Editing Zork (section)

==Reception==
===Sales===
Following its 1980 release, ''Zork{{spaces}}I'' became a bestseller from 1982 through 1985,<ref name="Bestseller"/> with 380,000 copies sold by 1986.<ref name="GSW2008"/> In its first nine months Personal Software sold 7,500 copies for the TRS-80 and Apple{{spaces}}II.{{refn|I.e., 1,500 copies of ''Zork{{spaces}}I'' for the TRS-80, and 6,000 copies for the Apple{{spaces}}II.<ref name="History3"/>}} Sales ballooned as Infocom began self-publishing the trilogy and the personal computer market expanded.<ref name="History3"/><ref name="GSW2008"/> ''Zork{{spaces}}I'' had sold 38,000 copies by the end of 1982, nearly 100,000 in 1983, and around 150,000 copies in 1984.<ref name="GSW2008"/> Its success outpaced Infocom's later games; ''[[Inc. (magazine)|Inc.]]'' reported in 1983 that ''Zork{{spaces}}I'', only one of Infocom's fifteen released titles, composed twenty percent of their annual sales.<ref name="Inc1983"/> ''Zork{{spaces}}I'' sales declined beginning in 1985. The second and third parts of ''Zork'' also sold well, though not as highly as the first: more than 170,000 ''Zork{{spaces}}II'' and 130,000 ''Zork{{spaces}}III'' copies sold by 1986.<ref name="GSW2008"/>

Overall sales of the first three episodes reached over 760,000 copies by early 1989.<ref name="GSW2008"/> Combined, they sold more than 250,000 copies by 1984,<ref name="Globe1984"/> and more than 680,000 copies through 1986, including the 1986 ''Zork Trilogy'' compilation release. Between 1982 and 1986, the ''Zork'' trilogy composed more than one-third of Infocom's two million total game sales. [[Activision]] purchased Infocom in 1986 and reported that the three ''Zork'' games and trilogy compilation sold another 80,000 copies by early 1989.<ref name="GSW2008"/><!--''GamePro'' claimed in 1993 that by then two million copies of the game in some form had been sold, but that likely includes other Zork games.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Activision: Return to Zork |magazine=[[GamePro]] |date=August 1993 |issue=49 |page=16 |url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_049_August_1993/page/n17}}</ref>-->

===Reviews===
The episodes of ''Zork'' were highly praised in contemporaneous reviews. ''Byte'' and ''[[80 Micro]]'' praised their writing, which the ''Byte'' reviewer described as "entertaining, eloquent, witty, and precise".<ref name="BYTE1981"/><ref name="80M1981"/> Reviewers for ''[[Softalk]]'' and ''[[The Space Gamer]]'' enjoyed how the parser let them input more complex sentences than did earlier games, the ''Softalk'' review noting that every other game since ''Adventure'' had limited the player to two-word phrases, though they also thought players would largely stick with clearer two-word commands.<ref name="ST1981"/><ref name="SG1981"/> ''80 Micro'' wondered whether ''Zork'' could ever be completed because of how much the parser let the player do.<ref name="80M1981"/> ''Byte'' concluded that "no single advance in the science of ''Adventure'' has been as bold and exciting" as ''Zork'', a sentiment echoed by ''Softalk''.<ref name="BYTE1981"/><ref name="ST1981"/>

In the years after its release, ''Zork{{spaces}}I'' received more reviews praising the game in relation to ''Adventure'' and the genre. [[Jerry Pournelle]] described the mainframe and Personal Software versions as "more difficult and more interesting" than ''Adventure'' in 1980, and recommended the Infocom version in 1983, saying that "if you liked ''Adventure'' and wanted more{{spaces}}... I guarantee you'll love ''Zork''".<ref name="pournelle198012"/><ref name="BYTE1983"/> ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' in 1982, ''[[PCMag|PC Magazine]]'' in 1982, and ''[[SoftSide]]'' in 1983 all recommended it as a "must-have" for anyone interested in fantasy or adventure games.<ref name="CGWJan1982"/><ref name="PCM1982-1"/><ref name="SSM1983"/> ''[[Family Computing]]'', in late 1983, proclaimed it a classic of the genre and the game that made the adventure genre more than a novelty.<ref name="FC1983"/>

Reviewers similarly praised ''Zork''{{'s}} second and third episodes. ''[[Softalk|Softline]]'' recommended ''Zork{{spaces}}II'' for its "well-balanced mix of humor, wit, and wry puns" for both new and experienced players.<ref name="SL1982"/> ''PC Magazine'' said it would appeal to all players and that the game was challenging, enjoyable, and funny.<ref name="PCM1982"/> A reviewer for ''Softalk'' said it broke away from both the first episode and ''Adventure'' to be "fresh and interesting".<ref name="ST1982-1"/> Some of the puzzles in ''Zork{{spaces}}II'' were later considered "infamously difficult", and in a hint book, Infocom apologized for one puzzle's difficulty and reliance on baseball knowledge.<ref name="GS2007"/><ref name="INVISI2"/> Reviews in ''Softalk'' and ''[[Creative Computing (magazine)|Creative Computing]]'' named ''Zork{{spaces}}III'' as the best in the trilogy.<ref name="ST1982-2"/><ref name="CC1983"/> ''[[PC World]]'' said it was "just as exciting and puzzling as ''Zork{{spaces}}I'' and ''II''", though its puzzles could be frustrating.<ref name="PCW1983"/> ''K-Power'' concluded that ''Zork{{spaces}}III'' was "the most intelligent text game for a microcomputer that we've ever seen".<ref name="KP1984"/>

''Commodore Magazine'', in June 1983, described the combined trilogy as the most popular adventure game, as well as the best.<ref name="CM1983"/> ''The Addison-Wesley Book of Atari Software 1984'' gave all three parts of ''Zork'' an overall A+ rating. It called ''Zork{{spaces}}I'' "the definitive adventure game", adding that ''Zork{{spaces}}II'' "has the same outstanding command flexibility, wry humor, and word recognition of ''Zork''", and concluded that ''Zork{{spaces}}III'' was "perhaps the most entertaining of the three" and "a highwater mark for subtlety and logic".<ref name="AW1984"/> ''[[InfoWorld]]'s Essential Guide to Atari Computers'' recommended the trilogy as among the best adventure games for the Atari 8-bit computer.<ref name="mace1984"/>