up his name in the calendar article on John Paul Flathead. The toad will ask for the 4 flies,of which you only have 3.
Go north, then northeast twice to the River's End. Take the fly and go
southwest, northwest, and southwest back to the toad. Give him the flies, and ask for the spyglass. Take it and return to the Castle. You
should now have all 24 items and the magic word. Do as instructed on the parchment. Now you can go past the Perimeter Wall (northwest of the
Outer Bailey), and watch the Castle turn into the small white house with a mailbox: The starting point of ZORK I!