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Sorcerer (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Sorcerer is an interactive fiction
computer game written by Steve Meretzky
and released by Infocom
in 1984. It is the second game in the magic
-themed "Enchanter trilogy", preceded by Enchanter
and followed by Spellbreaker
. It is Infocom's eleventh game.
but a close friend as well. Lately, though, Belboz has seemed different. He's always distracted, even talking to himself at length. Whatever he's dealing with, Belboz doesn't see fit to confide in anyone. Surely he knows what he's doing.
But then, Belboz suddenly disappears. If he is under the influence of some evil power, the results could be disastrous — Belboz is one of the most powerful Enchanters in the land. Someone must uncover what has happened to him, and naturally that task falls to the player's character.
Sorcerer features several memorable puzzles, including an invisible but deadly glass maze and a toxic coal mine where the player must engage in short-term time travel
. In addition to the spell-casting system introduced in Enchanter, there are also several magic potions to be found. Potions, naturally, are used by drinking them and each can only be used once.
(Note: the Infotater was found in the original package only. When the game was later re-released in the "gray stripe" box format, the Infotater was replaced by a "Field Guide to the Creatures of Frobozz" brochure containing the same information. Consequently, original Infotaters are highly sought-after by collectors.)
Rescue a magician lost in a doomed kingdom!
Interactive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
computer game written by Steve Meretzky
Steve Meretzky
Steven Eric Meretzky is an American computer game developer, with dozens of titles to his credit. He has been involved in almost every aspect of game development, from design to production to quality assurance and box design...
and released by Infocom
Infocom
Infocom was a software company, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of interactive fiction. They also produced one notable business application, a relational database called Cornerstone....
in 1984. It is the second game in the magic
Magic (gaming)
Some role-playing games or game systems can include a set of rules that are used to portray magic in the paranormal sense. These rules simulate the effects that magic would have within the game context, according to how the game designer intended the magic to be portrayed...
-themed "Enchanter trilogy", preceded by Enchanter
Enchanter (computer game)
Enchanter is a 1983 interactive fiction computer game written by Marc Blank and Dave Lebling and published by Infocom. It belongs to the fantasy genre and was the first fantasy game published by Infocom after the Zork trilogy...
and followed by Spellbreaker
Spellbreaker
Spellbreaker is an interactive fiction computer game written by Dave Lebling and released by Infocom in 1985, the third and final game in the "Enchanter Trilogy". Like most of Infocom's games, it was released for many of the time's popular computer platforms, such as the Commodore 64, Atari ST and...
. It is Infocom's eleventh game.
Plot
Following the unlikely defeat of Krill in Enchanter, the player's character has progressed from an Apprentice Enchanter to earning a coveted seat in the Circle of Enchanters. Belboz the Necromancer, the leader of the Circle, has become not only a mentorMentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
but a close friend as well. Lately, though, Belboz has seemed different. He's always distracted, even talking to himself at length. Whatever he's dealing with, Belboz doesn't see fit to confide in anyone. Surely he knows what he's doing.
But then, Belboz suddenly disappears. If he is under the influence of some evil power, the results could be disastrous — Belboz is one of the most powerful Enchanters in the land. Someone must uncover what has happened to him, and naturally that task falls to the player's character.
Sorcerer features several memorable puzzles, including an invisible but deadly glass maze and a toxic coal mine where the player must engage in short-term time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
. In addition to the spell-casting system introduced in Enchanter, there are also several magic potions to be found. Potions, naturally, are used by drinking them and each can only be used once.
Feelies
Sorcerer continued the wildly popular tradition of including, in each game box, extra items related to the game. These so-called feelies were:- A copy of the fictitious magazine Popular Enchanting featuring a profile of Belboz
- An "Infotater", a paper wheel that provided a group of codes disguised as information of creatures in the game
(Note: the Infotater was found in the original package only. When the game was later re-released in the "gray stripe" box format, the Infotater was replaced by a "Field Guide to the Creatures of Frobozz" brochure containing the same information. Consequently, original Infotaters are highly sought-after by collectors.)
Taglines
A new evil threatens the kingdom, and the most powerful of all enchanters has vanished...Rescue a magician lost in a doomed kingdom!
External links
- Sorcerer - Adventure Classic Gaming Game Information & Screenshots
- The Infocom Bugs List entry for Sorcerer
- Scans of feelies included in Sorcerer
- Sorcerer Walkthrough