Download Enchanter

Enchanter is another text-based adventure by the lords of interactive fiction, Infocom. The game itself takes place in the world of Zork, but it is more serious. An evil warlock called Krill wants to destroy your world, and the Circle has chosen you, a young and inexperienced Enchanter, to defeat him and fulfill the prophecy. So...

The Circle rises and intones a richly woven spell, whose many textures imbue the small, darkened chamber with warmth and hope. There is a surge of power; you are Sent.

If you've played any of Infocom's works before, then you won't be surprised to see a well-written story, a very intelligent parser, and a world which draws you in after a few minutes. There is nothing to be said about the graphics, except the ones you see before you while reading, and those are amazing. There is no sound either, except what you hear as the story unfolds.

The way you act is exactly the same as in any other interactive fiction: you simply type in a verb, and the name of an object you wish to interact with, i.e. "look castle".However, as an Enchanter you will need to use your book of spells to solve problems. Be sure to read your spell book before you go on your journey, and don't forget to learn a spell before you use it. During your quest you will encounter many magical scrolls, which disappear after you've used them; it is wise to use the "Copy To Spell Book" spell on them, to keep them for future use, as you will need certain spells frequently. One thing that I found annoying is that you need to eat, drink and sleep every now and then, even if you cannot see anything edible and there are dark shadows lurking around; so take everything movable, look everywhere, and try everything. Fortunately, the Circle of Enchanters will resurrect you a few times, before you finally pass out.

The game itself isn't incredibly hard, so even those new to interactive fiction can give it a try, especially since you can save and restore. There's nothing special you need to run it except DOSBox. Because of the thirst-and-hunger feature, I give it a 4, but I strongly recommend it to anyone who likes to read very good stories.