Legends of Zork is basically a graphical, browser based MUD, or multi-user dungeon, with some distinctive Zork flair thrown in for good measure. You're an out of work salesperson for FrobozzCo International who ventures out into the wilds to earn fame and fortune hunting monsters, solving puzzles, or defeating your fellow players in the arena. It's got a simple yet addictive sort of gameplay, which is compounded by the fact that you can play it in any web browser, including the Safari on your iPod Touch, not that I just spent 10 minutes playing in the bathroom or anything.

Just beware. You start off with a set amount of action points per day, which are used to fight and explore, and once you run out your only option is to buy more using real currency. See, that's where they get you. With any game of this sort, you want to just take it easy, make it a part of your daily routine, and do your best to avoid falling into the extra points trap, lest you be eaten by a grue.

Legends of Zork [Official Website]

Bartle has taken the time to address the main points raised - even the downright dickish ones - some of which came from commenters in this very organ.

"Rather than attempt to answer all 140+ comments on Kotaku et al," says Bartle, "here are a few things to note (in no particular order)"

- It turns out you didn't actually need to do the quest to access Coldarra (where the Nexus is). People on my server who played in the beta thought you did, and were issuing LFGs saying you had to know the flight path to get there. OK, so I was misinformed there. It doesn't alter the thrust of my argument, though.

- I know WoW is not real life. I know the Geneva Convention doesn't apply there. No real-life laws apply there. Blizzard could put a quest to rape characters in there: real life anti-rape laws wouldn't apply. Nevertheless, a lot of people would be very disturbed by such a quest. Likewise, not everyone is OK with torture. This is the case in real life, too: yes, killing is worse than torture, but that doesn't mean that if you kill people then torture is fine. Evidence: the aforesaid Geneva Convention.

- When I signed up to play WoW I knew it had fireballs, so I expected killing. I knew it had rogues, so I expected thieving. I had to wait until the second expansion to find out it had gratuitous torture. This does not fall within the parameters of what I was expecting. It's as if you were reading the new book 8 of the Harry Potter series and Harry turns to drugs and uses his magic powers for sport to blind people. JKR can put that kind of stuff in her books if she likes, freedom of speech being what it is and all, but it's shattered your expectations. I wasn't expecting consequence-free torture quests in WoW. Getting one was a shock.

- Strangely, I had noticed WoW was "just a game". For the many players who seem to think that this means anything goes, I guess you're really hoping Blizzard will be putting in some child sex quests in the next expansion. After all, no children are being hurt, it's just pixels on a screen, and if you get XP then why not?

For more of Bartle's response, check out the link below.

Tortuous Replies... [You Haven't Lived via Wonderland links]

Specifically, he is less than impressed with "The Art of Persuasion" a quest that requires you to use a Neural Needler to extract information from an imprisoned sorcerer. Torture, in other words.

"I'm not at all happy with this," Bartle wrote on his blog, "I was expecting for there to be some way to tell the guy who gave you the quest that no, actually I don't want to torture a prisoner, but there didn't seem to be any way to do that."

"Unless there's some kind of awful consequence further down the line, it would seem that Blizzard's designers are OK with breaking the Geneva convention."

Torture [YouHaventLived]

On October 20th 1978, Roy Trubshaw of Essex University threw the switch on MUD - the original Multi User Dungeon. This simple game was the first to let users experience a shared virtual world - albeit one depicted purely through text descriptions - but still featured the core elements of the modern MMO - collecting loot, gaining experience and killing the other guy first.

Although the original server is long since buried in a landfill, MUD games are still running on UNIX and VMS boxes in th e depths of the internets. Indulge your nostalgia/archaeology here.

Today the MUD and the MMO turn 30 [Massively]

Why? Simple really. If I'm going to look at a character for ten to forty hours (or a hundred, as I did in Phantasy Star Online), it had better be something I'm fond of looking at. (It's not that uncommon for me to have spent 2 or more hours designing my perfect fake female. I'm picky!)

On the other hand, some friends of mine like to exploit the horny teens and lonely adults who will hit on anything with polygonal breasts. These friends always took advantage of the gender mystery, using their girly avatars to con armor, weapons and favors from men who go ga-ga over the possibility of finding an underwear model/WoW addict who prefers pot bellies.

This week's issue of the Escapist has a swell tale of author Bruce Sterling Woodcock's journey from sexy MUD cybering to learning about the online social interaction between men and men—when one of those men is a virtual woman. Also includes a warning about how sneaky e-ladies might see their veil lifted by changes in technology.

In the meantime, any other gender switchers out there? Michael "Yumi" McWhertor

Confessions of an MMOG Cross-Dresser [The Escapist]

Over at The Escapist, Richard Bartle — the game designer who created the very first MUD back in 1978 — has a highly entertaining account of the sex MUD a dot com company approached him to created in 2000. It's a really great read, detailing the tough decisions that go into designing a game of this type. For example, do you implement a PvP-like system and allow characters to flag themselves as rape-able? How is pregnancy handled? What about chlamydia? Bartle even describes an innovative sexual "combat" system in which the amount of "mana" you have doesn't benefit you, but instead your partner.

Of course, the Dot Com bubble burst and the game was never completed, but even if you aren't Wagner James Au, you should read Bartle's reminisces. This is a hugely entertaining read and actually a good primer on the game design process to boot.

I Was Young, I Needed the Money [Escapist]

Defective Yeti has a hysterical "text adventure" up of President Bush's presidency. It's not interactive, but old MUD users will get a kick out of the whole thing. A preview is after the jump, for the whole thing, click over.

Thanks Susan

Iraqi Invasion: A Text Misadventure [Defective Yeti]

Oval Office
You are standing inside a White House, having just been elected to the presidency of the United States. You knew Scalia would pull through for you.

There is a large desk here, along with a few chairs and couches. The presidential seal is in the middle of the room and there is a full-length mirror upon the wall.

What do you want to do now?

> INVADE IRAQ
You are not able to do that, yet.

> LOOK MIRROR
Self-reflection is not your strong suit.

> PET SEAL
It's not that kind of seal.

> EXAMINE CHAIRS
They are two several chairs arranged around the center of the room, along with two couches. Under one couch you find Clinton's shoes.

> FILL SHOES
You are unable to fill Clinton's shoes.